Pakistani PM asks Facebook CEO to ban Islamophobic content
ISLAMABAD – Prime Minister Imran Khan had on Sunday (25) written to Mark Zuckerberg, CEO of Facebook, asking him to place a ban on Islamophobia and hate against Islam, similar to what has been put in place for the Holocaust.
According to the text of the PM’s letter shared by the media wing of his office, the prime minister had drawn Zukerberg’s attention to the growing Islamophobia that was encouraging hate, extremism and violence across the world, especially through the use of social media platforms including Facebook.
“Given the rampant abuse and vilification of Muslims on social media platforms, I would ask you to place a similar ban on Islamophobia and hate against Islam for Facebook that you have put in place for the Holocaust,” he has said.
The prime minister has said the message of hate must be banned in total – “one cannot send a message that while hate messages against some are unacceptable, these are acceptable against others. Nor should the world have to wait for a pogrom against Muslims, which is ongoing in countries like India to be completed before Islamophobia is banned. This in itself is reflective of prejudice and bias that will encourage further radicalization.”
Khan while referring to Zuckerberg’s decision to ban any posts that criticized or questioned the Holocaust, which was the culmination of the Nazi pogrom of the Jews in Germany and across Europe, said today they were seeing a similar pogrom against Muslims in different parts of the world.
“Unfortunately, in some states, Muslims are being denied their citizenship rights and their democratic personal choices from dress to worship. In India, anti-Muslim laws and measures such as CAA and NRC as well as targeted killings of Muslims and blaming Muslims for coronavirus are reflective of the abominable phenomenon of Islamophobia,” he added.
In France, the prime minister said, Islam has been associated with terrorism and publication of blasphemous caricatures targeting Islam and the Holy Prophet (Peace Be Upon Him) had been allowed.
“This will lead to further polarization and marginalization of Muslims in France. How will the French distinguish between radical extremist Muslim citizens and the mainstream Muslim citizenry of Islam? We have seen how marginalization inevitably leads to extremism – something the world does not need,” the prime minister had cautioned.
-APP