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Racial and Religious Hatred Bill

The debate has been interesting, although I wonder whether the hyperbole advanced by Conservative Members has hindered their making some good points. The Bill is primarily about rectifying an anomaly that has led to an inequity in the present legal situation, namely that some groups are protected in law and others are not, which is an argument that we have rehearsed this afternoon. In my experience, protection is not afforded to not only Muslims, but many Catholics. Anti-Catholicism is as virulent now in many parts of the country and in some public discourse as it was four centuries ago. Although we have understandably focused on the Islamophobia that we face in this country, the treatment of Catholicism is also an issue, which is not to say that we should therefore protect either the Catholic faith or Islam. This afternoon, many hon. Members have argued that the best way to defend the God in whom one believes is to argue, and to argue forcibly. In the 1970s, J. B. Phillips wrote a particularly fine book called ““Your God is too small””, which made it clear how it is sometimes better to argue God’s corner rather than protecting him through laws. A vast pool of religious hatred simmers in this country. Many of us do not face that religious hatred because we worship in a Church that is protected and perhaps even established by law, and the vast majority of people who face religious hatred on a daily basis are Muslims. The Bill may not be used after it has received Royal Assent. I hope that it will not be used, because by the very virtue of bringing it into law, we will have made a declaration that religious hatred is a problem in modern society and that we want to row back from it. We do not want to pour yet more water into that pool of religious hatred. It was curious to hear several hon. Members who are prominent in their own faith communities effectively arguing in favour of religious hatred. The right hon. Member for Maidstone and The Weald (Miss Widdecombe) and the hon. Member for North Antrim (Rev. Ian Paisley)—a curious love-in—seem to agree on their mutual religious hatred, one for another. The hon. Member for Billericay (Mr. Baron) said that the Bill will lead to terrible self-censorship. When it comes to religious hatred, however, a little bit of self-censorship is an extremely good idea.