Fears anti-Muslim hate definition will hand Islamists perfect cover | UK | News
Britain’s former counter-extremism tsar has reportedly gone undercover to attack the government’s newly introduced definition of anti-Muslim hostility, warning that it provides extremists with a ready tool to avoid accountability and silence dissenting voices within Muslim communities.
The Express reports that Lord Walney said he was “deeply concerned” about the definition, which emerged alongside a wider social cohesion strategy on Monday. His fear is that bad actors will hijack it to “deflect scrutiny from their quest to undermine our values and intimidate our Muslim brothers and sisters.”
According to the new definition, anti-Muslim hostility includes “intentionally participating in, aiding, or encouraging criminal acts, including violence, vandalism, harassment, or acts of intimidation communicated physically, verbally, in writing, or electronically, against Muslims or persons perceived to be Muslims because of their religion.”
The Times newspaper, which interviewed Lord Walney, stated that a government czar committed to this practice would guide its dissemination in schools, universities and public services.
Free speech warning
The definition drew immediate reaction from the Opposition. Shadow communities minister Paul Holmes told the government that enshrining the definition without restricting the right to criticize religious ideology puts freedom of expression at risk.
Communities Minister Steve Reed retained his opinion. He told MPs that the government had a “duty to act” and categorically stated that the move did not amount to “back-door invective”.
Turning to the Conservatives, he said: “We will not do what they did and stand by while Muslim communities face targeted abuse in a way that any decent country would consider absolutely unacceptable.”
national emergency
The definition comes as part of a sweeping social cohesion agenda that Sir Keir Starmer has framed in stark terms, describing the state of community relations in Britain as a national “emergency”.
Speaking on Monday, the Prime Minister said the political class had “taken our eye off the ball” by allowing a culture to develop where responsibilities are largely unchecked and rights emphasized. He argued that Britain could no longer rely on communities remaining naturally interconnected as economic pressure, increased immigration and global instability continued to ease.
The strategy was frank about the role of migration in fraying community ties; ministers acknowledged that the pace of demographic change in some parts of the country was “too much, too fast”. The document laid out an expectation that future entrants would adopt English as a working language, participate in civic life, and demonstrate commitment to British values such as tolerance and the rule of law.
Although the government emphasized that integration required effort on both sides, it was clear that the burden of engagement fell on the shoulders of those who arrived in the country first.
