No Free Speech for Christians Please - We're British!

Via James Delingpole's blog at the Daily Telegraph comes another in a dreary string of persecution of Christian stories in New Labour's Britain. It seems that there was a religious debate - the sort of thing that happens daily in free societies - between a hotelier and his wife and their Muslim guests. Here is the account from the news story in the Telegraph:

"Ben and Sharon Vogelenzang are charged with breaching Section 5 of the
Public Order Act – causing harassment, alarm or distress. If convicted, they
face fines of £2,500 each and a criminal record.

The Muslim woman was staying at the Bounty House Hotel in Liverpool,
which is run by the Vogelenzangs, when a conversation arose between the
hoteliers and their guest about her faith.

is understood that among the topics debated was whether Jesus was a
minor prophet, as Islam teaches, or whether he was the Son of God, as
Christianity teaches.

Among the things Mr Vogelenzang, 53, is alleged to have said is that
Mohammad was a warlord. His wife, 54, is said to have stated that Muslim dress
is a form of bondage for women.

The conversation, on March 20, was reported by the woman to Merseyside
Police. Officers told the couple that they wanted to interview them over the
incident.

After being questioned on April 20, they were interrogated again three
months later before being charged on July 29 with a religiously-aggravated
public order offence. They appeared in court on August 14 and are now awaiting
trial.

Mr and Mrs Vogelenzang do not accept that they were threatening or abusive
in any way. David White, who is representing them, said that they believe they
have the right to defend their religious beliefs."

I worked for several years in a furniture refinishing and upholstery shop and debates over religion were a staple of the discussion. There was lot's of profanity, atheist sneering, mockery of religion and occasionally some heated exhanges. But nobody thought of calling the police! This is a free country, we used to say with conviction. Well, things are different now in Canada, but they are even worse in Britain and I'm afraid Canada is heading in the same direction if we do not get rid of the mis-named "Human Rights Commissions" (more accurately named "Thought Police).

What is wrong with Britain? Are Muslims like touchy children who will explode if not handled with kid gloves? (I don't think so, but obviously somebody does.) Is that the reputation Muslims want to have? Don't the police have better things to do than insert themselves into private religious debates between private citizens? Why was a complaint like this not ignored, if not laughed at? What kind of draconian laws prevent people from expressing sincerely held, widely-shared religious opinions about any and all religions? Can Christians get Richard Dawkins thrown in jail for mocking their beliefs? If not, why can Muslims get Christians thrown in jail for mocking their's? What has happened to equality before the law? (Or are some animals more equal than others in this Orwellian state?) If Muslims hate Christianity so much why would they immigrate to a Christian country?

But I don't blame the Muslims. Let us be clear; they are a small minority and they have no power of their own. They may well try to act like they are still in a Muslim theocracy, but they wouldn't be able to get away with it without help from the establishment. Who I blame are the white, middle-class, liberal, anti-Christian, mutli-culturalists who use the religious sensibilities of minority religions as a handy club with which to beat Christians. (To the extent that Muslims play along with them they are not being very smart, because when there are no Christians left to beat on the Muslims can be well-assured they will be the next target themselves of the anti-religious bigots.)