When words destroy worlds: Online hate speech against religious minorities as harm

This contribution is concerned with the ways online hate speech against religious minorities is conducive to harm towards the groups targeted in both individual and collective terms. It considers in particular how language use can operate as an obstacle to identity formation and a force of oppression against religious minority groups, when used as an instrument of violence. Beginning with an exploration of what online hate speech against religious minorities looks like currently, the analysis will initially focus on a socio-technical analytical framework to interpret online hate speech as harm targeting identity formation and as a persisting factor of vulnerability linked to victimhood. Identity as digital practice combined with the impact of online hate on individuals and entire groups will form the key pillars of analysis. Because of the multi-stakeholder constellation relevant for online content moderation linked to hate speech, the role of technology companies will be then considered within broader regulatory efforts that attempt to map, understand and reverse such harm. The concluding remarks will warn against the use of hate speech towards the creation of social consensus on the acceptability of affronts to the dignity of those with different ethnicity or faith. They will propose instead the reconciliation of cultural difference with structural inequality in the digital space as a strategy against hate speech. The contribution finally will emphasize the need for the deconstruction of histories and discourses against religious minorities that are implicit yet pervasive online in order to reduce the harm(s) incurred.