Control my criticism? I’ve got an opinion on that . . .

PLENTY of people don’t like what I write. Many of them tell me so, sometimes quite fiercely. That’s as it should be in a free society. But should anyone be able to regulate my opinions?

The think-tank Policy Exchange is warning that some sort of opinion regulator may gradually be taking shape in this once-free country. The Independent Press Standards Organisation (IPSO) currently makes sure that newspapers tell the truth, which is necessary and right. But some people want it to go further than that. And IPSO has quietly announced that it has created ‘an informal working group’ to help draft guidance for journalists on how to report on issues connected with Islam and Muslims.

Well, a lot of people do say inaccurate things about Muslims, and jump to conclusions about Islam that are not justified by the facts. If they do so then their errors and inaccuracies need to be corrected. But that is as far as it should go. Good factual journalism can sometimes upset people. It has to. So can robust comment. And those who are criticised will sometimes try to pretend that legitimate criticism or exposure is motivated by bigotry. Very probably the BBC and the police will join in. And the Twitter mob will hound those involved, sometimes successfully.

There are also plans for the official definition of supposed ‘Islamophobia’ as being ‘rooted in racism… a type of racism that targets expressions of Muslimness or perceived Muslimness’. Once they can get the police to accept this, then any criticisms of Islam at all will become risky, quite possibly a ‘hate crime’. This is quite wrong. Like all religions, Islam is also a set of political opinions, which we should all be free to criticise. IPSO should abandon this initiative.