BOOK LAUNCH: ISLAMOPHOBIA AND FREE SPEECH

BOOK LAUNCH: ISLAMOPHOBIA AND FREE SPEECH WITH PROFESSOR STEVEN GREER

WEDNESDAY 15TH APRIL, 2026

IN-PERSON EVENT (no live-stream, but a video will be published soon after)

• 7pm onwards, welcome drink.
• 7.30pm to 9pm, author talk and panel discussion with Q & A.
• 9pm to 10pm, book-signing and reception.
• Priority booking for FSU Members.
• Tickets: £20 FSU Members. £15 FSU Members Silver Concession rate. £25 non-members.
• Non-members welcome as guests of FSU Members.
• Book for sale for collection on the night at discounted rate of £16. Add at checkout.

LOCATION: Belgravia, London SW1. Precise venue details will be provided with confirmation of booking. Nearest stations: Victoria, Green Park, Knightsbridge, Hyde Park Corner.

DRESS CODE: Please note that our venue has a formal dress code. (Jacket, collared shirt, smart trousers, dress or skirt, ties are optional, no jeans, shorts, t-shirts, sports shoes or trainers.)

In his important new book, ISLAMOPHOBIA AND FREE SPEECH, Professor Steven Greer, a cancel culture survivor and eminent human rights scholar, surveys current attempts to define and outlaw ‘islamophobia’ and suggests possible ways to remedy the chilling of lawful and legitimate debate in this controversial area. He will introduce his book and a panel of eminent speakers will respond. Maryam Namazie is a British-Iranian human rights activist, writer and broadcaster, known internationally for her work on secularism, women’s rights and freedom of expression. Sir John Jenkins is a former British diplomat with a distinguished career in the Middle East. He served as the UK’s ambassador to Saudi Arabia, Iraq and Syria, as well as Consul-General in Jerusalem. In the chair will be David Rose, Policy and Research Director of the Free Speech Union.

BOOK: Professor Greer’s book is available for pre-order at a discounted price of £16 alongside your ticket, for collection at the event.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR AND SPEAKERS:

Steven Greer is Emeritus Professor at the University of Bristol Law School and Research Director at the Oxford Institute for British Islam, a progressive Muslim think tank. Widely recognised for his clear, critical analysis, in a distinguished academic career he has published widely on human rights, criminal justice, and counter-terrorism. In 2021 he was falsely and publicly accused of Islamophobia by the University of Bristol Islamic Society, which demanded his dismissal, a charge from which he was totally exonerated by a University of Bristol investigation.

Maryam Namazie is a British-Iranian human rights activist, writer and broadcaster, known internationally for her work on secularism, women’s rights and freedom of expression. Born in Tehran, she left Iran following the establishment of an Islamic state and later settled in the UK. She is a spokesperson for the Council of Ex-Muslims of Britain and the One Law for All campaign, a prominent critic of religious fundamentalism and a compelling advocate for the rights of those who leave their religion, particularly Islam.

Sir John Jenkins is a former British diplomat with a distinguished career in the Middle East. He served as the UK’s ambassador to Saudi Arabia, Libya, Iraq and Syria, as well as ambassador to Burma, Consul-General in Jerusalem and the FCO’s Director for the Middle East and North Africa. In 2014 he was asked by the then Prime Minister, David Cameron, to lead a policy review of the Muslim Brotherhood. After leaving government service, he was the Bahrain-based Middle East Director for IISS and a Senior Fellow at Yale University’s Jackson Institute. He is currently a Senior Fellow at Policy Exchange, an Associate Fellow at Chatham House and works with Cambridge University’s Centre for Geopolitics. This experience has enabled him to develop a deep expertise in regional politics, security, and diplomacy. He continues to contribute to public debate, is widely regarded for his insights into the intersection of religion and politics in the region and the challenge of Islamism in Britain.

CHAIR:

David Rose is the Policy and Research Director of the Free Speech Union. In the course of a long career in journalism, he worked for national and international media organisations including the Guardian, the Observer, Vanity Fair, the Mail on Sunday and BBC current affairs television, where he made 16 long-form documentaries. He has been shortlisted seven times in the British Press Awards, in which he was named Reporter of the Year in 2016 and Feature Writer of the Year in 2018. He is also a past winner of the Royal Institute of International Affairs David Watt prize and the Howard League award for penal affairs journalism.