The British Government is drafting legislation that could see trustees of Christian charities and schools removed from their posts as part of the country’s fight against ‘extremism’.
According to The Christian Institute, which cites leaked portions of the proposed law, Britain’s Charity Commission would be granted new powers to force the removal of individuals deemed “extremist” from religiously affiliated boards in a move critics have branded a blow to religious freedom.
Defining extremism as “the vocal or active opposition to fundamental British values, including democracy, the rule of law, individual liberty and the mutual respect and tolerance of different faiths and beliefs”, the leaked draft goes on to state that “once the legislation is enacted, the Charity Commission will take action against all trustees who meet the definition of extremism set out in this document”.
Critics have further pointed out that ‘British values’ and ‘extremism’ are wide open to interpretation, posing a potential threat to the ability of religious communities and bodies to adhere to their own ethos.
The leaking of the draft legislation follows an earlier revelation by The Sunday Telegraph that the British government plans to require all faith leaders to both enrol in a “national register” and to undertake training and security checks prior to any work in the public sector, measures which have also been condemned by faith communities.
Speaking on behalf of The Christian Institute, Ciarán Kelly said that, based on the newspaper reports, “what the Government is proposing turns the clock back on religious freedom more than 300 years.”
Calling on government to immediately drop its plans, Mr Kelly added: “We don’t want to go back to those darker days of religious intolerance.”
