MoI proposes law to oppose ‘hate speech’ in Arab society
CAIRO, March 14, (KUNA): A meeting took place in Cairo on Monday to finalize a guiding draft to a law submitted by the State of Kuwait to promote peaceful dialogue between the different spectrums of Arab society.
In a statement to KUNA, Interior Ministry Lt. Col. Fahad Al-Mesbah said that proposed draft by the Ministry aims to strengthen the dialogue between all parts of Arab society in order to reduce conflicts resulting from “hate speech.”
While also stressing the proposed resolve is of social responsibility pointing out that it was received with good response, given that it will renounce hate speech and promote more peaceful dialogues.
Heading the Joint council meeting in the Arab League, Al-Mesbah made clear the study of the proposed draft needs continues participation to be finalized and submitted for the next meeting of the Council of Arab
Ministers of Justice to consider its final approval.
On her part, Director of Legal Affairs at the Arab League Maha Bakhit said that this is considered a closer step towards the international communities tenacities by creating legislation to prevent hate speech and discrimination that “degrades human dignity,” stressing the Arab region is also concerned.
Bakhit also added the main idea of drafting the law is to reduce widespread phenomena to be projected to Arab societies in aiming to prevent hate speech that leads to conflicts and societal conflicts, especially in educational institutions that have witnessed these types of incidents.
The meeting was summoned as a result of the decision made during the 38th season of the Council of Arab Ministers of Justice in October of last year, to discuss the details of the drafted law with all its articles to formulate a full-fledged law that can guide countries that do not have legislation prohibiting hate speech.
She also mentioned the urgent need to provide what is called a “Code of Conduct” in associations for either schools or universities to prevent any hate speech or discrimination, hoping that majority of countries lacking such laws will be guided to reduce hate speech in their societies.
Kuwait Ministry of Justice had presented in 2018 the draft “Guiding Arab Law for the Prevention of Hate Speech” to strengthen the dialogue between all sects of Arab society.