Islamophobia: The Return of Blasphemy Proposed by British MP Tahir Ali

On the occasion of "Islamophobia Awareness Month" (IAM), British MP Tahir Ali called on Prime Minister Keir Starmer to criminalise blasphemy. This proposal directly follows the United Nations Human Rights Council resolution of July 2023, which condemned the "desecration of the Holy Qur’an" with brazen deference. The European Centre for Law and Justice (ECLJ) warns against the instrumentalisation of human rights in service of Islam and the erosion of fundamental freedoms under the guise of combating Islamophobia.

On 28 November 2024, during Islamophobia Awareness Month, British Labour MP Tahir Ali raised the issue of hate crimes against Muslims in Parliament. This annual event, initiated in 2012, takes place every November and is now included in the calendars of schools, universities, NHS healthcare services, and police forces across the United Kingdom.

The MP reminded that in July 2023, "Last year, the United Nations Human Rights Council adopted a resolution condemning the desecration of religious texts, including the Koran, despite opposition from the previous government." Explaining that "Acts of such mindless desecration only serve to fuel division and hatred within our society," Tahir Ali urged Prime Minister Keir Starmer "Will the prime minister commit to introducing measures to prohibit the desecration of all religious texts and the prophets of the Abrahamic religions?"

While he did not commit to supporting it, Keir Starmer also did not reject Tahir Ali's proposal "I agree that desecration is awful and should be condemned across the House" assured the British Prime Minister, reiterating his Labour government's commitment "to tackling all forms of hatred and division, including Islamophobia in all its forms."

The Return of Blasphemy Laws to Protect Islam: The United Kingdom Following in Denmark's Footsteps

Conservatives have expressed concerns about the potential reintroduction of a law criminalising blasphemy, which was repealed in the United Kingdom in 2008. This recalls the era of the Wingrove case (1996), where the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) upheld the UK's ban on a short film depicting a pornographic vision of Saint Teresa of Ávila and the crucified Christ. However, this time it would be in the name of Islam that freedom of expression would be curtailed, relying on the Court's reasoning that religious sentiments, in this case Christian ones, must not be to "outrage and insult the feelings of believing Christians and constitute the criminal offence of blasphemy" by exceeding "the safeguard of the high threshold of profanation embodied in the definition of the offence of blasphemy."

Denmark, which had a 334-year-old provision penalising public insults against religions, repealed in 2017, has already taken the step. On 7 December 2023, the Danish Parliament passed a law prohibiting "the improper treatment of writings that hold significant religious importance for a recognised religious community," nicknamed « koranlov », law on Qu’ran. The return of blasphemy laws in Denmark occurred in the context of violence sparked by various Quran burnings in Europe during the summer of 2023, prompting the Human Rights Council to declare that "it is offensive and disrespectful to deliberately and publicly burn the Holy Quran or any other sacred book with the intent to incite discrimination, hostility, or violence, and that such acts constitute a clear provocation and an expression of religious hatred." 

At the UN, the Instrumentalisation of Human Rights in Service of Islam

Under pressure from the 57 member states of the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC), led by Pakistan, the Human Rights Council deemed « qu’un tel acte doit être interdit par la loi, conformément aux obligations qui incombent aux États en vertu du droit international des droits de l’homme ». To defend the Islamic religion itself, rather than only Muslim believers, the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) has, since the late 1990s, developed the concepts of "Islamophobia" and the defamation of Islam. Another tactic employed by the OIC, now endorsed by Western representatives, is to conflate the defamation of Islam with racism.

Indeed, on 1 October 2024, on the sidelines of the 57th session of the Human Rights Council, the Permanent Mission of the United States to the UN hosted a conference titled "Combatting Intolerance, Hate Crimes and Islamophobia." The event was sponsored by the Permanent Missions of the European Union, the United Kingdom, Turkey, and Pakistan. An apparently unlikely alliance, as these same states are usually divided into two blocs—one liberal and the other Islamic—and often clash on issues of blasphemy and freedom of expression.

Freedom of Expression Sacrificed in the Fight Against "Islamophobia"

Western states are now aligning with the OIC by adopting the term "Islamophobia" and portraying Muslims as victims, creating the impression that they are widely persecuted in the West. According to the European Union Agency for Fundamental Rights (FRA), nearly one in two Muslims faces discrimination in their daily lives, as stated in a report published on 24 October 2024, titled "Being Muslim in the EU." However, the ECLJ criticises the conflation, promoted at the UN and in Europe, between legitimate criticism of Islam as a belief system and attacks against Muslims as individuals.

This conflation fuels a shift towards disproportionate restrictions on freedom of expression, which could serve the interests of authoritarian regimes advocating a conservative interpretation of Islam. Countries like Pakistan, where blasphemy accusations against Islam regularly lead to public lynchings of Christians or arbitrary death sentences, are attempting to export these practices through international institutions.

The criminalisation of blasphemy, whether directly or indirectly, poses a serious threat to freedom of expression and democratic debate. While protecting believers is essential, this protection should not extend to shielding beliefs themselves, especially through concepts such as Islamophobia. Society must remain a space where ideas, including religious ones, can be discussed, criticised, and even challenged. The UN, and even more so Europe, must avoid the instrumentalisation of the human rights system in favour of any religion.