Mick Hartley

Here we go. From the Times:

Muslims could be treated by police differently from other religious groups because of the government’s introduction of an official definition of anti-Muslim hostility, disclosures from police forces have revealed.

Some forces said that they were pressing ahead with adopting the definition while others were reviewing how it would affect operational guidance, community engagement, neighbourhood policing, professional standards and internal equality and diversity policies. 

It has triggered fresh concerns over alleged “two-tier” policing in the wake of the treatment of Henry Nowak, the 18 year-old student who was arrested and handcuffed by officers in Southampton on suspicion of racism while he lay dying from stab wounds. 

Well, the Muslim Police Association will be very pleased.

Some forces, like South Wales, are rushing ahead with this exciting new plan..

It is, as Claire Coutinho notes, a blasphemy law by the back door.

A couple of pertinent comments on the Times article:

“Simply put Islam is a religion not a race, do we then protect all religions? Moreover Islam is a religion that brought us Manchester Arena, 7/7, Lee Rigby, London Bridge, Parson’s Green, Manchester Victoria Station, London Bridge (2), Streatham, Reading, Sir David Amess MP, Liverpool Women’s Hospital, Hartlepool, Borough Market, Southport, Heaton Park, Golders Green x2, the country wide Grooming gangs and the Batley teacher etc, etc etc. Does Islam need protection or do we?”

“Islam is different from other belief systems like Christianity, Judaism, Buddhism and Hinduism (to take some examples). The four I have just mentioned offer guidance to their followers on how they should behave when they live in a country that has another religion “in charge”.

“Islam doesn’t. Islam assumes that it will be the only, and the ruling, belief system. Its message is that everything you need to know, and how to behave, can be found in the holy texts. Islam is also a political system, as it does not recognise the idea of democracy: everything you need to know was written hundreds of years ago, and cannot be questioned. This obviously is problematic when democratically elected people have created laws that Islam does not support.

“Most Muslims in Britain deliberately ignore these issues, so they can live peacefully here, but tensions do exist between doctrine and the reality of living in a liberal society. I can’t see how this will ever change, as Islam is not set up to have the equivalent of a “Reformation” which would change some of its ideas.”