"Hate is like a disease. If a person is suffering from disease, the doctor never kills the person. They help the person to heal and eliminate the disease."
I was deeply honoured to see this reflection featured by the Global Centre for Pluralism as part of its campaign marking the International Day for Countering Hate Speech. The campaign brought together members of the Global Pluralism Award community to share how they respond to hate speech in their work and everyday lives. It reminded us that confronting hate requires not only courage, but also wisdom, empathy, and an unwavering commitment to human dignity. Please vist : https://www.instagram.com/p/DZ-inDVlppV/?utm_source=ig_web_button_share_sheet&igsh=MzRlODBiNWFlZA==
The message I shared was simple:
"Hate is like a disease. If a person is suffering from disease, the doctor never kills the person. They help the person to heal and eliminate the disease."
This analogy reflects the philosophy that has guided my work through the People's Vigilance Committee on Human Rights (PVCHR) for more than two decades.
Looking Beyond the Words
Hate speech certainly causes harm. It humiliates individuals, divides communities, normalizes discrimination, and can eventually lead to violence. Every democratic society has a responsibility to challenge it firmly.
However, if we only react to hateful words without understanding why they emerge, we address the symptom while leaving the disease untreated.
Hatred rarely appears in isolation. It often grows from fear, misinformation, prejudice, historical injustice, economic insecurity, political manipulation, and the systematic dehumanization of others. If we fail to address these underlying conditions, hatred simply reappears in new forms.
Just as a physician seeks the cause of illness before prescribing treatment, societies must seek the roots of hatred rather than merely punishing its visible expressions.
Human Rights Begin with Humanization
Working with survivors of caste discrimination, communal violence, torture, and social exclusion has taught me an important lesson:
People should always be held accountable for harmful actions, but they should never be stripped of their humanity.
Human rights are universal precisely because they recognize the dignity of every person—even those with whom we profoundly disagree.
This does not mean tolerating discrimination or remaining silent in the face of injustice. On the contrary, it requires us to oppose hatred while refusing to become hateful ourselves.
When we dehumanize those who spread hate, we risk reproducing the same cycle we seek to end.
Restorative Justice and the Power of Dialogue
At PVCHR, we have learned that sustainable peace cannot be achieved through fear alone.
Many conflicts rooted in caste, religion, ethnicity, or identity have found lasting solutions through:
- dialogue between divided communities;
- acknowledgement of suffering;
- truth-telling and accountability;
- empathy and reconciliation;
- constitutional values and human rights education.
Restorative approaches do not replace justice. They strengthen it by addressing both the harm and its underlying causes.
Healing communities requires changing hearts as well as institutions.
Pluralism Is More Than Tolerance
Pluralism is not simply living side by side.
It means recognizing diversity as a source of collective strength.
It requires listening before judging, understanding before condemning, and protecting the dignity of every individual regardless of caste, religion, gender, ethnicity, or social background.
This vision is deeply aligned with the values of the Global Centre for Pluralism, which continues to create spaces where leaders from around the world exchange experiences and practical approaches to building inclusive societies.
I am grateful that my reflections were included in this important global conversation.
Education as the Antidote to Hate
One of the most effective ways to counter hate speech is through education.
Education develops critical thinking.
It teaches empathy.
It encourages constitutional values.
It enables young people to question stereotypes rather than inherit them.
When education is combined with dialogue and community engagement, it becomes one of the strongest safeguards against extremism and polarization.
Choosing Healing Over Hatred
Every generation faces a choice.
We can respond to hatred with more hatred.
Or we can respond with justice, compassion, and courage.
Healing hate does not mean ignoring injustice.
It means refusing to allow hatred to define our response.
As Mahatma Gandhi reminded us, lasting peace cannot be built through revenge but through the transformation of relationships and the recognition of our shared humanity.
Today, more than ever, our societies need dialogue instead of polarization, empathy instead of prejudice, and pluralism instead of exclusion.
Because the goal is not merely to silence hate.
The goal is to heal the conditions that allow hate to grow.
No comments:
Post a Comment