Does Nick Griffin of the BNP have the right to denigrate non-white people and does Geert Wilders of the Dutch Freedom Party, who visited Britain last week, have the right to malign Islam, all in the name of freedom of speech? I say no and I say so as a Christian.

We should not be taken in by the freedom of speech argument. Both Griffin and Wilders claim to be supporting the liberal ideal that there should be no restrictions on speech or behaviour when in fact they display fascist tendencies. They do not grant other groups like non-whites or Muslims the same freedom they claim for themselves.

They are cashing in on the current backlash against so-called "political correctness". It has become commonplace to make cheap jibes about causing offence to minorities. Jeremy Clarkson has poked fun at the BBC's diversity policy saying he will soon be expected to take on a black Muslim lesbian as a presenter. Of course there have been some examples of carrying policies to silly extremes, but the underlying issue is about the right of every person to respect fair treatment.

We know that this is still far from the case. It was reported in the Evening Post this week that in Bristol and other cities people with African or Asian names find it almost twice as hard to get job interviews as those with English names and the same qualifications.

Nor does it matter how British people may be treated in other countries. We may rightly protest at discrimination to ourselves if it occurs elsewhere, but we should uphold our standards in our own country regardless, because we think they are right.

Christians believe in the equality of human beings, regardless of racial or religious distinction. We believe in a God who created all people and in Jesus who broke down every man-made barrier to create a new world-wide, inclusive community. Any political ideology that denies that is to be condemned.

So when the BNP states it is wholly opposed to any form of racial integration between British (!) and non-European peoples, and is committed to restoring the white make-up of the British population, Christians have to condemn it.

I have great respect for what Farooq Siddique writes in his Evening Post column on Tuesdays. He courageously criticises those who misrepresent Islam's beliefs, whether from the Muslim community or outside, and seeks to explain what Islam stands for.