Government efforts to protect Muslims from abuse will in “no way” restrict people’s freedom to criticise Islam, the communities secretary has said.
Steve Reed told the BBC he believes a new definition of “anti-Muslim hostility” included in the government’s social cohesion plan finds the right balance.
The Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC) last year raised concerns that a new definition risked creating a “chilling effect” on freedom of expression.
The social cohesion plan, which will be published on Monday, also includes measures aimed at promoting integration and tackling “extremist influence” in institutions, such as charities and universities.
An independent group, led by former Conservative minister Dominic Grieve, was established by the government last year to provide advice on a definition of “anti-Muslim hatred/Islamophobia”.
This was in response to what the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government called the “concerning rise in anti-Muslim hate crime, which has reached record levels”.
In December, the BBC saw a draft definition which did not include the term “Islamophobia”.
The definition is non-statutory, meaning it is not set in law or legally binding, but will provide guidance to public bodies on what constitutes unacceptable treatment of Muslims.
During the consultation, the EHRC said a new definition could cause “further harm to community cohesion if it is perceived as a threat to freedom of expression”.
Reed said “if you can’t describe a problem you can’t do anything about it” as he defended the development of the final definition, which has yet to be published.
Asked why he had ignored the EHRC’s concerns, Reed told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme: “I didn’t ignore it, I share those concerns actually and the key point there was ‘if it stifles freedom of speech’ and it doesn’t.
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