There are things that are truly hateful and that are carried out in the name of religion. We have to speak about these things and criticise them as we would criticise anything that harms society or our fellow beings. If we do not, we will be guilty of more heinous crimes than "religious hatred". We will be guilty of crimes against humanity.
The Middle Eastern Centre for Women's Studies recently highlighted the case of Iraqi prostitutes being beheaded by black-uniformed militia with "God, the Leader, 网曝门land" written on their sleeves.
Had this issue arisen under David Blunkett's dictum and someone felt it to be inciting religious hatred, would those defending women have to shut up? We can't be quiet on such issues. You may as well slam the handcuffs on me now.
Shirley Dent
London WC1
Register to continue
Why register?
- Registration is free and only takes a moment
- Once registered, you can read 3 articles a month
- Sign up for our newsletter
Subscribe
Or subscribe for unlimited access to:
- Unlimited access to news, views, insights & reviews
- Digital editions
- Digital access to 罢贬贰’蝉 university and college rankings analysis
Already registered or a current subscriber?