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In the United States, elements of the religiousright fuel fears of anexistential Islamic threat, spreading anti-Muslimrhetoric into mainstreampolitics. In Indonesia, Muslim absolutists urge suppressionof churches andminority sects, fostering a climate of rising intolerance. InIndia, NarendraModi´s radical supporters instigate communal riots and academiccensorshipin pursuit of their Hindu nationalist vision. Outbreaks of religiousintoleranceare usually assumed to be visceral and spontaneous. But inHateSpin,Cherian George shows that they often involve sophisticated campaignsmanufacturedby political opportunists to mobilize supporters andmarginalize opponents. Right-wing networks orchestrate the giving of offenseandthetaking ofoffenseasinstruments of identity politics,exploiting democratic space to promote agendasthat undermine democraticvalues. George argues that governments must protect vulnerable communities by prohibiting calls to action that lead directly to discrimination and violence. But laws that try to protect believers´ feelings against all provocative expression invariably backfire. They arm hate spin agents´ offense-taking campaigns with legal ammunition. Anti-discrimination laws and a commitment to religious equality will protect communities more meaningfully than misguided attempts to insulate them from insult.

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Cherian George is Associate Professor in the Department of Journalism at Hong Kong Baptist University. He is the author of Freedom from the Press: Journalism and State Power in Singapore and other books.

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