Why We Must Not Tolerate Hate Speech

The Ahmadi Religion of Peace and Light is a minority religion that has faced systematic persecution in multiple countries, including Algeria, Iran and Malaysia. Our religion promotes progressive beliefs that are deemed heretical by certain Muslim governments as well as Muslim extremists. These include our stance that alcohol is permissible, women are not required to wear the headscarf, and our inclusive approach toward the LGBTQ+ community. As a result, our members are frequently subjected to threats, harassment, violent attacks, arbitrary arrests, and even torture—patterns of persecution extensively documented by human rights organizations.

Through the work of our Security and Legal Department in coordination with our Human Rights Department, we have been able to document and analyze the increasing severity of attacks against our members. Several of our findings have been published by the United Nations Human Rights Office of the High Commissioner, including documentation of persecution in Iran. Through our research into violent attacks against our members, we have identified a troubling pattern: the majority of these attacks are preceded by organized online hate and defamation campaigns on platforms such as Facebook, TikTok, and Telegram. This shows the serious danger of online hate speech and slander, which, in today’s world, frequently incite extremist violence in real life.

The correlation between online hate speech and real-world violence is well-documented. Academic studies in Germany and other European countries have demonstrated that hateful rhetoric against asylum seekers directly correlates with an increase in violent attacks against them. Similarly, a 2023 United Nations report estimated that 60% of deadly violence against minorities in South Sudan originates from online hate speech. These findings confirm that defamation and incitement to hatred are not abstract threats—they have real and deadly consequences.

In Iran, the government produced a propaganda documentary in 2018 targeting the leader and members of the Ahmadi Religion of Peace and Light. The documentary falsely labeled members of the faith as “Zionists” solely because the community’s religious symbol is the six-pointed star. Additionally, it attempted to equate the peaceful AROPL faith with ISIS, a deliberate act of misinformation. After this state-sponsored defamation was broadcast on national television, the Security and Legal Department recorded an increase in harassment and violent attacks against AROPL members by their family members and neighbors in Iran.

In Iraq, extremist Muslim scholars have used social media to spread hate speech against the Ahmadi Religion of Peace and Light. A major example is the “Religion Facts” (حقائق الأديان) platform, which has 152,000 subscribers and launched a defamation campaign against the faith in 2023. Throughout the campaign the members of the Ahmadi Religion of Peace and Light were accused of sexual misconduct, and called liars, heretics and animals. Following the online incitement, members in Iraq have documented an increase in violent vigilante attacks on their homes, with reports of houses being set on fire by unidentified extremists.

Given these findings, the Ahmadi Religion of Peace and Light enforces a zero-tolerance policy regarding online slander, defamation, and hate speech targeting its members. Any reports of incitement, defamation, or slander against the faith, its leader, or its followers will be treated with the utmost seriousness. The organization will not hesitate to pursue legal and criminal action against those who engage in such attacks.

Defamation Laws Worldwide: Legal Frameworks and Human Rights Implications

Defamation refers to the act of harming a person’s reputation by making false statements. It can take different forms, primarily:

• Libel (written or published defamation)

• Slander (spoken defamation)

Across the world, defamation, slander, and libel remain criminalized under different legal frameworks, often carrying severe penalties. In many countries, individuals can face imprisonment for statements deemed defamatory or insulting.

In the United Kingdom, individuals face high financial penalties under the Defamation Act 2013. Similarly, in the United Arab Emirates (UAE), one can be sentenced for up to two years in prison under the UAE Penal Code for defamation, particularly in cases involving social media or public speech. In many European countries, defamation remains a criminal offense, with punishments extending to 5 years in prison.

Case studies show that defamation laws are strictly enforced, often leading to heavy financial penalties for the accused. In 2022, the Criminal Investigation Department of Sharjah investigated 85 cases of online insults, taking legal action in each instance. The UAE's strict cybercrime laws impose severe penalties for online defamation and insults. Under Article 43 of Federal Decree Law No. 34 of 2021 on Combating Rumours and Cybercrimes, any individual who insults or defames another person faces imprisonment, a fine of up to £100,000 GBP, or both.

In a 2023 case, these laws were strictly enforced when a man who had sent abusive and obscene messages to his cousin via social media following an argument was fined £50,000 GBP. This case underscores the UAE’s zero-tolerance approach to online defamation and the increasing use of cybercrime laws to regulate digital expression.

The same is true for cases in the United Kingdom. In January 2024, British actor Laurence Fox lost a High Court libel case against Simon Blake and Crystal, a drag artist. Fox had referred to them as "paedophiles" on social media. The court ruled that Fox's statements were defamatory, baseless, and seriously damaging to the claimants' reputations. He was ordered to pay £180,000 in damages.

The court further determined that the victims' claims of feeling less safe following the defamatory statements were valid. In its judgment, the court noted that "the law affords few defences to defamation of this sort."

A significant portion of the defamation and slander directed at the Ahmadi Religion of Peace and Light (AROPL) is absurd and laughable. Members have been falsely accused of being secret Mossad agents, Satanists, practitioners of black magic, and participants in blood rituals. In online hate campaigns, live streams have been held where the Gospel "The Goal of the Wise" was photoshopped to read "The Goal of Satan." Some extremists have gone as far as to claim that AROPL followers are "not human."

But while many of these accusations are ridiculous in their absurdity, others are far more serious, fueling hatred, violence, and intimidation against a peaceful religious community. These false allegations not only seek to delegitimize the faith but also put its members at real risk.

In a serious case of defamation, members of the Ahmadi Religion of Peace and Light have been subjected to a hate campaign comparable to that launched by Simon Blake. As part of an investigation, the Security and Legal Department obtained recordings of Shia extremists affiliated with the Slough-based group “Bayat Al Ghadeer.” This group operates multiple YouTube and TikTok channels, where they have falsely accused members of the Ahmadi Religion of Peace and Light of sexually abusing young boys.

The following is a recording obtained on 26 February 2025:

“There is a chapter in the book. It is called heaven and hell. And they believe this is on earth, okay. And in their perception of heaven, they believe that god has these little boys for the purpose of basically sex. So the guys can sodomise the boys as well, it’s not an issue."

Such baseless and defamatory statements that distort religious teachings to incite violence against a religious group can and should be prosecuted under UK defamation law. As seen in the case of Simon Blake, the courts provide few legal defenses for accusations of this nature.

In a similar case, journalist Julie Burchill was ordered to pay substantial compensation to a Muslim journalist after accusing her of "worshipping a paedophile" in reference to the Prophet Muhammad. The courts ruled that these comments were racist, abusive, and reinforced Islamophobic tropes.

It is deeply concerning that Muslims who have themselves been subjected to racial and religious slurs are now engaging in similar behavior against other religious minorities.

Hate Speech and Incitement to Violence: The Growing Threat to Minorities

The case of Julie Burchill highlights a broader issue: the intersection between defamation and the incitement of racial and religious violence. In many cases, false accusations against a religious group—such as the Ahmadi Religion of Peace and Light—are accompanied by explicit calls to hatred and violence against its members.

A recent example of this type of hate speech was recorded during a TikTok live stream on 26 December 2024, broadcast by Syed Ali Imam, a member of the Bayat Al-Ghadeer group:

"When 75 Rafida turn up to your centers with Tatbis (swords) and Zinjeers (chains), and you hear those chains, like the chains you hear on the 10th of Ashura when the Rafida turn out to your centers, then we'll see Aba Al-Sadiq. We'll see what type of Aba Al-Sadiq he is when he's dragged like a frog, when his beanie hat's knocked out, and, Inshallah, one of the brothers would bring a machine and trim his hair off as well. He’d give him a nice skin fade."

Such rhetoric goes beyond defamation, constituting an incitement to physical violence. Unlike defamation, hate speech is a criminal offense and is prosecuted under UK law.

Under the Racial and Religious Hatred Act 2006, the maximum sentence for inciting racial or religious hatred is up to seven years in prison, an unlimited fine, or both. The Act states:

"A person who uses threatening words or behaviour, or displays any written material which is threatening, is guilty of an offence if he intends thereby to stir up religious hatred… A constable may arrest without warrant anyone he reasonably suspects is committing an offence under this section."

Since the launch of the hate campaign against the Ahmadi Religion of Peace and Light, members of the community have faced a surge in direct threats to their safety. Many followers have reported receiving death threats and explicit calls for violence as a result of the misinformation and incitement spread online.

One particularly alarming example is the case of Alexandra Foreman, a TV presenter for the Ahmadi Religion of Peace and Light who has been prominently targeted in these hate campaigns by the Bayat Al Ghadeer group. On 29 January 2025, Foreman received a direct death threat via TikTok, which stated:

"We have ur location. You will be killed and shot in the head."

Such threats demonstrate the real-world consequences of unchecked hate speech and defamation.

Because of this growing threat, authorities in the UK have taken decisive action against individuals engaged in hate speech. During the civil unrest of summer 2024, several UK citizens were sentenced to prison terms for inciting racial violence on social media.

One such case involved Lucy Connolly, of Parkfield Avenue, Delapre, Northampton, who admitted to publishing an inflammatory social media post on 29 July 2024, during a period of nationwide disorder. In her post, she called on others to set asylum hotels on fire, directly inciting violence against vulnerable communities. She was sentenced at Birmingham Crown Court by Judge Melbourne Inman to two years and seven months in prison for publishing written material that incited racial hatred.

Similarly, the Security and Legal Department of the Ahmadi Religion of Peace and Light has gathered extensive evidence from social media documenting instances of racists calling for violent actions against the members of the community residing in the UK. One prominent example is the defamation campaign against our UK headquarters, which was falsely labeled as an asylum hotel. In reality, the building served as the operational headquarters of the religion and was not housing any illegal immigrants.

The campaign was spearheaded by right-wing influencers, including Alan Leggett, who spread false claims on social media. On 6 December 2022, Leggett wrote under a picture of our headquarter

“[[This house]] is a historic GRADE II-listed [...] building in Cheshire. It is rumoured to of gone into contract with the Home Office to turn it into a HOSTEL to house ILLEGAL IMMIGRANTS #BrokenBritain.”

Following Amanda Smith’s visit to the headquarters, the racially motivated harassment intensified. Our afro-caribbean security guard at the time, a UK citizen, was subjected to daily racial abuse, with individuals driving by in vans shouting slurs. The official email account of the Ahmadi Religion of Peace and Light also received racist hate mail, further demonstrating the real-world consequences of online defamation and incitement.

Homophobia as a Tool for Defamation

The Ahmadi Religion of Peace and Light (AROPL) stands out as the only Muslim-based religious movement that openly welcomes LGBTQ+ individuals, offering full inclusion to homosexual and transgender followers. This progressive stance has made AROPL a target of relentless defamation, particularly from Muslim extremists who oppose LGBTQ+ rights. Many of these attacks carry a strong homophobic undertone, seeking to discredit the faith through false accusations while inciting hatred and violence.

One of the most frequent slanders against AROPL is the claim that its leader engages in homosexual activities, despite being happily married. This misinformation campaign has escalated to the point where AI-generated videos have been created, falsely depicting the faith’s leaders kissing each other—a clear attempt to mock, humiliate, and delegitimize them in the eyes of conservative audiences.

Such fabricated accusations are not only defamatory but also dangerous. In extremist circles, homosexuality is often met with violent retribution, making these false claims a direct incitement to harm. A particularly egregious example comes from Iranian Shia influencer Ali Sharifi, who launched a hate campaign against AROPL, spreading blatant lies such as:

"If you are looking to drink alcohol or use drugs like heroin. If you are into sodomy or homosexuality. If you are after having group sex, incest or wife swapping. Guess what—these things are no longer forbidden. A new religion has arrived, and all these things are part of the faith."

This deliberate misrepresentation is designed to provoke hostility, using homophobia as a tool to justify hatred, exclusion, and even violence against AROPL members. The weaponization of LGBTQ+ issues in these attacks exposes the deep-rooted intolerance within extremist groups, highlighting the urgent need for stronger protections against hate speech, digital misinformation, and religious persecution.

What racist defamation, misinformation, hate attacks, and Muslim extremist campaigns have in common is that they pose a serious danger to a community that seeks only to peacefully practice its faith. These forms of targeted harassment not only incite violence but also create an environment where women, children, and an entire peaceful religious community are left feeling intimidated, threatened, and shamed for their beliefs.

The Security and Legal Department of the Ahmadi Religion of Peace and Light will not allow extremists of any kind to carry out illegal hate or defamation campaigns against its communities worldwide. The department is determined to defend the rights and safety of its members and will pursue all necessary legal action to ensure protection and justice for its followers.