The government has survived a backbench revolt over its plans for a new law to ban the incitement to religious hatred.

An amendment from a coalition of Tory and Lib Dem MPs to block the Racial and Religious Hatred Bill failed by 303 votes to 246, giving a majority of 57.

While Muslims welcomed it as long overdue, critics including comedian Rowan Atkinson and Stephen Fry, claim the bill will limit freedom of expression and is a threat to civil liberties.

The purpose of the Racial and Religious Hatred Bill is to give followers of all faiths equal protection from incitement to hatred. It is designed in part to address an anomaly in current law which gives Jews and Sikhs protection under the Public Order Act, but not Christians, Muslims or members of other religions. The bill aims not only to crack down on those who have targeted Muslims since the September 11 attacks on the United States.

Home Secretary Charles Clarke said “This bill isn’t about stopping anybody engaging in robust debate about religion. It will not curb artistic freedom - neither the purpose nor the effect of this bill is to limit freedom of expression.”

The bill would create a new offence of incitement to religious hatred and would apply to comments made in public or in the media, as well as through written material.

Shadow home secretary David Davis said the bill was “too general, too wide, too vague, too dangerous” and it was questionable that it would protect the minorities it sought to help.

However, Dewsbury MP, Shahid Malik, launched an impassioned plea that the bill was needed.

He used his maiden Commons speech and his own experiences to argue that he had spent much of his time fighting hatred, sectarianism and bigotry throughout his life.

“When I was beaten to a pulp by a gang of skinheads on my first day at high school, it wasn’t because of my religion,” he said.
“They didn’t know and they didn’t care if I was a Christian or a Hindu or a Muslim or for that matter if my family was Indian, Pakistani or Bangladeshi.

“In those days we were all seen as Pakis and we were all fair game. But the world has changed. Parliament must be receptive and reflect this new reality.”

The latest report by the European Commission against Racism and Intolerance this month further revealed how essential the legislation has become when warning again that minority groups in the UK are still facing racism and discrimination despite Government efforts to counter hostility. It recommended that the UK authorities impressed on the media the need to ensure that reporting does not contribute to the “current climate of hostility” towards asylum seekers, refugees and immigrants, or members of any minority group.

The Commission also said Muslims are experiencing “societal prejudice” across a wide range of “crucial” areas including employment and the criminal justice system - a situation which has worsened considerably during the so-called war on terror.

Ministers say they do not expect many prosecutions under the new laws, but argue it is important for Parliament to send out a clear message against “hatred, racism and extremism”.

Religious hatred is defined in the bill as “hatred against a group of persons defined by reference to religious belief or lack of religious belief” - showing it will also cover atheists.

Race hatred laws have resulted in 76 people being prosecuted in nearly 20 years, with 44 convictions.