PEDDLING HATE ON SOCIAL MEDIA: What is to be done?
Bill Lee
March 31, 2021
I recently came across a particularly nasty bit of vileness on Facebook. It brought home to me just how pervasive xenophobia is in Canada and how easily it is spread. In the post there is a woman holding a sign proudly proclaiming what she would like to do to Muslim Canadians. (see the photo) I found myself frustrated, angry and wanting to do something… anything to stand up to the disgusting garbage. What follows is an edited and much expanded version of the response I posted.
The vile slime in this photo was posted by a group calling itself, Canadians Against Religious Supremacy (It is clear from the image that it stands for the very reverse). A nasty, xenophobic entity apparently headquartered in Alberta. I don’t recommend it, but you can find them on the web if you want to see more of their malign swill. The particular little gem of hate here is merely one of their efforts at promoting the idea that Canadians should adopt the practice of xenophobic oppression in this country. And of course, we know that they are not alone. They are of the same species of narrow minded, misbegotten, bigoted bands which we find posting messages of colonial supremacy against Indigenous people, or misogynist groups that are attempting to role back the rights of women, or the gangs of criminal racists, etc... These hordes reflect the hate that has come to permeate our society and they spew it, polluting the social media landscape with messages of hatred and violence.
Sadly, there are always the apologists for this dreck who drone on about the violence perpetrated in the name of “Radical Islam”. What about the fact that terror today is often perpetrated by radical Muslim groups who mostly attack other Muslims?”, they plead. And unfortunately, we have those who pretend that they are noble champions for equality by defending postings like this in the name of free speech. “I’m for no one having “special rights” is one common declaration, ignoring the reality that our society is rife with “special rights”, for the wealthy, whitestream people and men for example.
They are in reality, perhaps unconsciously, aiders and abetters of the hate mongers among us. One of the reasons I am writing this piece is so that at least some of the “well meaning” folks may see what I’m saying, and take the time to think about the problems and misery they dump on Muslim people by their heedless acts of posting this kind of harmful trash.
There is an important piece of wisdom (attributed to a variety of people, of whom Gandhi is one) that points out, “An eye for an eye will leave the whole world blind.” The “Canadians Against Religious Supremacy” gang and their malevolent, hatred spewing ilk, would prefer to see the whole world blind, or at least the population of Canada. Let us watch out for them and their degenerate breed and call them out every time we see them show their ugly little heads and hearts.
What is to be Done?
I believe the response to this sort of whining is first to get rid of the specious nonsense that we are saying, or suggesting, that there are no bad actors or even terrorists that profess themselves to be Muslim faithful. There is no reason to deny something that is obvious or try to bludgeon someone who may simply be confused. Sometimes rational discussion is very useful in these circumstances. We can be clear that we would never attempt to present attacks on civilian populations (by any group or state) as a justifiable act. These kinds of horrible, bloody campaigns and outright wars between some elements of rigid Muslim fundamentalists, many of which are supported by Western countries, particularly the USA, are despicable. At the same time, we must not overlook the fact that there is a long history of Imperial interference by Western nations in the affairs of those of the East. The well-known coup that overthrew the democratically elected Prime Minister Mohammad Mosaddegh in favour of Shah Mohammad Reza Pahlavi in 1953, is one example. Supported by his British and US allies Pahlavi unleashed a regime of torture and murder on any kind of opposition. The egregiously obvious US (and it’s “Coalition of the Willing”) war against Iraq, in the hope of corralling oil supremacy was another. What we, opponents of xenophobia, must maintain is the focus of what is going on here and now. We must be clear in identifying what people and groups, who are responsible for the kind of abhorrent advertisements and social media campaigns pictured above, are aiming at. They are suggesting that people who profess to be Muslims in this country should be denied human and civil rights. That is not a point that can be rationally debated. There can be no argument about what some group somewhere else might or might not have done. We must call a spade a spade. To paraphrase an old saying, “if it walks like an Islamophobic duck and talks like an Islamophobic duck, it probably is an Islamophobic duck”. To try to accommodate, in any way, any kind of xenophobia, perhaps thinking that with some reasonable conversation we can help them see reason, is folly. The German Protestant minister and Anti-Nazi activist Dietrich Bonhoeffer, who was murdered in 1944, had strong words about those who cling to and spread vile and unsupportable beliefs:
The vile slime in this photo was posted by a group calling itself, Canadians Against Religious Supremacy (It is clear from the image that it stands for the very reverse). A nasty, xenophobic entity apparently headquartered in Alberta. I don’t recommend it, but you can find them on the web if you want to see more of their malign swill. The particular little gem of hate here is merely one of their efforts at promoting the idea that Canadians should adopt the practice of xenophobic oppression in this country. And of course, we know that they are not alone. They are of the same species of narrow minded, misbegotten, bigoted bands which we find posting messages of colonial supremacy against Indigenous people, or misogynist groups that are attempting to role back the rights of women, or the gangs of criminal racists, etc... These hordes reflect the hate that has come to permeate our society and they spew it, polluting the social media landscape with messages of hatred and violence.
Sadly, there are always the apologists for this dreck who drone on about the violence perpetrated in the name of “Radical Islam”. What about the fact that terror today is often perpetrated by radical Muslim groups who mostly attack other Muslims?”, they plead. And unfortunately, we have those who pretend that they are noble champions for equality by defending postings like this in the name of free speech. “I’m for no one having “special rights” is one common declaration, ignoring the reality that our society is rife with “special rights”, for the wealthy, whitestream people and men for example.
They are in reality, perhaps unconsciously, aiders and abetters of the hate mongers among us. One of the reasons I am writing this piece is so that at least some of the “well meaning” folks may see what I’m saying, and take the time to think about the problems and misery they dump on Muslim people by their heedless acts of posting this kind of harmful trash.
There is an important piece of wisdom (attributed to a variety of people, of whom Gandhi is one) that points out, “An eye for an eye will leave the whole world blind.” The “Canadians Against Religious Supremacy” gang and their malevolent, hatred spewing ilk, would prefer to see the whole world blind, or at least the population of Canada. Let us watch out for them and their degenerate breed and call them out every time we see them show their ugly little heads and hearts.
What is to be Done?
I believe the response to this sort of whining is first to get rid of the specious nonsense that we are saying, or suggesting, that there are no bad actors or even terrorists that profess themselves to be Muslim faithful. There is no reason to deny something that is obvious or try to bludgeon someone who may simply be confused. Sometimes rational discussion is very useful in these circumstances. We can be clear that we would never attempt to present attacks on civilian populations (by any group or state) as a justifiable act. These kinds of horrible, bloody campaigns and outright wars between some elements of rigid Muslim fundamentalists, many of which are supported by Western countries, particularly the USA, are despicable. At the same time, we must not overlook the fact that there is a long history of Imperial interference by Western nations in the affairs of those of the East. The well-known coup that overthrew the democratically elected Prime Minister Mohammad Mosaddegh in favour of Shah Mohammad Reza Pahlavi in 1953, is one example. Supported by his British and US allies Pahlavi unleashed a regime of torture and murder on any kind of opposition. The egregiously obvious US (and it’s “Coalition of the Willing”) war against Iraq, in the hope of corralling oil supremacy was another. What we, opponents of xenophobia, must maintain is the focus of what is going on here and now. We must be clear in identifying what people and groups, who are responsible for the kind of abhorrent advertisements and social media campaigns pictured above, are aiming at. They are suggesting that people who profess to be Muslims in this country should be denied human and civil rights. That is not a point that can be rationally debated. There can be no argument about what some group somewhere else might or might not have done. We must call a spade a spade. To paraphrase an old saying, “if it walks like an Islamophobic duck and talks like an Islamophobic duck, it probably is an Islamophobic duck”. To try to accommodate, in any way, any kind of xenophobia, perhaps thinking that with some reasonable conversation we can help them see reason, is folly. The German Protestant minister and Anti-Nazi activist Dietrich Bonhoeffer, who was murdered in 1944, had strong words about those who cling to and spread vile and unsupportable beliefs:
Stupidity is a more dangerous enemy of the good than malice. One may protest against evil; it can be exposed and, if need be, prevented by use of force. Evil always carries within itself the germ of its own subversion in that it leaves behind in human beings at least a sense of unease. Against stupidity we are defenseless. Neither protests nor the use of force accomplish anything here; reasons fall on deaf ears; facts that contradict one’s prejudgment simply need not be believed – in such moments the stupid person even becomes critical – and when facts are irrefutable, they are just pushed aside as inconsequential, as incidental. In all this the stupid person, in contrast to the malicious one, is utterly self satisfied and, being easily irritated, becomes dangerous by going on the attack. For that reason, greater caution is called for when dealing with a stupid person than with a malicious one. Never again will we try to persuade the stupid person with reasons, for it is senseless and dangerous. (Bonhoeffer, 1997)
So, where does that leave us? I think, if we take Bonhoeffer seriously, we have to call them out forcefully, confront and rebut their “stupid lies”. I believe that, using Bonhoeffer’s words as our guide, it cannot be a matter of attempting to “sit down and reason together”. Reason is not in their vocabulary. Rather we must make it as difficult as possible for their outrageous mendacities to have any room to take root and grow. It is only with honest action that we can hope to counter the various loathsome “Big Lies” that the hate mongers are peddling. We may right in, our hearts but without action that “right’ is simply a morally comforting but ineffective blanket. Our voices and arguments must be stronger and more insistent than theirs.
We know the power of social media. That is an issue that should concern us all. As I said at the start of this piece, anti-Islamic groups, like “Canadians Against Religious Supremacy” constitute only one element in an array of malign groups, purveyors of hate and division – white supremists, colonial apologists, racists, misogynists, etc. - which infest social media. People who believe themselves to be of goodwill need to think about what we should do, and then act when we come upon any of that kind of contemptible agitprop.
Resources
Bonhoeffer, D. (updated edition,1997) Letters and Papers from Prison. Touchstone
Press Progress (2020). “Manitoba’s premier turns to racist dog whistle politics as his approval ratings nosedive over his mishandling of the pandemic.” https://pressprogress.ca/manitoba-premier-brian-pallister-criticizes-plan-to-make-covid-19-vaccine-available-to-vulnerable-indigenous-communities/. Dec. 4.
Sasitharan, K. (2021). “Ontario NDP calls on Ford to apologize after wrongly accusing Indigenous MPP of vaccine queue-jumping”. CBC News. https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/toronto/ford-apologize-indigenous-mpp-accusing-vaccine-queue-jumping-1.5945897. March 11.
We know the power of social media. That is an issue that should concern us all. As I said at the start of this piece, anti-Islamic groups, like “Canadians Against Religious Supremacy” constitute only one element in an array of malign groups, purveyors of hate and division – white supremists, colonial apologists, racists, misogynists, etc. - which infest social media. People who believe themselves to be of goodwill need to think about what we should do, and then act when we come upon any of that kind of contemptible agitprop.
Resources
Bonhoeffer, D. (updated edition,1997) Letters and Papers from Prison. Touchstone
Press Progress (2020). “Manitoba’s premier turns to racist dog whistle politics as his approval ratings nosedive over his mishandling of the pandemic.” https://pressprogress.ca/manitoba-premier-brian-pallister-criticizes-plan-to-make-covid-19-vaccine-available-to-vulnerable-indigenous-communities/. Dec. 4.
Sasitharan, K. (2021). “Ontario NDP calls on Ford to apologize after wrongly accusing Indigenous MPP of vaccine queue-jumping”. CBC News. https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/toronto/ford-apologize-indigenous-mpp-accusing-vaccine-queue-jumping-1.5945897. March 11.
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