The fight to put an end to so-called 'honour killings' would be threatened by proposed new laws banning religious hatred, an MP claims.

Anyone highlighting the scandal, usually carried out by ultra-traditional southern Asian families, could be ac-cused of stirring up hostility against certain religions, said Keighley's Ann Cryer.

And it would stop people speaking against forced marriages or on issues such as whether all children should learn to speak English before they started school, she said.

The Racial and Religious Hatred Bill would create a new offence of incitement to religious hatred and would apply to comments made in public or in the media, as well as through written material.

But Mrs Cryer told the Telegraph & Argus this would stifle debate between ethnic communities at a time when problems could only be solved by engaging in conversations.

She said, for instance, an acclaimed report on "honour killings" she put before the European Parliament several years ago could have been blocked by members of some religions under the new Bill.

Mrs Cryer, a Labour backbencher, said: "How can we ever expect to rid our society of the horrors of honour killings if we are limited because those whose perverse understanding of their religion believe it is their entitlement may threaten prosecution."

She said: "There are people out there who will say, 'We'll shut Ann Cryer up, we'll stop her talking about honour killings or forced marriages', and then the damage is done."

Mrs Cryer - who fought off an electoral challenge from BNP leader Nick Griffin at this year's General Election - said freedom of expression was vital.

She said: "How was the BNP defeated in Keighley and Ilkley? It was achieved not by prosecution, but by reasonable argument. Its members were exposed as liars and the party was shown to be the politically bankrupt group that it truly is." The Bill intends to extend protection from incitement to racial hatred, which already exists, to religions. It means Muslims - plus atheists, Christians and Satanists - will be treated in the same way as Sikhs and Jews. MPs gave the Bill a third reading by 301 votes to 229, a majority of 72.

Keighley Labour Councillor Khadim Hussain feared the Bill would stifle people's rights to express their relig-ious faith.

He said: "I believe it will restrict some people in declaring their faith and could actually be used against them."

He said the present blasphemy law should apply to all faiths or be replaced with a code of conduct relating to religious comment.

Philip Davies, Tory MP for Shipley, said restricting what people discussed would cause people to think things they could not say.

He said: "It will create a recruiting sergeant for the BNP because people will think that if they cannot speak out freely, the only way they can express their view is by voting for nasty, horrible little parties such as the BNP."