LAHORE (UCAN): “Hate speech has severe implications in society as it often leads to violent attacks on religious minorities,” the National Commission for Justice and Peace of the Church in Pakistan said as it released a new policy brief on March 17 titled, The Cost of Hate Speech, highlighting the psychological impact of hate speech on religious and sectarian minorities in Pakistan’s Punjab province.
“Hate speech in Pakistan is accepted as a norm. One of its immediate effects is that people experience a loss of self-esteem. There is a constant fear among minority community members regarding their security and survival. A Hindu student reported losing interest in her studies the study claims.
The study was based on 12 focus group discussions, held between February 2020 and February 2021, with about 200 individuals including Christians, Hindus, Sikhs, Shia and Ahmadi in both educational institutes and public places around Punjab. Similar sessions will be conducted in urban and rural areas of the three other provinces.
“We have identified more than 50 hateful terms. A lexicon has been prepared with suggestive terminologies preferred by the different minority communities”
Aila Gill
The commission made several recommendations including monitoring and regulating religious sermons and seminary curriculum, reforming the education system, a government policy on non-discrimination, a media campaign to promote equality as well as federal and provincial committees to monitor hate speech.
According to Aila Gill, programme coordinator of commission, this is the first time such data has been collected in the country.
“We have identified more than 50 hateful terms. A lexicon has been prepared with suggestive terminologies preferred by the different minority communities,” she said.
Religious minorities generally don’t know derogatory hate speech experienced in daily life and have become immune to this common phenomenon. Most of them hide their religious identities and never report such incidents for fear of retaliation. They demand support from the majority community to register complaints against hate speech.”
The Commission for Justice and Peace blames the “deteriorating situation of freedom of religion or belief” for the increase in hate speech in the country.
“The policy brief of Punjab on hate speech is designed to communicate the existing legal framework concerning hate speech and the lacunas in the legal framework,” it states.
Amid rising blasphemy cases and forced conversions, Punjab minister for Human Rights, Minorities Affairs and Interfaith Harmony, Ejaz Alam Augustine, launched Pakistan’s first policy on interfaith harmony in January.
Christians are the largest non-Muslim minority in Punjab, making up 2.6 percent of the province’s population of 110 million.
