Indeed, I count myself amongst their number and I strongly
believe that anyone who directs hatred or violence towards
another human being - regardless of their motivation - deserves
to be investigated.
But the definition of Islamophobia proposed by the All Party
Parliamentary Group (APPG) on British Muslims is simply too
broad to be effective and it risks creating confusion,
representing what some might see as legitimate criticism of the
tenets of Islam - a religion - as a racist hate crime, which
cannot be right for a liberal democracy in which free speech is
also a core value.
Free speech cannot be an absolute right or freedom to harm, but
as it stands this definition risks shutting down debate about
any interpretation of the tenets of Islam which are at odds
with our laws and customs, which in turn would place our police
officers and members of the judicial system in an untenable
position.
Despite the fact it would be non-legally binding, it would
potentially allow those investigated by police and the security
services for promoting extremism, hate and terrorism to legally
challenge any investigation and potentially undermine many
elements of counter terrorism powers and policies on the basis
that they are ‘Islamophobic’. That cannot be allowed to happen.
While a representative of the NPCC Hate Crime Portfolio did
give evidence to the APPG when invited to do so, the NPCC was
not consulted on the wording of the definition and would have
raised these concerns had we been.
I would be happy to consult on this now and to seek a
definition that both satisfies all and absolutely protects
those who are subjected to hate crime on the grounds of race
and religion.
