All lovers of life and liberty must surely have felt a deep chill descend when reading the sinister reaction of the Muslim Association of Britain to the article by Charles Moore in the Telegraph , protesting at the proposed law against incitement to religious hatred. We have been told that this law would not criminalise free speech on maters of legitimate interest and debate, merely incitement to hatred. The answer to that is that the distinction between the two is highly subjective and open to abuse. What more graphic illustration of that very point can there be than the MAB’s reaction to Moore’s article. Objecting that Moore had insulted the Prophet, the MCB not only called for him to be sacked but as the Guardian reported:

'The MAB said the article was full of "skewed interpretations and poisonous lies" and interpreted it as a "clear incitement to religious hatred and division". Speaking on its behalf, Anas Altikriti said: "Almost 15 years on from the infamous Salman Rushdie affair, one would have thought that the likes of the Daily Telegraph and its editors would have known better than to allow such filth and drivel to adorn their pages." '

The threat is absolutely plain. Moore’s offence is being equated with the Satanic Verses affair, for which Salman Rushdie was sentenced to death by an Iranian fatwa until eventually the threat was lifted. I am told that the police are now considering whether Moore needs protection. This sets in devastating context the concern that the proposed law will give rise to court cases intended to suppress necessary debate about Islam.

It also raises the most urgent questions about the behaviour of the Blair government. For with both this proposed religious hatred law and the Mental Capacity Bill (see below), the government is now directly striking down our two bedrock principles -- freedom of speech and the right to life. It is legislating both to suppress legitimate debate and to force doctors to kill. With these two measures, therefore, the government has moved into a new league -- an administration that poses a direct threat to life and liberty.