Uploaded June 2026 | Updated September 2026, 3 weeks ago
In this episode of the Middle East Forum podcast, host Lauri Regan speaks with Steven Greer, Emeritus Professor at the University of Bristol Law School and Research Director at the Oxford Institute for British Islam, about Islamophobia, free speech, and the growing pressure across Western societies to treat criticism of Islam as prejudice against Muslims.
Greer argues that while prejudice, hatred, and discrimination against Muslims must be opposed, accusations of “Islamophobia” are increasingly used to suppress lawful criticism of religious beliefs, practices, and conduct. Drawing from his book Islamophobia and Free Speech, he explains how this climate has contributed to cancellation, institutional cowardice, and widespread self-censorship.
The conversation examines Greer’s own experience at the University of Bristol, where he says false accusations of Islamophobia led to a formal inquiry, reputational damage, and the removal of course material despite his exoneration. He places that case within a broader Western pattern of academic and public pressure against those who challenge Islamist ideas or examine controversial aspects of Islamic doctrine.
Regan and Greer discuss Britain’s new non-statutory definition of anti-Muslim hostility, the distinction between anti-Muslim prejudice and criticism of Islam, and the importance of enforcing existing law rather than creating vague speech restrictions. They also address antisemitism in the United Kingdom, two-tier policing concerns, grooming-gang scandals, and similar free-speech controversies in Canada and across the West.
Subscribe for more conversations with leading analysts on the Middle East and beyond.
In this episode of the Middle East Forum podcast, host Lauri Regan speaks with Steven Greer, Emeritus Professor at the University of Bristol Law School and Research Director at the Oxford Institute for British Islam, about Islamophobia, free speech, and the growing pressure across Western societies to treat criticism of Islam as prejudice against Muslims.
Greer argues that while prejudice, hatred, and discrimination against Muslims must be opposed, accusations of “Islamophobia” are increasingly used to suppress lawful criticism of religious beliefs, practices, and conduct. Drawing from his book Islamophobia and Free Speech, he explains how this climate has contributed to cancellation, institutional cowardice, and widespread self-censorship.
The conversation examines Greer’s own experience at the University of Bristol, where he says false accusations of Islamophobia led to a formal inquiry, reputational damage, and the removal of course material despite his exoneration. He places that case within a broader Western pattern of academic and public pressure against those who challenge Islamist ideas or examine controversial aspects of Islamic doctrine.
Regan and Greer discuss Britain’s new non-statutory definition of anti-Muslim hostility, the distinction between anti-Muslim prejudice and criticism of Islam, and the importance of enforcing existing law rather than creating vague speech restrictions. They also address antisemitism in the United Kingdom, two-tier policing concerns, grooming-gang scandals, and similar free-speech controversies in Canada and across the West.
Subscribe for more conversations with leading analysts on the Middle East and beyond.
