Why Reform is a threat to religious freedom

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Whenever I walk through the Grassmarket in Edinburgh, I take a moment to stop at the raised circular structure, currently under repair, marking the location of the public gallows. This is a memorial, erected by public subscription in 1937, which commemorates the 110 Covenanters who were executed on the spot between 1661 and 1688.

The Covenanters were Presbyterians who objected to the imposition of episcopacy on the Scottish church under the reigns of Charles II and James VII & II. Their refusal to conform led to vicious persecutions, which in turn sparked armed uprisings, and culminated in the executions at the Grassmarket and elsewhere. In subsequent centuries, these Covenanter martyrs were celebrated as defenders of religious freedom and their right to worship as they saw fit, without state interference.

It is something of a misunderstanding to characterise the Covenanters as defending religious freedom for all. The philosopher king of the Covenanting movement, Samuel Rutherford, Professor of Divinity at St Andrews University, wrote in his seminal text Lex Rex in 1644 of the citizens’ right to defy tyrannical rulers, but did not support religious toleration, rather arguing for a national church that everyone should belong to.

Nevertheless, the image of Covenanters as religious freedom fighters, at times prepared to take up the sword against the King, is one that persists to this day. The right to freedom of religion is one that we cherish, along with a belief in free speech and open debate. These basic human rights are enshrined in the European Convention of Human Rights, but have a history that goes back much further. We should therefore be wary of any attempts to suppress diversity of religious opinion, however this might be dressed up.

And that takes us to the debate over the Open Iftar which took place in Trafalgar Square in London last week, when members of the Muslim faith came together to pray. The Shadow Justice Secretary at Westminster, Nick Timothy MP, raised his concern that the Iftar was an “act of domination and division”. I can understand why Timothy had concerns about the cultural impact of the Iftar event, but we should not, in my view, be seeking to impinge upon religious freedom.

The Reform leader Nigel Farage went further, at the launch of his party’s Scottish election manifesto in Bishopton on Thursday. When asked about the Trafalgar Square event, he said that he favoured the banning of all mass religious observances.

It is unclear whether the Reform leader intended to refer to all religious gatherings, or whether he was specifically targeting only Muslim events. We see all sorts of religious gatherings in public places, from open air masses during Papal visits, to evangelical rallies in the style of the late Billy Graham, and even Orange Order parades. As we approach Easter, many churches will hold processions through the streets carrying crosses.

Are Reform really saying all of these should be banned? Farage didn’t make his view clear, although I suspect it is only the Islamic faith that he had in his sights. But that is a highly dangerous approach to take, because if the state ever decides that one religion cannot be allowed to come together to pray in public, does that not then open the door to others being silenced?

We see too many assaults on the practice of faith in public life already. Reform’s Scottish leader, Lord Offord, is on record expressing his concern about separate Catholic schools, although he sought to swiftly clarify his remarks by saying that he supported parental right of choice. Meanwhile, the Scottish Parliament has passed a Bill on religious observance in schools which many see as a trojan horse for undermining any last vestiges of church connections to state education (rather ironic given that the Scottish education system largely owes its origins to John Knox and the Protestant Reformation).

If public displays of Muslim prayers encourage the Christian church to be a bit more visible then that cannot be a bad thing. Christian leaders should be using this opportunity not just to defend freedom of religion for all, but also to proclaim more loudly the Good News of Jesus Christ.

Reform in Scotland haven’t had the best start to their Holyrood election campaign. Within 24 hours of announcing their candidates last week, one had to be suspended after an undisclosed suspension as a company director came to light. Other candidates have been exposed for making comments which are at best distasteful.

Meanwhile, the Institute for Fiscal Studies, the respected independent financial commentator, has described Reform’s ambitious plans to cut income tax as “not credible”. Reform’s proposals to slash spending by £2.4 billion per year are simply not deliverable, and even on their own figures do not add up, confusing cumulative and annual numbers.

As we enter the last few weeks of the Holyrood campaign and media scrutiny of the offerings from different parties grows, we will see Reform’s policy platform put under increasing scrutiny, and I fully expect more weaknesses to be exposed. Whether that will actually damage the party’s standing remains to be seen, given its positioning as an “anti-politics” movement, but more considered voters will wonder why they want to cast their votes for a party that cannot even do simple arithmetic, despite their Scottish leader’s much-boasted financial experience.

More worrying, to me, is what Reform might mean for religious liberty. There is a long Scottish tradition of defending freedom of speech and worship, and that should not be up for debate.