The Daily Telegraph - 22.08.2019

Authors attack new Islamophobia definition

By Charles Hymas
HOME AFFAIRS EDITOR

PEOPLE’S ability to criticise the “hate-
ful ideology of theocratic Islam” would
be restricted by a new definition of
Islamophobia, say two of Britain’s lead-
ing atheists. Richard Dawkins and

Peter Tatchell and other authors, in-

cluding a former member of the ex-

tremist group Hizb ut-Tahrir, say in a

new book of essays that attempts to

define Islamophobia risk curtailing

freedom of speech and work to expose

extremism.

Mr Tatchell said he would have

fallen foul of the new definition, which

has been proposed by the All-Party

Parliamentary Group on British Mus-

lims and backed by the Labour Party,

when he attacked Hizb ut-Tahrir over

its anti-gay, anti-women comments.

“I was denounced as Islamophobic.

But I was merely confronting the hate-

ful ideology of theocratic Islamism, not

Muslim people, the vast majority of

whom do not subscribe to such

murderous injunctions,” he said.

“My protest in 1994 could fall within

the sweeping definition of Islamopho-

bia proposed by the APPG since it talks

about Muslimness.

“No one should be discriminated

against because of who they are, yet

the term Islamophobia downgrades

protecting Muslim people and mistak-

enly puts the focus on protecting ideas.

This has to be challenged. We are, it

seems drifting towards a de facto threat

to free speech and liberal values.”

Prof Dawkins, the evolutionary biol-

ogist, said: “Islamophobia is an otiose

word which doesn’t deserve definition.

Hatred of Muslims is unequivocally

reprehensible, as is hatred of any group

of people such as gay people or mem-

bers of a race. Hatred of Islam, on the

other hand, is easily justified, as is ha-

tred of any other religion or obnoxious

ideology.”

Ed Husain, who writes on extremist

groups after being a teenage member

of Hizb ut-Tahrir, said: “One impact of

adopting any definition of ‘Islamopho-

bia’ is that we encourage victimhood

rather than responsibility. We burn the

bridges of liberty and freedom of ex-

pression on which millions of Muslims

travelled to the West.”

Lord Singh of Wimbledon, the cross-

bench peer and regular presenter of

Thought for the Day on BBC Radio 4,

described Islamophobia as a “vague

catch-all term” that poses a “danger to

free speech and legitimate discussion”:

Lord Singh added: “Hatred arises out

of ignorance in which small differences

can assume frightening and threaten-

ing proportions. It can only be removed

through greater emphasis on religious

and cultural literacy.”

The APPG definition is: “Islamopho-

bia is rooted in racism and is a type of

racism that targets expressions of Mus-

limness or perceived Muslimness.”

Freedom of speech and

ability to expose extremism

curtailed by ‘sweeping’ new

interpretation, say writers

Doctors offered cash by hospitals in effort to tackle pensions crisis

By Laura Donnelly HEALTH EDITOR

NHS HOSPITALS are offering cash to
doctors in an attempt to tackle a grow-
ing pensions crisis, an investigation
has revealed.
New rules mean GPs and consultants
can be hit with tax rates of more than
90 per cent on their earnings, includ-
ing their pension contributions, if they
earn more than £110,000 a year.
It means consultants are substan-
tially cutting back on any overtime or
weekend work as they can be taxed

thousands for earning a penny over the

threshold.

Boris Johnson has promised to “fix”

the problem, with the Treasury to

review the rules affecting high-earn-

ers, and changes to be introduced from

next April.

But an investigation by the BMJ

reveals that 16 NHS trusts have taken

matters into their own hands, amid

concern that Government action will

come too late to prevent shortages of

staff this winter.

Under such schemes, doctors are

being offered the chance to opt out of

their NHS pension, and instead accept

extra cash sums, equivalent to their

employer’s pension fund contribu-

tions.

Some trusts have now seen up to 40

medics opt out of the pension, the

investigation reveals.

But NHS senior managers said med-

ics were reluctant to leave the scheme,

which is worth far more than the

money paid into it.

Surveys suggest more than four in 10

GPs and 3 in 10 consultants have cut

their hours because of the pensions

rules.

Waiting lists have soared by 50 per

cent in three months in some parts of

the country because doctors are refus-

ing to work in order to protect their

pensions, senior managers have

warned.

In one case, a doctor who breached

the £110,000 threshold income by just

£3 after doing an additional shift, trig-

gered a £13,000 pensions tax charge,

even though the extra income was not

pensionable.

Northumbria Healthcare Founda-

tion trust, University Hospitals Coven-

try and Warwickshire trust, North

Cumbria University Hospitals trust and

Dorset County Hospital Foundation

trust are among those offering staff the

chance to opt out of the pension

scheme.

A Department of Health and Social

Care spokesman said: “In addition to

our comprehensive proposals to give

doctors the pensions flexibilities they

have called for, guidance is being

issued to trusts so they can provide

flexibilities this tax year, including

offering doctors further support and

reimbursing staff who opt out of their

pension scheme, so doctors can con-

tinue to do the job they love.”

£110,

Annual earnings limit for NHS doctors and

consultants before tax rates of more than

90 per cent kick in, under new rules

News

Pc nearly blinded

while trying to

arrest suspect

Inmates ‘use plastic

spoons’ to break out

of crumbling cells

Wife and son arrested after man’s suicide

 A police officer suffered severe
facial injuries and came close to losing
his sight while trying to arrest a
suspect.
The Pc suffered cuts and bruises to
his face as he attempted to apprehend
a man who fled from a suspicious
vehicle in Staple Hill, Bristol.
The officer and the suspect tumbled
down a steep embankment. Police are
trying to establish if the suspect
assaulted the Pc before they fell.
The incident came amid a spate of
violent attacks on members of the
emergency services.
Andy Roebuck, chairman of Avon
and Somerset Police Federation, said
the officer, who is in his 20s, required
substantial surgery yesterday. He is
believed to be in a stable condition.
Insp Roebuck added: “If you look at
the horrific injuries that he sustained
and the proximity to the eyes, another
couple of centimetres here or there
and it could have been catastrophic.”

 About 150 prisoners will have to be
transferred and an entire jail wing shut
after inmates broke out of crumbling
cells using plastic spoons to unpick the
mortar around the doors, The Daily
Telegraph has been told.
Nineteen prisoners at HMP
Winchester used furniture to smash
down loosened walls before running
amok in their wing, where only one
officer was on duty. Anti-riot officers
were called in and regained control.
Four prisoners were taken to
hospital after what the Prison Officers’
Association (POA) called the first cell
breakout of its kind. Police are
investigating Tuesday night’s incident,
and the 19 prisoners will face
disciplinary hearings.
An anti-riot squad was last night
called to the prison for a second time
after prisoners attempted a cell
breakout in what was thought to be a
copycat tactic.
Mark Fairhurst, POA chairman, has
previously demanded the closure of
the wing for renovation. He said: “This
is a serious incident ... it raises serious
questions over the safety of staff.”

 The wife and son of a frail 94-year-

old were arrested on suspicion of

assisting his suicide because they

watched him deliberately overdose.

Ralph Snell took his own life on Jan

28 after suffering from osteoporosis

that had left him with crippling back

pain and insomnia for two years.

After being prescribed medication

by his GP, Mr Snell told his wife Molly,

89, and son Richard, 68, that he wanted

to kill himself at home in Lymington,

New Forest, Hants. The pair “morally

supported him” and watched as a

“determined” Mr Snell took fatal doses

of his drugs, Winchester Coroner’s

Court heard. A doctor sent to their

house after Richard dialled 111 to report

the death called the police so officers

could “ask them some questions”.

Det Con Kayleigh Rush of

Hampshire Police told the inquest:

“Both Richard and Molly Snell were

arrested... No further action was taken

against either of them as it wasn’t in

the public interest to prosecute

Richard and there was no realistic

prospect of convicting Molly Snell.”

Senior coroner Grahame Short

recorded Mr Snell’s death as suicide.

Body of missing

six-year-old boy

found after he

slipped into river

on fishing trip

 The body of a boy who went missing

after slipping into a Kent river has

been found after a four-day search.

Lucas Dobson, six, went missing on

Saturday afternoon after he fell into

the River Stour in Sandwich while on a

fishing trip with his family.

A body found yesterday in the river

was confirmed to be his. His death is

not being treated as suspicious. Chief

Insp Mark Weller said: “I can confirm

the body is that of missing Lucas.

“It brings an end to our search and I

would like to echo Lucas’s family’s

message of thanks to those who came

out to help search for him in the last

few days. The community support we

have witnessed has been

heart-warming, even in the most

tragic of circumstances. While the

search may have ended, our support to

Lucas’s family continues.”

Maciee Stanford, 18, Lucas’s aunt,

said the boy’s father jumped into the

water after he fell between a jetty and

a boat, but “the current was too

strong, he had already gone”.

Volunteers were warned about their

own safety and told by police to stay

away from the water’s edge.

Pack

mentality

Lehana and

Lembani,

two Painted

Dog

puppies at

Yorkshire

Wildlife

Park near

Doncaster.

The African

wild dogs

lost their

mother,

Thabo, and

now the

rest of the

pack care

for them.

DANNY LAWSON/PA WIRE

Residents object to

Annabel’s music bid

Train fare dodgers

in line for a refund

 Annabel’s nightclub has angered its

neighbours in Mayfair with plans to

install speakers to play music on its

outdoor terrace.

A favourite among royalty and

celebrities, the club has applied to

change the terms of its licence to allow

music on the terrace until 3.30am,

saying it will only be played when the

retractable glass roof is closed.

But their plan has been met with

resistance from nearby residents, one

of whom has written to Westminster

City Council claiming that noise levels

already make being in Berkeley Square

“akin to living on an industrial estate”.

Annabel’s declined to comment.

 Train operators have admitted

overcharging fare dodgers tens of

thousands of pounds.

The mistake came after legislation in

April 2018 reduced penalties for

passengers travelling without valid

tickets during off-peak hours. The Rail

Delivery Group (RDG) failed to

correctly set out the rules in its

guidance, resulting in up to 10,

people being overcharged between £

and £8.

An RDG spokesman said it would

ensure those affected were “reimbursed

quickly and easily”. Station posters will

advise anyone who thinks they may be

owed money to contact train operators.

Concertoed effort Engineers at Cambridge University came up with these devices to allow 88 children – one for each key – to all play a piano at the same

time. Breaking the previous record of 21, the project is part of plans to mark the 500th anniversary of the death of artist and inventor Leonardo da Vinci.

UNIVERSITY OF CAMBRIDGE/PA

‘This is a “vague catch-all

term” that poses a “danger

to free speech and

legitimate discussion” ’

10 **^ Thursday 22 August 2019 The Daily Telegraph

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