Hate speech on the rise: lacunae in Malaysian law

Malaysia is made up of many racial and religious groups whose fundamental rights have been protected by and enshrined in the Federal Constitution. However, our history has witnessed the unfortunate events of racial riots and at present, tensions still exist beneath the surface. The use of hate speec...

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Main Author: Wan Mohd Nor, Murni
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: CLJ Legal Network 2016
Subjects:
Online Access:http://psasir.upm.edu.my/id/eprint/54421/
http://psasir.upm.edu.my/id/eprint/54421/1/Hate%20speech%20on%20the%20rise.pdf
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author Wan Mohd Nor, Murni
author_facet Wan Mohd Nor, Murni
author_sort Wan Mohd Nor, Murni
building UPM Institutional Repository
collection Online Access
description Malaysia is made up of many racial and religious groups whose fundamental rights have been protected by and enshrined in the Federal Constitution. However, our history has witnessed the unfortunate events of racial riots and at present, tensions still exist beneath the surface. The use of hate speech in our multicultural country has increased with the advent of social media. This has resulted in hateful and violent acts being committed which threaten peace and harmony in the country, causing the Government to consider the promulgation of a specific legislation for the regulation of hate speech. This paper firstly looks at governmental efforts that were made to strengthen racial harmony. Then, the author discusses the recent instances of racial and religious animosity that has been aggravated by social media which has brought about tensions affecting the community. The paper also highlights the lacunae in Malaysian law in addressing issues arising from hate speech. Finally, the author concludes by discussing the necessity of having a specific legislation for hate speech in order to adequately address the magnitude of problems that will ensue as a result of the law's failure in safeguarding the people from its harm.
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spelling upm-544212018-03-15T08:36:43Z http://psasir.upm.edu.my/id/eprint/54421/ Hate speech on the rise: lacunae in Malaysian law Wan Mohd Nor, Murni Malaysia is made up of many racial and religious groups whose fundamental rights have been protected by and enshrined in the Federal Constitution. However, our history has witnessed the unfortunate events of racial riots and at present, tensions still exist beneath the surface. The use of hate speech in our multicultural country has increased with the advent of social media. This has resulted in hateful and violent acts being committed which threaten peace and harmony in the country, causing the Government to consider the promulgation of a specific legislation for the regulation of hate speech. This paper firstly looks at governmental efforts that were made to strengthen racial harmony. Then, the author discusses the recent instances of racial and religious animosity that has been aggravated by social media which has brought about tensions affecting the community. The paper also highlights the lacunae in Malaysian law in addressing issues arising from hate speech. Finally, the author concludes by discussing the necessity of having a specific legislation for hate speech in order to adequately address the magnitude of problems that will ensue as a result of the law's failure in safeguarding the people from its harm. CLJ Legal Network 2016-08 Article PeerReviewed text en http://psasir.upm.edu.my/id/eprint/54421/1/Hate%20speech%20on%20the%20rise.pdf Wan Mohd Nor, Murni (2016) Hate speech on the rise: lacunae in Malaysian law. CLJ Law: CLJ Bulletin, 1 (2016). pp. 1-31. Hate speech; Race relations; Free speech
spellingShingle Hate speech; Race relations; Free speech
Wan Mohd Nor, Murni
Hate speech on the rise: lacunae in Malaysian law
title Hate speech on the rise: lacunae in Malaysian law
title_full Hate speech on the rise: lacunae in Malaysian law
title_fullStr Hate speech on the rise: lacunae in Malaysian law
title_full_unstemmed Hate speech on the rise: lacunae in Malaysian law
title_short Hate speech on the rise: lacunae in Malaysian law
title_sort hate speech on the rise: lacunae in malaysian law
topic Hate speech; Race relations; Free speech
url http://psasir.upm.edu.my/id/eprint/54421/
http://psasir.upm.edu.my/id/eprint/54421/1/Hate%20speech%20on%20the%20rise.pdf