He warned of the danger of “media illiteracy” for “social media” activists.

"Media against hate" calls for legislation to confront electronic sedition platforms

Participants in the sessions of the first day of the second media conference of the Council of Muslim Elders.

From the source

Participants in the sessions of the first day of the second media conference of the Muslim Council of Elders, “Media against Hate,” which started yesterday, in the Jordanian capital, Amman, demanded the need to put in place professional and legislative mechanisms to confront the so-called “electronic battalions” and media platforms that fuel hatred and strife in countries in the region. They stressed the existence of a clear confusion between social media on the one hand and the journalist or journalist on the other hand, calling at the same time to seek to eradicate the so-called “media illiteracy” suffered by many social media users and activists.

The Secretary-General of the Muslim Council of Elders, Dr. Sultan Al-Rumaithi, said that the conference is being held as part of the efforts of the Muslim Council of Elders aimed at creating a media coalition aimed at combating hate speech and discrimination in the Arab media, whether online or offline, by promoting ethical standards and activating charters. Journalists to uphold human dignity, in an era characterized by the rise of hate speech coinciding with dark crises sweeping the world, such as asylum, displacement, discrimination and epidemics.

The first day of the conference witnessed three discussion sessions, which dealt with "the problems of hate speech in the Arab media and the prospects for overcoming them", "Western media and the image of the Arab man", and "Social media and media hate speech (legalizing technology)."

Ibrahim Gharaibeh, a researcher at the Center for Political Studies at the University of Jordan, called for focusing on the aspects and challenges and creating a discourse that confronts hatred and develops trust and love among people, noting that the latest opinion polls indicate that hate speech and intolerance attract people more than speech of love, and therefore must The media should review its role and measure whether it is a partner in fueling hatred, especially since few of its means confront hate speech.

For his part, the editor-in-chief of Al-Ittihad newspaper, Hamad Al-Kaabi, said that tolerance and coexistence are a universal law that God wanted for human beings, and the media is the mirror of society, because of its important role in combating hatred, stressing that “hate” is a broad term that needs a clear definition.

He added: “There is a clear confusion between social media on the one hand and the media or journalist on the other hand, as adopting positions without verifying the accuracy of the information is something that participants in social media are asked about, many of whom suffer from what is called (media illiteracy) that must That there be real efforts to erase it.”

The editor-in-chief of the Egyptian newspaper Al-Shorouk and a senator, Emad El-Din Hussein, stressed the need to establish a specific definition of the so-called hate speech without linking it to terrorism, stressing that there are media professionals who commit fatal professional mistakes that contribute to spreading hate speech and intolerance.

Hussein said: "Hate speech must be stopped by the media, and we must accept differences and confront the so-called electronic battalions and media platforms that fuel hatred and strife in countries in the region."

Terrorism is not a product of religion

The Director-General of the Catholic Center for Studies and Media, Father Dr. Rifaat Badr, said that “the hateful terrorism that threatens the security of people, whether in the east or west, in the north and south, and pursues them with fear and terror and anticipation of the worst, is not a product of religion, even if the terrorists raise their banners and wear their insignia. Rather, it is the result of the accumulation of wrong understandings of religious texts and the policies of hunger, poverty, injustice, oppression and arrogance, so it is necessary to stop supporting terrorist movements with money, weapons, planning or justification, or by providing them with media coverage.”

He stressed that communication tools can return to being tools for building bridges of love, not walls of separation, discrimination and hatred, proposing the re-launch of an ethical media code of conduct, the most prominent of which urges highlighting the bonds of rapprochement and friendship among all people.

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