New UK 'Islamophobia' definition may be backdoor blasphemy law: Free Speech Union

The UK government’s effort to formalize a definition of Islamophobia is drawing scrutiny, with a new briefing alleging the proposal risks restricting lawful speech and reviving blasphemy-style protections under another name.

The Free Speech Union (FSU) has released a report authored by its Director of Policy and Research, David Rose, examining the working group assembled last year by then-Communities Secretary Angela Rayner. The group was tasked with drafting an official definition of Islamophobia. The proposal is now being referred to within government discussions as “anti-Muslim hostility.”

Parliament abolished the common law offenses of blasphemy and blasphemous libel in England and Wales in 2008. Scotland repealed its blasphemy law in 2024. The FSU briefing argues that adopting a formal Islamophobia definition could, in practice, create similar restrictions on speech through regulatory or institutional enforcement.

According to the report, all five members of the government’s working group have past associations or links to Islamist-linked organizations, including the Muslim Council of Britain (MCB) and Muslim Engagement and Development (MEND). The briefing states that these connections raise questions about the neutrality of the drafting process.

The FSU also revisits the 2018 All-Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) definition of Islamophobia, which described the term as a form of racism rooted in targeting expressions of Muslimness. Critics have argued that framing could blur the distinction between criticism of a religion and hostility toward individuals.

The government has not yet published a final definition. It remains unclear how the term would be applied in law or policy, or whether it would carry statutory force. Existing UK law already prohibits incitement to religious hatred and protects individuals from discrimination on religious grounds.

The FSU briefing states that because legal protections already exist, introducing a new formal definition may either duplicate current statutes or influence how institutions interpret speech. The report argues that public debate on matters such as Islamist extremism and high-profile criminal scandals could be affected, though no enforcement framework has been released.