Religious Discrimination
David Green, 23 November 2004
There has been recent press speculation that the Government intends to introduce a law against religious hatred, possibly under the guise of setting up a new Commission for Equality and Human Rights. If it does, it will encourage religious extremism by shielding religious leaders from legitimate criticism. It will reverse the triumph of liberalism and free enquiry over entrenched authority and permit religious dogma to go unchallenged. And it will encourage religious fanatics to ‘play the religion card’.
Trevor Philips, the chairman of the Commission for Racial Equality, recently found himself under attack for Islamophobia because he had the temerity to appeal to Muslim leaders to reiterate their opposition to terrorism. And for her audacity in criticising the inferior status of women under Islam, Guardian columnist, Polly Toynbee, has been declared the ‘Most Islamophobic media personality’ by the Islamic Human Rights Commission. It led, she says, to a bombardment of emails ‘each one more luridly threatening than the last’. Read on.
Surely the Commission for Equality and Human Rights will exist to challenge discrimination in society. The point is not the eradication of free speech but the rights of all members of society to be able to participate in that society. Many people find themselves on the margins resulting in lack of opportunities in employment, education etc.
I agree that freedom of speach is very important, personally I find all religions bizarre and outdated. However, that does not give me the right to racially discriminate.
The legislation goes both ways. Polly Toynbee has the right to her opinions. It would be interesting to see the reaction she would get if she suggested that Christianity is an outdated, male dominated religion based on the myth that a man, long dead, was actually some kind of demi-god who will one day come back to save us all. I think the reaction would be simelar. Why the focus on the negativity of Islam in particular? The point of this legislation is to marginalise racism and that can only be a good thing.