The strategy to combat hate speech unveiled by Pakistan on Wednesday at the 10th anniversary of UN Human Rights Council Resolution 16/18 titled ‘Looking Back and Moving Forward’ though well-intentioned lacks depth and understanding of the root cause behind growing extremism in the world. Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi presented a three-pronged strategy, which includes: 1) reviewing discriminatory state policies, laws and practices; 2) legal deterrence against transmission and amplification of hate speech and 3) considering an international instrument prohibiting incitement to religious hate, discrimination and violence. Qureshi maintained that “misuse of social media platforms” was one of the reasons why hate speech was so rampant in our societies.
Considering that Facebook whistleblower Frances Haugen had presented documented proof against the social media platform’s founder in October, stating that he was aware of his platform fueling hate, it is evident that social media platforms act as a tool to spread hate speech. However, it is also important to understand that extremism has been allowed to spread in the social fabric of our society by governments appeasement policies of far-right groups. From neighbouring India where the ruling BJP and the RSS have been furthering the Hindutva ideology, discriminating against its minorities, particularly Muslims, France’s far-right presidential candidate Éric Zemmour’s casual racism to Pakistan’s decision to pacify extremist groups, such as, the Tehreek-e-Labbaik Pakistan (TLP). Moreover, legal deterrents have also been unable to act as a deterrent in the spread of hate speech.
This country alone has convicted 62 people convicted over online hate speech since 2015, according to the Punjab government’s report presented in the Supreme Court recently. The report also stated that the law enforcement agencies had registered 99 cases regarding hate speech over the past seven years. And yet there is ample evidence of extremism in the country and the recent lynching of a mentally ill man in Khanewal is a shameful proof.
It is then pertinent to devise strategies that work on deradicalizing people from the grassroot level with governments actively ensuring that they are not engaged with extremist groups. In this regard, ‘reviewing discriminatory state policies, laws and practices’ is a good start but this should include an inclusive panel, particularly marginalized groups, to be able to better devise policies which promote interfaith harmony.
