Hatred on Religious Grounds and the Risk of Double Standards

Montserrat Gas-Aixendri is a full professor of law and religion at Universitat Internacional de Catalunya (Barcelona, Spain).

In the January 2024 report Hatred on the Basis of Religion or Belief, the UN Special Rapporteur on freedom of religion or belief Nazila Ghanea urges stronger actions to tackle hate speech, encouraging dialogue between different faiths and cultures and safeguarding religious groups while respecting human rights. She emphasizes the importance of governments addressing religious-based hatred in a manner consistent with human rights principles to ensure effectiveness. In this vein, the report’s final recommendations urge the enactment of comprehensive laws against discrimination aimed at preventing and combating hatred motivated by religion or beliefs (para. 62(f)).

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How Does Hate Speech Directed at One Community Affect Another Community?

Jagbir Jhutti-Johal is Professor of Sikh Studies at the School of Philosophy, Theology and Religion, University of Birmingham.

In her January 2024 report, the UN Special Rapporteur on freedom of religion or belief, Nazila Ghanea, highlighted the significant impact of hate speech on individuals and communities. She emphasized that

[n]otwithstanding the psychological and physiological harms or sense of offence that can result from hate speech, the fundamental threat to the dignity of targeted groups does not solely arise from hateful expressions but also from the social reality that they are drawn from, i.e. the potentially widespread societal identity-based contempt towards the target community. (para. 6)

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The Real Danger of Hate Speech and Its Impact on Vulnerable Groups

Alberto Jose Ferrari Puerta is a PhD Fellow FPU at the Department of International Law, Ecclesiastical Law and Philosophy of Law, Complutense University of Madrid Law School.

Analyzing the evolution of reports by UN Special Rapporteurs on freedom of religion or belief (FoRB) over the last two decades reveals a gradual advance toward greater protection of freedom of expression. This progress is due to, among other factors, broader rejection of the contentious concept of “defamation of religions” and the adoption of the Rabat Plan of Action in 2012.

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