The country’s new antidiscrimination law was introduced last week and already the first lawsuit has been filed under its terms. Lt Gen Dhahi Khalfan, the deputy chief of police and general security in Dubai, instigated a case against a Saudi writer he accuses of “spreading hatred of the UAE on social media”.
Gen Khalfan explained his actions on Twitter, saying that “criticism is one thing and hatred is another thing”.
We don’t know the details of this particular case, but it does pose some important questions. First, where is the line between criticism and hate? How can we tell if someone is offering legitimate criticism or if they are simply being discriminatory and spreading hate?
The new law is intended to eliminate discrimination and provide a sound foundation for the environment of tolerance for which the UAE has long been known.
Since its establishment, this country has taken a strong stance against extremism. The new law sets tough penalties for violations, including jail terms ranging from six months to more than 10 years and fines from Dh50,000 to Dh2 million.
The law has been well received – especially its provision about religious tolerance that seeks to redress divisions and faith-based violence.
But there are some questions about how the law should be interpreted. For example, does peaceful or constructive criticism of an ideology come under “hate speech”? Or can a simple generalisation about a certain group be considered discrimination against them?
Another example is whether it is against the law to publish or broadcast a job advertisement that indicates an intention to discriminate in favour of certain potential candidates.
These questions require clear answers. It’s important for the public to understand the law to avoid unintentionally falling foul of it. Any conviction under this law would have serious consequences for the offender.
When it comes to intolerance, punishment may provide a remedy in a specific case but it won’t necessarily prevent a recurrence of that type of offence. The law was intended to deter people from expressing intolerant ideas, with the aim of preventing public conflict. But it doesn’t tackle the root causes of discrimination.
As a society, we still need to dig deeper to discover the true causes of divisiveness. We need to ensure that certain ideas are not allowed to grow and fester. We need to enforce the concept of tolerance throughout the community, starting in homes and extending to schools and other public and private institutions.
Intolerant ideas should be fought through education. Families ought to play a role in instilling tolerance in children from a very young age. Educational institutions must then take up that responsibility and put focus on countering the influences that lead to the exclusion of others.
This cannot be achieved without helping young people develop their capacities for critical thinking, independent judgment and ethical reasoning.
Religious education in schools, in particular, needs to be reformed to get rid of divisive ideas and put more focus on tolerance.
We all need to have a better understanding of human diversity in terms of the broader differences, such as race, nationality, culture and ethnicity, as well as in terms of individual differences, such as perspectives, beliefs, values, capacities and assumptions.
Such a mission won’t be easy, of course, but it’s attainable. As the deaf-blind American author and activist Helen Keller once said: “The highest result of education is tolerance.” This is exactly what we need.
aalmazrouei@thenational.ae
On Twitter: @AyeshaAlmazroui
