BARNABAS FUND BRIEFS MPS ON RELIGIOUS HATE LAW: WARNS OF THREAT TO FREE SPEECH?

Press Release – 1 February 2005

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Barnabas Fund has today issued a briefing pack for all MPs warning of the dangers to free speech posed by proposed new laws banning incitement to religious hatred.

MPs are due to debate the proposal next Monday 7 February when the Serious Organised Crime and Police Bill goes through Report Stage and receives its Third Reading in the House of Commons before entering the House of Lords.

Schedule 10 of the Bill proposes extending existing laws which already ban incitement to racial hatred to cover religious hatred as well. The government argues that the law is needed to prevent far-right groups and extremists of all religions whipping up hatred against the followers of other faiths.

However, a broad based coalition of journalists, senior lawyers, MPs, peers, human rights groups, civil liberties organizations, religious organisations, secularists and actors, amongst others, co-ordinated by Barnabas Fund fear that far from achieving this laudable aim the law will instead effectively end up banning all legitimate criticism of religion and religious practices.

Barnabas Fund is alerting MPs to our concern that those who speak out on behalf of millions of people who suffer as a result of particular religious teachings, such as Muslims who convert to another faith (who should be executed according to Islamic law) or Dalits (treated as “untouchables” in the traditional Hindu caste system), could be silenced.

At least one senior barrister has argued that if such a law had been in place sixteen years ago, instead of protecting Salman Rushdie from extremist Muslims who sought his life for writing The Satanic Verses, the government could have prosecuted him themselves.

Sent to MPs along with a full briefing and summary of areas of concern is a joint statement signed by Barnabas Fund and a number of other prominent organisations and individuals including the Evangelical Alliance, the National Secular Society and the actor Rowan Atkinson expressing our shared concern about these proposals.

Paul Cook, Barnabas Fund’s Advocacy Manager, said “The government says the law will not be used to prevent missionary activity, religious debate or jokes. However, there is absolutely nothing in the text of this legislation to guarantee this. Government promises are no substitute for a clear distinction between language that incites hate, and legitimate criticism to be written into the law. The law as it now stands is wide open for possible misuse by those who would silence reasonable debate.”

The Fund’s International Director Patrick Sookhdeo said “We are urging MPs to think carefully and vote against Schedule 10 of this Bill. Many of those who have called the loudest for this law have made it quite clear that they intend to use it as a pseudo-blasphemy law to silence any criticism of their faith.”

NOTES FOR EDITORS

Copies of the Briefing Materials sent to MPs are available on Barnabas Fund’s website:-

Briefing Paper http://www.barnabasfund.org/News/ITRHC/ITRH_AREAS_OF_CONCERN.pdf Summary of Concerns http://www.barnabasfund.org/News/ITRHC/CEEC6.htm Joint Statement http://www.barnabasfund.org/News/ITRHC/Joint_Statement_on_ITRH.htm

The Bill proposes amending the existing offence of Incitement to Racial Hatred contained in Part 111 of the Public Order Act 1986 to cover Incitement to Religious Hatred as well.

The clauses relating to introducing laws banning incitement to religious hatred are tucked away in Schedule 10, Section 122 in the fourth part of the Serious Organised Crime and Police Bill. The bill can be viewed online at http://www.publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm200405/cmbills/044/2005044.pdf

Further information on the proposed law banning Incitement to Religious Hatred is available on Barnabas Fund’s website http://www.barnabasfund.org/News/ITRHC/about_ITRHC.htm

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Further details, quotes and photos on this and other stories may be available for news editors on request.

Barnabas Fund works to support Christian communities mainly, but not exclusively, in the Islamic world where they are facing poverty and persecution.

Barnabas Fund, Web: http://www.barnabasfund.org

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1 February 2005

Off to London!

Dear Friends,

I write in haste, seeking your prayers as I pack my bags for London. I leave Adelaide on Friday 4 February, returning on Wednesday 16th. It has all happened so quickly I have hardly had time to catch breath.

You are probably aware that on 17 December 2004 Judge Higgins of the Victorian Civil and Administrative Tribunal (VCAT) found Pastor Daniel Scot and Pastor Danny Nalliah guilty of religious vilification at a church seminar on Islam conducted by Daniel Scot on 2 March 2002.

Melbourne journalist and radio presenter Terry Lane – an atheist – listened to an audiotape of the seminar to find out for himself what Pastor Scot actually said. Daniel had explained how Islam’s holy books the Quran and the Hadith came to be written; what these books teach about jihad, women and other matters; and how Christians should share their faith with Muslims by showing love in practical ways such as hospitality.

Terry Lane concluded that the Higgins judgement (see http://www.vcat.vic.gov.au)

was “riddled with errors”; its “pomposity was breathtaking”; and it was a “depressing affair for anyone who cares about the fundamental freedom to say what we are thinking without fear of prosecution”. (Sunday Age, Melbourne, 2/1/05).

However despite its many errors, the judgment cannot readily be appealed because the wording of the Victorian Racial and Religious Tolerance Act stacks the odds so heavily in favour of the complainant and against the respondent.

And that brings me to the reason for my trip to London. Next Monday, 7 February, the House of Commons will vote on legislation which includes a section similar in effect to the Victorian Act.

The Blair Labour government legislation has been warmly welcomed by Muslim groups in the UK. It is believed to be a ploy to win the Muslim vote ahead of the general election expected in May. UK Christian groups are concerned about the impact of the bill, but many seem to believe that free speech can be protected by adding a few amendments.

Of course, that is exactly what happened when the Racial and Religious Tolerance Bill was first mooted in Victoria – but the “protective” amendments have proved worthless.

Colin Hart of the Christian Institute – a UK group similar to Festival of Light Australia – has invited Daniel Scot to fly to London to address a media conference on Monday and other key meetings with MPs, pastors and others later in the week.

I have been invited to interview Daniel as I have done on several occasions when he has spoken at meetings in Adelaide, and also to give UK Christians some insight into our successful campaign to persuade the SA government not to go ahead with anti-vilification legislation of the Victorian kind.

The House of Commons will vote on Monday and the bill will almost certainly pass since the government has the numbers. It would then go to the House of Lords, where we pray those titled gentlemen and ladies may defeat it. We will be speaking to MPs from both Houses.

Of particular concern is the possible penalty to be imposed on Daniel Scot – who, more than Danny Nalliah, has come under fire from Judge Higgins. Last Friday 28 January, the barrister for the Islamic Council of Victoria told the judge that the Council is considering making a submission about possible penalties including: * a public apology by the two pastors; * a court injunction prohibiting Daniel Scot from conducting similar seminars on Islam in future (note: the Act covers discussion outside as well as inside Victoria; breaching such an injunction could result in a jail term); * the suppression of publication of the seminar transcript and audiotapes; * the suppression of court files on the VCAT hearing.

Daniel will be telling members of the UK parliament: “This is what happened to me. It could happen to you!”

At stake is our freedom of speech; our freedom to speak the truth about other religions; our freedom to preach the gospel in our churches.

Please pray for us!

God bless!

ROS

Mrs Roslyn Phillips, B Sc Dip Ed Research Officer, Festival of Light Australia Website http://www.fol.org.au

* Shalom! Rowland Croucher * * http://jmm.org.au/ * (14200+ articles, 3100 clean jokes/stories, 1.5 m. hits/month)

Internet Evangelism Conference http://ie-21stcentury.com/ *