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Full-Text Articles in Law
Can The Burning Of Holy Books Ever Be Justified?, Waseem Ahmad Qureshi
Can The Burning Of Holy Books Ever Be Justified?, Waseem Ahmad Qureshi
Washington and Lee Journal of Civil Rights and Social Justice
While exploring the historical context of the burning of books during the times of Qin Shi Huang, the first emperor of unified China, the European Dark Ages, the colonial era, the Nazi Germany era, Iranian triumphs, and contemporary instances of the burning of literature, comics, and history, philosophy, and religious books,this paper identifies “freedom of expression” as the underlyingprinciple for the burning of holy books, an action that eventually fuels religious hatred, public disorder, and violence in society. Notwithstanding such consequences, Pastor Terry Jonesannounced an event calling for the burning of the Holy Qur’an onthe ninth anniversary of the 9/11 …
'Listen To What You Say': Rwanda’S Postgenocide Language Policies, Lynne Tirrell
'Listen To What You Say': Rwanda’S Postgenocide Language Policies, Lynne Tirrell
Lynne Tirrell
Freedom of expression is considered a basic human right, and yet most countries have restrictions on speech they deem harmful. Following the genocide of the Tutsi, Rwanda passed a constitution (2003) and laws against hate speech and other forms of divisionist language (2008, 2013). Understanding how language shaped “recognition harms” that both constitute and fuel genocide also helps account for political decisions to limit “divisionist” discourse. When we speak, we make expressive commitments, which are commitments to the viability and value of ways of speaking. This article explores reasons a society would decide to say, “We don’t talk that way …