A Government review to draw up a definition of Islamophobia will not result in a blasphemy law "by the back door", the chairman of the review has insisted.
Angela Rayner, the Deputy Prime Minister, set up a five-person working group, chaired by the former Tory attorney general Dominic Grieve to introduce a formal definition of Islamophobia to combat anti-Muslim hatred.
In opposition, Labour said it would adopt a controversial definition of Islamophobia which was drawn up in 2018 by all-party parliamentary group which critics say is so widely drawn that it would act as a de facto blasphemy law and stifle criticism of Islam.
In his first interview since being appointed in February Grieve told GB News' Chopper's Political Podcast, that his review - which he said will report in the Autumn - and it would not lead to restrictions on freedom of speech.
Dominic Grieve is chairing the group
GB NEWS
He said: "Look at our terms of reference. They make absolutely explicit that we will not introduce some blasphemy law to protect religion, whether it's Islam or anything else, by the back door.
"And nor will it have any impact on the recurrent laws in relation to freedom of expression under law. So people should be reassured by that."
Grieve - who was Conservative attorney general from 2010 to 2014 - added: "At the end of the day, if the Government doesn't like what we want, they won't use it. But we are there to operate within that framework. And some of the stuff I'm reading about this is just, excuse my saying it, garbage."
Grieve added that when he was a Tory MP he had "voted to get rid of the blasphemy laws. And what people may not remember was that we also had an act which the Blair government brought in, to introduce incitement to religious hatred.
Angela Rayner PARLIAMENT"And we amended it helped by a huge Labour rebellion. The people who orchestrated that rebellion were David Davis and myself. So either I've gone through some extraordinary revolutionary transformation in my views, which I haven't, or I keep that very much in mind in relation to the work we're doing."
Grieve said that Muslims were being discriminated against and needed the protection of a legal definition of anti-Muslim hatred.He said: "None of that should get us away from the fact that there is now a serious problem of a significant section of our society who are getting really unpleasant form of demonisation."
Grieve - a practising Anglican and trustee of the Oxford Centre for Islamic Studies - added: "There is an issue surrounding freedom of expression as against the desire of many Muslims to have some kind of definition which provides a measure of a framework which may help protect them, because they're undoubtedly, at the moment, the victims of really unpleasant anti-Muslim hatred.
"A respectable lady travelling with a headscarf on the bus will get casual abuse. And this is driving a wedge in our society that is, in my view, very dangerous. So we're looking at it."
Asked by presenter Christopher Hope whether Christians should be given legal protection from abuse too, Grieve said: "Well, you could, you could make an argument. And some people say, why has anybody got definitions? But we started down this road quite a long time ago.
"The question is, is it helpful in practice? That to my mind is what is the key to what we're trying to achieve. So as I said, I can't guarantee we will come up with the right solution, in case I am the chair and my fellow commissioners have their own views. But we will work that through, and I hope we'll come up with something which is helpful and in the public interest."
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