Extremism
Mr Simcox highlighted how foreign extremists had contributed to an increasing focus by Muslim activists on using accusations of blasphemy to silence critics of Islam. He said in a speech at the Royal United Services Institute: “To take an example from this summer, a cleric from Bangladesh called Enayetullah Abbasi came on a speaking tour of this country. Abbasi is open in his belief that there is a need to behead anyone who criticises Mohammed. Now I expect the Government to do more to bar such speakers from travelling to this country. However, the main problem here is not the Home Office. It is not a one-off. Again and again, clerics from Pakistan, in particular, who in their own country openly praise those who carry out acts of violence in defence of Mohammed’s honour, then end up getting hosted by institutions in the UK.”