PM Khan addresses Facebook to ban Islamophobic content

ISLAMABAD – Prime Minister Imran Khan on Sunday wrote to Mark Zuckerberg, CEO of Facebook, asking for the firm to place a similar ban on Islamophobia and hate against Islam that has been put in place for the Holocaust. The letter has been sent amid an anti-Islam campaign launched by France as state as its President Emanuel Macron earlier today issued hurting statements against the Islamic religion and the Holy Prophet Muhammad PBUH.

Prime Minister Imran Khan also denounced French President Emmanuel Macron’s remarks on blasphemous caricatures, calling them “encouragement of Islamophobia”. He was referring to comments made on Wednesday by President Macron in which he criticized Islamists and vowed not to “give up cartoons” depicting Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him).

The French president also contended that Samuel Paty, a teacher who was beheaded recently for showing the blasphemous sketches, was “killed beca­use Islamists want our future”. In a series of tweets, PM Khan said the sign of a leader was that he united people like former South African president Nelson Mandela.

Hallmark of a leader is he unites human beings, as Mandela did, rather than dividing them. This is a time when Pres Macron could have put healing touch & denied space to extremists rather than creating further polarisation & marginalisation that inevitably leads to radicalisation

— Imran Khan (@ImranKhanPTI) October 25, 2020

“This is a time when President Macron could have put a healing touch and denied space to extremists rather than creating further polarisation and marginalization that inevitably leads to radicalization,” he said.

Mr. Khan regretted that the French president had instead chosen to encourage Islamophobia by “attacking Islam rather than the terrorists who carry out violence, be it Muslims, White Supremacists or Nazi ideologists”.

through encouraging the display of blasphemous cartoons targeting Islam & our Prophet PBUH. By attacking Islam, clearly without having any understanding of it, President Macron has attacked & hurt the sentiments of millions of Muslims in Europe & across the world.

— Imran Khan (@ImranKhanPTI) October 25, 2020

“By attacking Islam, clearly without having any understanding of it, President Macron has attacked and hurt the sentiments of millions of Muslims in Europe and across the world,” he said, adding that, “the last thing the world wants or needs is further polarisation”.

Public statements based on ignorance will create more hate, Islamophobia, and space for extremists, he said. Later. Prime Minister Khan asked social media giant Facebook to place a ban on Islamophobia and hate against Islam. Like it had placed on the Holocaust.

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

In a letter to Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg, PM Khan said: “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. It was the culmination of the Nazi pogrom of the Jews in Germany and across Europe as Nazis spread across Europe.”

He said today we were seeing a similar pogrom against Muslims in different parts of the world.

“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. In France, Islam has been associated with terrorism. Publication of blasphemous cartoons targeting Islam and our Holy Prophet (PBUH) has been allowed,” he wrote.

“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 added.

Foreign Office

Meanwhile, the Foreign Office issued a statement saying Pakistan condemned in the strongest manner the systematic resurgence of blasphemous acts of republication of caricatures of the Prophet (peace be upon him) and desecration of the Holy Quran by certain irresponsible elements in some developed countries.

“We are further alarmed at highly disturbing statements by certain politicians justifying such heinous acts under the garb of freedom of expression and equating Islam with terrorism, for narrow electoral and political gains,” the statement said.

It said that under international human rights law, the exercise of the right to freedom of expression carried with it special duties and responsibilities.

The dissemination of racist ideas, defamation and ridiculing other religions, denigration of religious personalities, hate speech, and incitement to violence was not allowed expressions of this fundamental freedom.

“Such illegal and Islamophobic acts fanning inter-religious hatred, hostility and confrontation are the very basis of horrendous terrorist acts like Christ Church, thereby imperiling future prospects of peace and harmony among civilizations,” the Foreign Office said.

It added that whilst having anti-blasphemy and criminal laws for sensitive issues such as a denial of the Holocaust, the justification by a few politicians in some western countries for insulting sentiments of Muslims, was a blatant reflection of double standards which seriously eroded their human rights credentials.

The FO said Pakistan had always supported and continued to lead international efforts for combating intolerance, discrimination, and violence on the basis of religion or belief.

“Both in our national capacity as well as part of the OIC group, we have advocated arduously for the alliance of civilizations and developing mutual understanding and respect for all religions, faiths, and beliefs. We unequivocally condemn all acts of violence on the basis of religion or belief,” it added.

75th UN General Assembly session

Prime Minister Khan, in his address at the 75th UN General Assembly session, had highlighted the recent incidents of Islamophobia. He urged the international community to take all necessary steps to universally outlaw wilful provocations and incitement to hate and violence.

He also proposed to declare an international day to combat Islamophobia. At a time of rising racism and populism, the international community must show a common resolve against xenophobia. Intolerance, stigmatization, and incitement to violence on the basis of religion or belief. It is necessary to work together for peaceful co-existence as well as social and inter-faith harmony. The Foreign Office statement said.

A day earlier, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan slammed President Macron over his policies towards Muslims. He said that the French president needed “mental checks”.

Gulf Cooperation Council secretary-general Nayef Falah Mubarak Al-Hajraf called Macron’s words “irresponsible”. He said they would “increase the spread of a culture of hatred”.

Jordan’s foreign ministry said it condemned the continued publication of blasphemous caricatures under the pretext of freedom of expression. Any “discriminatory and misleading attempts that seek to link Islam with terrorism”.