There is currently insufficient protection for Muslims in the UK. Unlike some minority groups, like Sikhs and Jews, Muslims are not protected under the Race Relations Act 1976 or the more recent Race Relations (Amendment) Act 2000. New legislation to implement the EU Employment Framework Directive in the UK will mean that Muslims will, for the first time, be protected against religious discrimination in the sphere of employment. However, this new legislation will not extend to other social policy areas as is the case with existing race, sex and disability legislation. We believe that in a multi-racial, multi-faith society such as Britain, there should be no room for such inequality. It is unacceptable that Muslims should enjoy less protection from discrimination than other racial or religious groups.
You may be aware that in January 2002, Lord Avebury introduced a Religious Offences Bill in the House of Lords, this Bill seeks to create a new offence relating to the incitement of religious hatred. It is apparent that existing legislation fails to offers Muslims adequate protection from incitement of religious hatred . Following the backlash against the Muslim community in the wake of 11th September, legislation was sought to address this anomaly in the law. Although this new legislation succeeded in affording protection against harassment, violence and criminal damage to property motivated by religious hatred it failed in retaining the provisions on incitement. Muslims, as well as other multi-ethnic religious communities in the UK are, therefore, still not protected against the offence of incitement of religious hatred. The second part of the Avebury Bill seeks to extend the necessary protection from INCITEMENT OF RELIGIOUS HATRED to ALL religious groups and is particularly important to Muslims for a number of reasons: |
