PM Khan asks Zuckerberg to ban Islamophobic content on Facebook

ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Imran Khan has asked Facebook founder and CEO Mark Zuckerberg to ban Islamophobic content on the social media platform which has been circulating amid the rising protests taking place in France.

Nationwide protests are taking place in France following the beheading of Paris teacher, Samuel Paty, after he showed cartoons of the Holy Prophet during a lecture in class.

Prime Minister Imran Khan along with Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan also criticized French President Macron earlier today for making some Islamophobic comments towards the Muslim community.

While Turkish President Erdogan said that French President Macron needs “mental treatment” following his anti-Islamic attitude.

Read more: PM Khan criticizes French President Macron over ‘anti-Islamic’ attitude.

Today, Prime Minister Imran Khan also wrote to Mr. Mark Zuckerberg, CEO of Facebook asking for Facebook to place a similar ban on Islamophobic content on the social media platform including the hate against Islam that has been put in place for the Holocaust.

In his letter to Mark Zuckerberg, the premier wrote:

I am writing to draw your attention to the growing Islamophobia that is encouraging hate, extremism and violence across the world and especially through the use of social media platforms including Facebook. I appreciate your taking the step to rightly ban any posting that criticizes or questions the Holocaust, which was the culmination of the Nazi pogrom of the Jews in Germany and across Europe as Nazis spread across Europe.

However, today we are 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 Corona virus are reflective of the abominable phenomenon of Islamophobia. In France, Islam has been associated with terrorism and publication of blasphemous cartoons targeting Islam and our Holy Prophet (PBUH) has 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.

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. 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 and in Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir, to be completed before Islamophobia is banned. This in itself is reflective of prejudice and bias that will encourage further radicalization.

Read more: Attacker had no connection with the Paris teacher or school.

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