Good news on the government's rejection of the proposed Islamophobia definition.
A couple of letters in the Times today (£) sum up the problem:
Sir, The police are rightly concerned about the proposed definition of Islamophobia, which states that “Islamophobia is rooted in racism and is a type of racism that targets expressions of Muslimness or perceived Muslimness” (“Terror police warn against new rules on Islamophobia”, May 15).
Although Islamophobia can be an expression of racism, it is not racism per se because neither Islam nor Muslims are a race. Muslims include people from many races. Moreover, Muslimness is undefined. Muslims who oppose women’s and LGBT rights claim that they are expressing their Muslimness. Is criticism of them Islamophobic and wrong?
The word Islamophobia is problematic. Islam is an idea, and like all ideas it should be open to critique. Yet criticisms of Islam and tyrannical Islamic regimes are often denounced as Islamophobic. I urge parliamentarians to amend the proposed definition to guarantee free speech and to replace the term Islamophobia with anti-Muslim prejudice, which focuses on protecting people rather than ideas. [Mick Hartley] Read more
