MCB on Religious Hatred Bill

“The MCB welcomes the move by Government to present the Incitement to Religious Hatred Bill to Parliament. Courts have already extended such protection to Sikh and Jewish people, and it was an anomaly that other faiths too did not enjoy the same protection under the law. Rightwing groups have taken advantage of this to harass Muslims. The Mayor of London Ken Livingstone has issued a news release (9th June) welcoming the Bill outlawing incitement to religious hatred and noting that this proposal is massively supported by Londoners: ‘Our polls show that 72 per cent of Londoners support new laws to outlaw incitement of hatred against people on grounds of their religion. Just 15 per cent oppose such laws’.”

Muslim Council of Britain statement, 13 June 2005