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Terrorism and Community Relations

: The Select Committee addressed that very point. I hoped that the hon. Gentleman would support our conclusions. We did not take the view that the legislation should not be progressed because it might be controversial. We were concerned that an appreciation of the limits of the proposed legislation was not shared by the Muslim community as a whole. We said that it was important not to raise unrealisable expectations. We called on the Government to make a big effort to ensure that the exact nature of the Bill was understood. We went on to say:"““We suspect that the extent of the legislation, and how often it is likely to be used, may also be misunderstood by some who oppose it.””" That is an accurate reflection of the current situation. The Committee did not take the view that the legislation should not go ahead. We said that we needed to ensure a good understanding of it.