Lord Woolf calls on cartoonists to avoid offending Islam

Lord Woolf (pictured) warned against the consequences of offending Muslims when he said: “By now it must surely be appreciated that depicting the prophet in a derogatory way will case grave offence among many Muslims and can lead to an explosive reaction with dreadful consequences.

“The power of the pen can be mighty and even cartoonists who rely sometimes on gross exaggeration to make their point do need to exercise self-restraint, particularly in sensitive areas where religion is involved.”

Lord Woolf, who was the most senior judge in England and Wales, added that with the right to freedom of speech there were certain responsibilities and duties.

“Despite the importance of the right to free speech, you are not intended to exercise it regardless of the rights of others,” he said.

Speaking at the Oxford Centre for Islamic Studies, Lord Wolf continued: “If you know as you should do Islam is very sensitive to depictions in the media of the prophet you should take care not to depict the prophet in a grotesque way unless there is no alternative to either being gagged or doing so.”

The judge noted that it was not until 2008 that blasphemy was abolished and said that “reasonableness” was “of the greatest importance particularly where freedom of expression and religion are concerned”.

He said that while the rule of law does not require a particular religion be followed, “it is protective of the practice of all religions”.

In addition, he cautioned people against reacting to terrorists in a way opposed to the rule of law.

He said: “Terrorists are bent on creating terror.

“The natural reaction to such acts can understandably be righteous indignation but that may be just the response the terrorists want.”

In reference to the Counter-Terrorism and Security Bill, Lord Woolf said: “We must hope that the results are wise and the right balance is struck after, in particular, heeding the concerns of universities that undue burdens are being placed on them.”

He added that freedoms guaranteed under the Human Rights Act 1998 must be exercised “in a way which respects the sensitivities and needs of other individuals, groups or society as a whole.

“In other words, they should be exercised reasonably and in a manner that does not impinge disproportionately on the rights of others.”

Finally, Lord Woolf called on Islamic organisations to make it clear the people who carried out the acts such as those in Paris do not represent Islam, he said: “Insha’Allah that with the support of all those of goodwill we see the same situation once again in the West as well as in the Middle East.”