Imran Khan writes to Facebook: Ban Islamophobic content just like you banned Holocaust denial
Islamabad (QNN)- Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan has written a letter calling on Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg to ban Islamophobic content on the giant social networking site just like Holocaust denial is being banned.
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 the letter, shared by the Pakistani government on Twitter, Khan said that growing Islamophobia is encouraging extremism and violence.
“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,” Khan said.
He added that the world should not have to wait for a “pogrom against Muslims” to be completed “before Islamophobia is banned”.
Highlighting the French response to the beheading of teacher Samuel Paty, Khan warned that “marginalisation inevitably leads to extremism”, adding that is “something the world does not need”.
He also mentioned India’s recent citizenship law that singles out the country’s Muslims community.
Facebook said this month it was reversing it earlier policy and will now ban any content that denied or distorted the Holocaust.
In an earlier interview Zuckerberg had said he found “Holocaust denial deeply offensive” and that he believed that “the best way to fight offensive bad speech is with good speech.
“One can not send a message that while hate messages against some are unacceptable, these are acceptable against others,” Khan said, adding that this was “reflective of prejudice and bias that will encourage further radicalisation”.
Earlier on Sunday, Khan said that French President Emmanuel Macron had “attacked Islam” by encouraging the display of cartoons.
“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,” Khan wrote.
“It is unfortunate that he has chosen to encourage Islamophobia by attacking Islam rather than the terrorists who carry out violence, be it Muslims, White Supremacists or Nazi ideologists.”
