Putting Faith in Hate When Religion Is the Source or Target of Hate Speech

To allow or restrict hate speech is a hotly debated issue in many societies. While the right to freedom of speech is fundamental to liberal democracies, most countries have accepted that hate speech causes significant harm and ought to be regulated. Richard Moon examines the application of hate speech laws when religion is either the source or target of such speech. Moon describes the various legal restrictions on hate speech, religious insult, and blasphemy in Canada, Europe and elsewhere, and uses cases from different jurisdictions to illustrate the particular challenges raised by religious hate speech. The issues addressed are highly topical: speech that attacks religious communities, specifically anti-Muslim rhetoric, and hateful speech that is based on religious doctrine or scripture, such as anti-gay speech. The book draws on a rich understanding of freedom of expression, the harms of hate speech, and the role of religion in public life.

1. Introduction; 2. Freedom of expression and the regulation of hate speech; 3. When religious groups are the target of hate speech: Islamophobia and the Muslim tide; 4. The ridicule and insult of the sacred; 5. When religion is the source of hate speech; 6. Conclusion: free speech, religious speech, hate speech.

Richard Moon is Distinguished University Professor and Professor of Law at the University of Windsor, Ontario.