Labour‘s move to create an official definition of Islamophobia is about ‘policing thinking and speech’ rather than protecting Muslims, Sir Trevor Phillips has said.
The former chairman of the Equalities and Human Rights Commission said it was ‘nonsensical’ to introduce a government-backed definition because there were plenty of existing laws protecting Muslims from hate crimes.
He branded it a ‘Leninist manoeuvre’ because it could be used to shut down free speech and legitimate criticism about some aspects of Islam. Speaking at a debate in Parliament, he added: ‘If you are a Muslim in Britain are you [already] protected? Yes. End of story. We don’t need a definition. We have perfect legal remedies against discrimination. There are much more important things to deal with.’
He said it was ‘illiterate’ to suggest that Muslims are ‘a race’ for the purposes of drawing up a definition.
Tory MP Claire Coutinho, a former Cabinet minister, said a definition was being drawn up by the ‘back door’ without ‘democratic consent’. She warned it is likely to be counterproductive because it could spark a ‘backlash’ against Muslims rather than help to protect them, in the same way trans activists were derided after the Supreme Court’s landmark ruling on gender being based on biological sex in April went against them.
‘This is not commanding public support. It’s a push from radical activists,’ she added. She warned it could lead to public sector workers, as well as university staff or students, living in fear of facing disciplinary action if accused of doing or saying something that falls foul of the definition.
While there is a definition for anti-Semitism, set out by the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance, Sir Trevor and Ms Coutinho said this made sense because it was launched specifically to deal with the issue of Holocaust denial. But there was no equivalent purpose for defining Islamophobia, they added.
The Tories’ housing and local government spokesman, Kevin Hollinrake, said Labour’s move was purely ‘for political reasons’ and would be a ‘disaster’ for free speech.
The former chairman of the Equalities and Human Rights Commission, Sir Trevor Phillips, said it was ‘nonsensical’ to introduce a government-backed definition because there were plenty of existing laws protecting Muslims from hate crimes
Tory MP Claire Coutinho, a former Cabinet minister, said a definition was being drawn up by the ‘back door’ without ‘democratic consent’.
Labour commissioned the work to devise a ‘non-statutory’ definition of Islamophobia in what it says is a move to combat anti-Muslim abuse
Baroness Spielman, the former boss of schools watchdog Ofsted, said it threatened to entrench ultra-conservative interpretations of Islam. She told how she had once backed a primary school headteacher who did not want six and seven-year-old girls being forced into wearing hijabs in the classroom, adding: ‘But I had 1,100 letters accusing me of Islamophobia for backing the headteacher of the primary school. It had a chilling effect on other schools.’
She said creating an official definition of Islamophobia would make it harder to tackle such attitudes because it could be used to silence legitimate concerns.
The cross-party debate was hosted by the All-Party Parliamentary Group on Freedom of Speech, led by Tory MP Richard Holden. He warned that introducing an official definition could create a ‘two-tier’ system that ‘protects some people’s views above some other people’s views’.
Labour commissioned the work to devise a ‘non-statutory’ definition of Islamophobia in what it says is a move to combat anti-Muslim abuse.
But there are fears it could lead to a blasphemy law by the back door and stifle legitimate criticism of Islam. Critics suspect the move is politically motivated to hang on to the large Muslim vote Labour enjoys in swathes of the country.
The party has set up a working group, whose chairman is former Tory Dominic Grieve, to devise the definition. Its call for evidence closes on Saturday.
