Bill aims to protect freedom to criticise Islam

A bill aimed at preventing the Public Order Act 1986 from being used to prosecute legitimate criticism of Islam is due for its second reading in the Commons on 12 September.

The Freedom of Expression (Religion or Belief System) Bill was introduced in June by Nick Timothy MP and co-signed by another 11 MPs. It would extend the scope of section 29J of the Act – which protects the freedom to criticise religion in specific circumstances – to the whole of the Act.

Nick Timothy said the issue is “the way that sections four and five of the Public Order Act 1986 are being used – far beyond the intent of Parliament – to police what we can and cannot say about Islam”.

Bradley Thomas MP, one of the bill’s sponsors, said: “Freedom doesn’t exist without freedom of speech – and we’re seeing this being eroded through the back door.

"No religion is beyond reproach … the Public Order Act is being used as a de facto blasphemy law.

"This has got to stop before we continue down this slippery slope any further.”

Islam 'over-protected'

Meanwhile, the Commission for Countering Extremism (CCE), an independent body, has said defending free speech is a vital tool in the fight against extremism. A CCE-commissioned survey revealed that a third of nearly 2,300 over-16s in England and Wales believed free speech was under-protected.

Christianity was the religion that the largest proportion (28 percent) of respondents believed has too little/far too little protection.

A third also believed they should keep quiet about religious extremism – yet 39 percent said Islam is protected too much.