Special Protection for Muslims Means a Two-Tier System
11th March 2026
Exactly 45 minutes after the government published its definition of “anti-Muslim hostility” came the first attempt by a politician to weaponise it against speech he dislikes. Iqbal Mohamed, the pro-Gaza independent MP for Dewsbury & Batley, asked the communities secretary Steve Reed how the new definition would be applied to the “escalating hostility” of what MPs said about Muslims in parliament and “what sanctions” would be enforced against those who transgress.
Did Reed repeat the assurances he’d just given that the definition would have no effect on free speech? Did he slap down this naked attempt at censorship? No. He said Mohamed was “right to point to the huge concern we should all share about the unacceptable level of hostility and abuse directed at Muslims”.
As a Muslim myself, I think I am qualified to agree that abuse — hate speech — and discrimination against us are unacceptable. But as a former chair of the Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC), I also know these things are already illegal.
Welcome to Londonistan. Be careful not to step in the Diversity.