Christian MPs hit back at #StopIslam, say religious freedoms must be protected for Muslims
Christian MPs have hit back at calls to reduce freedoms for Muslims after terrorist attacks hit Brussels on Tuesday.
Several blasts in the Belgium capital have left dozens dead and led to a number of global politicians call for curbs on freedoms for Islamic communities. ISIS have claimed responsibility for the attacks.
Donald Trump, frontrunner for the Republican nomination, called for surveillance of Muslims and repeated his suggestion of refusing entry to all Muslim migrants to the US. "This is going to happen in the United States," he warned.
Ted Cruz, Trump's closest rival for the GOP nomination also criticised plans to allow "tens of thousands of Syrian Muslim refugees" to enter the US. The presidential candidate called for "Muslim neighborhoods" to be patrolled.
However a number of Christian MPs lambasted the remarks and said freedom for all religions must be protected.
"If there was to be a response to Brussels that limited the freedom of Muslims then the freedom of other faith groups would suffer as well," said Labour's faith envoy, Stephen Timms.
Timms spoke alongside fellow Christian in the Labour party Liam Bryne, MP for Birmingham Hodge Hill and Conservative MP for Congleton, Fiona Bruce at an event on extremism in parliament this evening.
Bryne said Daesh (a derogatory Arabic term for Islamic State) sought to eliminate freedom of thought and expression for Muslims as they rolled different strands of Islam into one state.
"The narrative we must defend is one of pluralism and diversity."
Freedom of conscience, said Bryne, is "ground we can unite on."
Fiona Bruce said it was right people want to see their security protected after attacks such as those in Brussels and Paris.
She added: "The challenge is to ensure that we do not throw out the precious right to free speech, to freedom of expression and even of the right to protest by over-legislating when these atrocities occur.
"It is critical we protect people," she said "It is the first duty of any state.
"But equally if we lose our freedom of expression so many other rights will follow after that. We have got to protect it."