Freedom of hate speech
Hatred in a society is a reflection of prevailing social injustice
The writer is a designer, educationist and author. She writes about Art, Economics and youth-centric issues
This year has shown Pakistan the true consequences of unrestrained hate speech. Despite existing legal framework to curb the sources of violence inducing expressions, lack of implementation has worsened the condition. Unsteady stance shown by the government on various occasions, including the Faizabad sit-in, has emboldened the instigators of hate speech. The rise in such events has also introduced us to the new level of power that mob vigilantes can exercise while acting on unverified information.
Allegations levelled by a national TV channel against Jibran Nasir on December 27th have once again brought to attention the use of hate speech as a tool for creating social, political and religious divides. Nasir clarified that the allegations are meant to prevent him from his active involvement in the Shahzaib Khan case. Earlier this year Amir Liaquat was banned for accusing Jibran Nasir of blasphemy in his programme aired on the same channel. The ban did not last long and the channel continued operations as usual, allowing the media outlet to conveniently repeat its compromised practices. Such display of lack of tolerance assures perpetrators of hate speech of their strength.
Hate speech is not just an action, it’s a cultural phenomenon deeply rooted in social prejudices that flourishes through individuals and groups who share their expressions without logically reflecting on them. In Pakistan, hate speech has become a means of levelling personal disputes by insinuating misconceptions mostly through electronic and digital media. Such cases are handled under the National Action Plan or the Prevention of Electronic Crime Bill. However, neither of the frameworks has described the complete scope of this malpractice. The ambiguity in the law enables hate mongers to curate their messages in ways that allow them leverage in the legal system, thus preventing obstruction of their operations, and safeguard them against any penalty.
Lack of holistic and inclusive laws regarding hate speech, and the absence of will to act on the government’s part have exposed Pakistani citizens to a serious threat that can engulf them any time anywhere without any reason. Lynching of Mashal Khan at Abdul Wali Khan University this July is an example of how unsafe people are due to the inefficient laws and their biased enforcement. Investigations in the case revealed vengeance to be the cause of murder instead of blasphemy. Capital punishment awarded to Taimoor Raza in June this year also happens to fall in the category of disputed cases where the accused may actually be the victim of hate speech itself. He was given death sentence by an Anti-Terrorism Court in Bahawalpur for expressing blasphemous views online, whereas his defence attorney questions the decision for being based on two unrelated sections of law.
Hatred in a society is a reflection of prevailing social injustice. Eliminating hate speech is not possible without addressing the inequality and prejudices. The inefficiencies of infrastructure and political discord in the country for decades have deprived many of stable living let alone a safe, harmonious and fulfilled life. In such scenarios, the deprived are targeted to act out the plans of those who wish to divide and conquer on the basis of their vulnerabilities. Hate speech enables such perpetrators to incite violence without so much as lifting a finger. Pakistan is fighting battles on every front, from regional terrorism to corruption and economic digression, letting the internal divides to deepen any further by ignoring the legal necessities is going to weaken the country even more. Revision and enforcement of revised laws is a matter of utmost importance, one that can promise safety and tolerance in the country and can prevent the likes of Faizabad scenarios to repeat in future.
Published in The Express Tribune, December 30th, 2017.
Allegations levelled by a national TV channel against Jibran Nasir on December 27th have once again brought to attention the use of hate speech as a tool for creating social, political and religious divides. Nasir clarified that the allegations are meant to prevent him from his active involvement in the Shahzaib Khan case. Earlier this year Amir Liaquat was banned for accusing Jibran Nasir of blasphemy in his programme aired on the same channel. The ban did not last long and the channel continued operations as usual, allowing the media outlet to conveniently repeat its compromised practices. Such display of lack of tolerance assures perpetrators of hate speech of their strength.
Hate speech is not just an action, it’s a cultural phenomenon deeply rooted in social prejudices that flourishes through individuals and groups who share their expressions without logically reflecting on them. In Pakistan, hate speech has become a means of levelling personal disputes by insinuating misconceptions mostly through electronic and digital media. Such cases are handled under the National Action Plan or the Prevention of Electronic Crime Bill. However, neither of the frameworks has described the complete scope of this malpractice. The ambiguity in the law enables hate mongers to curate their messages in ways that allow them leverage in the legal system, thus preventing obstruction of their operations, and safeguard them against any penalty.
Lack of holistic and inclusive laws regarding hate speech, and the absence of will to act on the government’s part have exposed Pakistani citizens to a serious threat that can engulf them any time anywhere without any reason. Lynching of Mashal Khan at Abdul Wali Khan University this July is an example of how unsafe people are due to the inefficient laws and their biased enforcement. Investigations in the case revealed vengeance to be the cause of murder instead of blasphemy. Capital punishment awarded to Taimoor Raza in June this year also happens to fall in the category of disputed cases where the accused may actually be the victim of hate speech itself. He was given death sentence by an Anti-Terrorism Court in Bahawalpur for expressing blasphemous views online, whereas his defence attorney questions the decision for being based on two unrelated sections of law.
Hatred in a society is a reflection of prevailing social injustice. Eliminating hate speech is not possible without addressing the inequality and prejudices. The inefficiencies of infrastructure and political discord in the country for decades have deprived many of stable living let alone a safe, harmonious and fulfilled life. In such scenarios, the deprived are targeted to act out the plans of those who wish to divide and conquer on the basis of their vulnerabilities. Hate speech enables such perpetrators to incite violence without so much as lifting a finger. Pakistan is fighting battles on every front, from regional terrorism to corruption and economic digression, letting the internal divides to deepen any further by ignoring the legal necessities is going to weaken the country even more. Revision and enforcement of revised laws is a matter of utmost importance, one that can promise safety and tolerance in the country and can prevent the likes of Faizabad scenarios to repeat in future.
Published in The Express Tribune, December 30th, 2017.