Clamping down on hate speech

The UAE government took a commendable step last week by passing the Anti-Discriminatory Law that criminalises hate speech against any religious group. The law includes taking action against those who accuse members of any sect of being disbelievers or infidels. These are measures that should be welcomed and need to be adopted and stringently implemented in all countries where sectarian violence has torn societies asunder. Fiery, subversive elements within the Muslim world have for too long exploited sectarian differences in countries like Pakistan, in a bid to impose their version of belief on all. Much of this has been done by spreading hate through sermons given in mosques and via religious congregations.

Our own government took measures against hate speech in the wake of the attack on the Army Public School. So far this year, at least 21 people have been imprisoned over hate speech, while hundreds have been arrested over similar charges. These steps are praiseworthy, but at the same time, seem to have done little to contain the activities of banned outfits, many of whom thrive on invoking sectarian hatred. They seem to have continued their activities without any apparent restrictions on them. It should be noted that despite stringent laws being enacted against hate speech, the first few months of 2015 saw a surge in sectarian violence, with even the peaceful Ismaili community targeted in the most brutal manner possible. These attacks only reflect that the seeds of sectarianism and religious discrimination have been sown far too deep for sporadic action to be enough. It is important to implement laws against hate speech and reduce the space for religious fanaticism. There also needs to be better awareness about what constitutes hate speech. There are certain derogatory words used specifically to refer to people belonging to certain sects or religions, which need to be termed hate speech, and erased from our collective vocabulary. Only through fixing our foundations will we ensure a better tomorrow.

Published in The Express Tribune, July 29^th,  2015.

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