Imran Khan to Mark Zuckerberg: Ban Islamophobic Content on Facebook
Pakistan Prime Minister (PM) Imran Khan has written a letter to Facebook chief Mark Zuckerberg to draw the latter’s attention to the growing Islamophobia that is encouraging hate, extremism, and violence through social media sites such as Facebook.
In his letter dated October 25, Imran Khan has urged Zuckerberg to ban Islamophobic content on Facebook, as the site has done for Holocaust which was the culmination of the Nazi pogrom of the Jews in Germany and across Europe.
The Pakistan PM added that today a similar pogrom against Muslims is happening in different parts of the world – particularly India. “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 Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) and National Register of Citizens (NRC) as well as targeted killings of Muslims and blaming Muslims for coronavirus are reflective of the abominable phenomenon of Islamophobia,” Imran Khan said in his letter.
In France, he said, 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.
My letter to CEO Facebook Mark Zuckerberg to ban Islamophobia just as Facebook has banned questioning or criticising the holocaust. pic.twitter.com/mCMnz9kxcj
— Imran Khan (@ImranKhanPTI) October 25, 2020
“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,” Imran Khan said.
He asked Zuckerberg to stop the rampant abuse and vilification of Muslims on his site. He also added that the message of hate must be banned in total to avoid another pogrom against Muslims, which is expected in countries like India and in the “Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir.”
