NSS welcomes government commitment on blasphemy laws

The National Secular Society has welcomed the Government's commitment to protect the right to free expression as part of efforts to challenge anti-Muslim bigotry.

In a statement, the Ministry of Housing, Communities, and Local Government (MHCLG) said "any new definition of Islamophobia must be given careful consideration, acknowledging British citizens' unchanging right to freedom of speech and expression". 

A MHCLG spokesperson also said that "no blasphemy laws will be introduced by this government".

The statement follows reports the Government is planning to create a 'council on Islamophobia' which will advise on drawing up an official definition of anti-Muslim discrimination.

Concerns that the council would recommend adopting a definition of 'Islamophobia' proposed by the All-Party Parliamentary Group on British Muslims (APPG) were heightened by reports that former Conservative minister Dominic Grieve had been recommended to chair the sixteen person council.

Grieve wrote the foreword to the APPG report on the 'Islamophobia' definition. Concerns about the implications of the APPG definition for freedom of speech have been consistently raised by campaigners, including the National Secular Society.

In September, the Government said it was not looking to adopt the APPG definition of 'Islamophobia' due to its being "not in line with the Equality Act 2010". The definition has already been adopted by most political parties, one in seven local authorities, and one in eight universities.

NSS: Efforts to combat hatred must not introduce de facto blasphemy laws

National Secular Society chief executive Stephen Evans said: "We're pleased to see the Government firmly rejecting any return of blasphemy laws and recognising the importance of protecting the right to freedom of expression.

"However, the conflation between race and religion that is inherent in the term 'Islamophobia', and particularly pronounced in the flawed definition adopted by the Labour Party, clearly holds the potential to chill legitimate and necessary discussions around Islam.

"We look forward to working with the Government to ensure efforts to combat anti-Muslim hatred don't inadvertently usher in de facto blasphemy laws, where accusations of prejudice stifle legitimate and necessary discussion".