One of the most wicked and pernicious pieces of legislation since the Combination Act is about to be enacted in parliament. I'm talking about the forthcoming Racial and Religious Hatred Bill. This has stirred up so much protest from so many prominent people (Rowan Atkinson, Salman Rushdie and the former Archbishop of Canterbury among them) that, given the government's penchant for ignoring the electorate, it's almost certain to become law.
It is, frankly, a victory for stupidity and cowardice. Stupidity, because anyone who professes and promulgates a belief and can't or won't defend it must be stupid. And cowardice because it is transparently obvious that the purpose of the bill is to placate Muslims.
All religions can't be true. If Christianity is the truth, it follows that Judaism and Islam can't be. If Buddhism is true, Christianity can't be. Yet the government intend to make saying so illegal. They're also hedging their bets - they're protecting all religions, so all you Witches, Scientologists, Rosicrucians, Zoroastrianismists and Transcendental Meditators - congratulations, you're now officially sponsored by HM Government, and protected from criticism, spite and ridicule - however spiteful or ridiculous your own beliefs and practices may be.
In fact, all religions are preposterous, most have a dark side and almost all have at some time done great damage, one way or another. Look at the persecution of the Catholics in England, the Spanish Inquisition, the sectarian conflict in Northern Ireland, the pogroms in Bosnia, 9/11 and the London bombings. All right, there are often other factors too. History (English colonialism and the appalling absentee landlords) sowed the seeds of the Northern Ireland conflict. American imperialism probably made inevitable 9/11 or something like it. Racial division may have been behind the Bosnian massacres, though one is given to understand that Muslims and Christians lived happily side by side before the conflict. But religion makes it possible for the hotheads and lunatics and trouble-makers to flourish and too often gives them an excuse for what they want to do. If there were no religions, the world would not be Utopia but it would be a damn sight better than it is.
Religion is an irrational belief - in other words, a belief in something that is not capable of proof. If we are not permitted to criticise or make fun of people who hold irrational beliefs, there are going to be a lot of changes around here. There are times when Mrs.GOS believes she's the Queen of the Fairies. Are we supposed to take that seriously? And that nice Simon Cowell had better watch his step - next time on Pop Idol when he's ... er ... discouraging to one of these sad wannabes who irrationally believe they can sing, he may find a lawsuit round his neck.
And why is Tony Blair so set on protecting religious people when others are left to the mercy of the comics and the critics? Why should traffic wardens and estate agents be fair game when Buddhists aren't? Who looks out for the rights of train-spotters? Or fox-hunters? Or UFO enthusiasts? Or smokers? Or football fans who support Norwich? - now that's an irrational belief if ever I heard one.
I probably don't need to point out that, once this legislation is in place, this page will be totally illegal and the GOS will be facing a prison sentence. But Mrs.GOS is still not the Queen of the Fairies.
Graham Norton is.
either on this site or on the World Wide Web.
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