Hate Speech Hate speech is a pervasive social phenomenon that threatens the human rights of its recipients. It occurs at all levels of society, not discriminating between democratic and authoritarian regimes. Many who spout hate speech may discount the power of their words, however, the violent history of the consequences of hate speech tell a different story. The United Nations Secretary-General, Antonio Guterres, cited the connection between hate speech and acts of mass violence such as the Rwandan, Bosnian, and Combodian genocides, as well as more recent acts of mass violence in the United States, New Zealand, and Sri Lanka. The increasing occurrences of violent acts provide more than enough evidence for the need for legal action to inhibit the use of hate speech in the public sphere.  Why are we talking about it now? Currently, international law prohibits the “incitement to discrimination, hostility and violence,” requiring that hate speech […]

Moroccan Law & Its Islamic Influence Moroccan law is greatly influenced by Islamic jurisprudence. There are four main schools of Islamic law: Maliki, Hanafi, Shafi, and Hanbali. Traditionally, the Maliki school of law has more heavily impacted Moroccan law. This school of law is credited to Malik ibn Anas, a Sunni Islamic jurist in the 8th century. The Hadith greatly influenced this school of law. The Hadith is the second most respected source of Sharia law in Islam.   Maliki School of Law’s View on Abortion  The Maliki School of Law differs from the other main three in many notable ways. One of these is its view on abortion. The Maliki beliefs in regards to abortion are the most severe of the four main schools of law because they forbid abortion, regardless of any circumstances such as rape or incest. Because of the Maliki School of Law’s prevalence in Morocco’s […]