“Freedom of speech is one of the cornerstones of our democracy. The open exchange of views and the expression of controversial opinions are bulwarks against tyranny. Yet the British tradition of liberty is now increasingly under threat because of the state’s cowardly policy of trying to appease radical Islam.

“In the name of promoting a spirit of tolerance, our civic institutions have become ruthlessly intolerant of anyone who dares to challenge some of the most repellent features of hardline Islamism, such as misogyny, the contempt for human rights and the resort to violence for political ends. Blanket accusations of racism are regularly used to suppress debate about the problems caused by Islam.

“Britain fought the last war against an anti-semitic, book-burning, totalitarian regime. Yet in a bizarre twist, the modern British Government now acts as the guardian of those Muslims who want to see an Islamic version of just such a regime in this country. In a monstrous inversion of our values, those seeking to uphold our freedoms against Muslim fundamentalism are now the target of state repression.

“The British bobby, once a symbol of robust common sense, is rapidly being transformed into an agent of the race-fixated thought police. Perhaps the most worrying recent example of this trend was the outrageous conduct of the West Midlands police over a Channel 4 investigation into extremism within Birmingham’s mosques – Undercover Mosque.”

Leo McKinstry in the Daily Express, 20 August 2007