Join for a conversation about the critical issue of hate speech and incitement to violence in Saudi Arabia with the author of Human Rights Watch report “‘They Are Not Our Brothers’: Hate Speech by Saudi Officials” and other experts.
Under Crown Prince Muhammad bin Salman, the Saudi government has promoted the kingdom as becoming a more open and tolerant country. Yet, new Human Rights Watch report details, Saudi authorities continue to not only permit but propagate incitement to hatred and discrimination against other religions and Islamic traditions that do not adhere to its interpretation of Sunni Islam.
Moderator:
Jack Snyder is the Robert and Renee Belfer Professor, the Saltzman Institute of War and Peace Studies at Columbia University.
Speakers:
Dr. Agnès Callamard is the Director of Columbia University Global Freedom of Expression and the UN Special Rapporteur on extra-judicial summary or arbitrary executions.
Adam Coogle is a senior researcher in Human Rights Watch’s Middle East and North Africa division and author of the report.
Sheikh Maytham Al Salman (video presentation) is a Shia cleric from Bahrain and an internationally respected inter-faith leader and a renowned thought leader, who advocates for peaceful coexistence and mutual respect between cultures, religions and sects. He is the founding member and current coordinator of the Middle East and North Africa Civil Society Coalition to Counter Incitement to Hatred. Due to his work, he was arrested, detained and tortured by Bahrain’s law enforcement.
The event is co-organized by Columbia Global Freedom of Expression, Human Rights Watch, The Institute for the Study of Human Rights, and SIPA Human Rights concentration.
