‘Islamophobia’ Definition Threatens Free Speech, Says Think Tank

The term “Islamophobia” is being “regularly misused” to silence open debate and a government-endorsed definition of the term would be a threat to freedom of speech, a think tank has warned. Policy Exchange said in a report on Monday that use of the term Islamophobia “has become wider, less coherent and at times inflated to a remarkable degree”—notably since the Oct. 7, 2023 Hamas attacks—and that the “threat to freedom of speech could not be more clearly signposted.” Report authors emphasised that the debate about a definition of Islamophobia “is not abstract,” representing a substantive question for the lawmakers facing a general election and having “serious ramifications for existing legislation and our own individual liberties.”...