We must oppose blasphemy laws

“I disapprove of what you say, but I will defend to the death your right to say it.”

This principle, attributed to Voltaire, underpins every free society. 

And yet, as the UK government prepares for a consultation on the definition of “Islamophobia,” there’s a creeping fear that this freedom – our freedom – is under threat.

What a liberal democracy is

In a liberal democracy, no idea, belief, or religion is beyond scrutiny. Criticising Islam, or any faith, be it Christianity, Skihism, Judaism or Hinduism, is not hate speech. It is the right of each person in our free country. A right which underpins who we are.

The moment we shield Islam from challenge, we elevate its status above all others. Christianity, Judaism, atheism etc – they are all fair game. Why should Islam get special treatment?

Calling criticism “Islamophobia” is a dangerous conflation. It blurs the line between bigotry and legitimate debate. 

Ideologies (systems of ideas) and the ideas that they contain are there to be discussed, debated, criticised. That is how free societies operate. 

As individuals we criticise ideas, weeding out, in our view, the bad ones and favouring, in our view, the good ones. Everyone is different, so disagreement is inevitable. So too is offence. People will inevitably take offence and be offensive to others. 

That’s how it works, and we shouldn’t try to engineer a system that removes the right to speak one’s mind and risk being offensive.

Chilling the right to free speech

Calling criticism of Islam “Islamophobia” chills the right to free speech. It emboldens theocrats and silences reformers, including Muslim ones, who want to question their own traditions, norms and clerics.

A new definition that lumps honest discussion with hatred will not protect Muslims. It will protect ideas, and that’s not what free societies do. Ideas are there to be tested, challenged, even mocked. That’s how truth survives. That’s how ideas are tested and improved.

We must defend the right to criticise Islam and any other set of ideas, not because we hate, but because we value freedom. Once you start policing thought, democracy suffocates. And that’s not progress. That’s tyranny in disguise.

You have the right to express your view in the call for evidence and can do so by following this link: https://forms.office.com/Pages/ResponsePage.aspx?id=EGg0v32c3kOociSi7zmVqI6tIfR9NoRNi6VcrK9V665UQTdRVzRMM0I4UTA0R0ZCNzBJQ0s4TVNYMS4u