The new legal crackdown on "extremist"
ideology and calls for its remit to be extended far beyond what was thought to
be its purpose could prove to be too harsh. The new measures will introduce Extremism
Disruption Orders that can put down preachers and teachers who talk of Jihad
and may also increase anti-Western attitudes among young Muslims.
However, the government said it will apply to "all
extremist views". According to Conservative MP Mark Spencer, this could
mean that teachers who talk about gay marriage being wrong could be
criminalised.
According to his assessment, anybody who holds an
orthodox, traditionalist view can be considered a criminal.
The trouble with any legal system is that by
introducing new laws for one purpose and not considering the balance of power
it give the government, it does not retain the balance.
Sadly, it is also in
the field of counter-terrorism that most of these incidents bear fruit.
In the United States for example, the country has
scaled down its powers to identify and stop and search people without
reasonable suspicion due to widespread abuse nationwide. Police had extensively
used the Regulation of Investigatory Powers Act to investigate sources for
newspaper "whistle-blowers".
And the UK's new legal crackdown on "extremist"
ideology is not exempted here.
