Criticism of Islam is a protected belief under equalities law, a judge has ruled.

Patrick Lee, 61, was found guilty of misconduct by the Institute and Faculty of Actuaries (IFoA) last April over posts on X. After a four-year disciplinary process, he was banned from the professional body and ordered to pay nearly £23,000 in costs.
The trade body ruled that 42 of his posts that criticised Islam, including calling the Prophet Mohammed a “monster”, were “either offensive or inflammatory or both”, adding that 29 were “designed to demean or insult Muslims”.But following an employment tribunal hearing, the actuary has won legal protection for his beliefs.
It is the first time a court has ruled that “Islam-critical” beliefs are protected under the Equality Act 2010. Previous claimants had been told such views were not “worthy of respect in a democracy”.

The decision follows a 2021 ruling that Maya Forstater’s gender-critical beliefs were protected under the same law.

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