A fresh court ruling also overturned a Quran-burning conviction and expressly reaffirmed that blasphemy has no place in UK law. Now, it seems, free expression is back. But what changed, and where should the boundaries be drawn?
Reporting indicates that the UK government is set to drop plans for an Islamophobia law and step back from adopting an official definition at national level. The decision is based on the realisation that any such implementation removes any possibility for legitimate criticism of belief systems – a slippery slope towards total censorship.
The UK Human Rights Blog summarised a key ruling that overturned a Quran-burning conviction, reaffirming the basic democratic principle that there is no blasphemy offence in English law. Offensive or upsetting speech about religion remains protected, subject to existing laws against harassment, threats, or inciting real violence.
Coverage of the revised approach notes that any definition that may be considered in future must explicitly protect the right to criticise religion, with a shift in language away from broad catch-all formulations that previously promised to put debate and satire at risk.
In short, the overall idea has been recalibrated: protect people from hatred and violence, but do not grant anybody immunity from authentic criticism....<<<Read More>>>.
