Navnit Dholakia: Freedom of speech requires responsibility

From a speech by the President of the Liberal Democrats, in the House of Lords

On Saturday we celebrate Christmas; last month we celebrated the festivals of Eid and of Diwali. In September 1965, the Labour government proclaimed that Britain was a multiracial society. The United Kingdom is a multiracial, multicultural and multireligious society. The enlightened attitude of many people in our society who cele- brated this event confirms that.

On Saturday we celebrate Christmas; last month we celebrated the festivals of Eid and of Diwali. In September 1965, the Labour government proclaimed that Britain was a multiracial society. The United Kingdom is a multiracial, multicultural and multireligious society. The enlightened attitude of many people in our society who cele- brated this event confirms that.

I shall cite three examples, all of which lead us to the belief that an enlightened attitude is important. The first relates to Salman Rushdie, the author of The Satanic Verses. The book caused deep rumbling among Muslims offended by its content, prompting protests, book burning and even riots. The second example happened last weekend. The Sikh community laid siege to a theatre with the intention of cancelling a play depicting sex abuse and murder in a Sikh temple. They were not against the play as such, but against identifying such an incident in a gurdwara, which is sacrosanct to their beliefs.

The third relates to evidence given to the Home Affairs Select Committee on 14 December. A statement was made by Mr Jagdeesh Singh against the Swaminarayan Hindu mission alleging that the Neasden temple had become a base for the terrorist activities of the Vishwa Hindu Parishad. It is the most majestic temple whose principal belief is in non-violence.

These incidents have all hurt the deepest feelings of those who practise those different religions. We often fail to understand that free speech in a libertarian society carries responsibilities with it. We cannot condemn Hindus, Muslims and Sikhs as being illiberal in a society in which racial and religious discrimination is rife and people often take shelter within their religious structure. We need enlightened attitudes to ensure that in a democracy we do not isolate communities.