Saturday, February 15, 2025
HomeUncategorizedKAICIID Fellows Nigeria Speak On The Consequences Of Hate Speech

KAICIID Fellows Nigeria Speak On The Consequences Of Hate Speech

In Nigeria, our well-distinguished religious groups and wide
ethnic identities have created distinctiveness easily tagged with
physical attributes. The exploitation of this reality by political and
other interest groups has continued to create and cultivate division
among us, which sadly manifests through hate speech.

Director, Research Training, Islamic Education Trust, Nuruddeen
Lemu, defined hate speech as any kind of communication in speech,
writing, behaviour that attacks, uses pejorative or discriminatory
language,
especially with reference to a person or a group on the
basis of who they are, based on their religion, ethnicity, nationality,
race, colour, descent, gender or other identity.
Lemu noted that hate
speech when left unaddressed, could lead to violence or hate crimes
against marginalised groups, stressing that hate speech was capable of
destroying a country.
Hate speech is defined by the United Nations as
“any kind of communication in speech, writing, or behavior that attacks
or uses pejorative or discriminatory language concerning a person or a
group based on who they are, in other words, based on their religion,
ethnicity, nationality, race, color, descent, gender, or other identity
factors.”

Stella Francis, Media focal Point Nigeria Fellows Alumni, was
particular about Issues around the Fulani Herdsmen & Farmers, Boko
Horam, IPOB, Militants, and the recent trends in Alamjiris which have
continued to fuel hate speech online and off-line both in the past in
the present. She said that while our independent freedom of speech is
respected, as a society, we must encourage ourselves to reflect on the
exercise of our freedom of speech and how it endangers this beautiful
place we call home. Hate speech does more harm than the underlining
issues fueling it because it sows seeds of violence.
Hate speech has
destructive impacts on our society. It promotes violence, leads to
conflicts that destroy lives and properties, and promotes hate crimes
against marginalized groups. Hate speech creates division in society and
while hate statements may not immediately incite violence, they can
promote intolerance and anger.

We must employ sustainable rhetoric when we discuss issues that
bother our society. Forms of rhetoric like hate speech will further reap
us apart, destroy our livelihood, security, and development.
The peace of our communities is the responsibility of everyone there for it is our collective duty to fight against hate speech.
Avoid making or spreading posts with hate statements on your social media platforms.
Disregard
social media post which spread rumors and promote hate speech.Promote
messages of tolerance and peace on social media platforms.And tell
others about the consequences of hate speech.

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