Free Speech or Hate Speech? Facebook's Two Faced Policies

What I am about to write in this post is not typical of what I usually blog about. 
I decided to go ahead though because I feel I need to share this information with all of you.
My aim is to raise awareness about the issue that's going to be discussed from a human rights perspective.
Outside the West, it can sometimes be a very slippery slope deciding what constitutes freedom of expression and what does not.
In the West however, the case isn't quite the same.
Or so we might like to think.
I do not condone or agree with the method the person in the letter I'm going to share with you chose to make his point, but I do believe if one group's rights are worthy of protection then so are another's.
This letter comes at a time when most of the "Draw Muhammad(P.B.U.H) Day" protests and anger have settled down a little.
This incident has raised many issues in my mind though, such as why certain groups are allowed to express their ideas, whereas others are ridiculed and lashed out against simply for defending attacks on theirs.
This letter is a reminder that stereotypes of certain groups and hatred towards them does exist in the West, which could be the basis for discrimination against them. It might be up to us then to combat these in the most positive ways possible.
I have personally experienced the hatred and derogatory words of those "championing" this "free speech cause" so I know first hand exactly how ignorant some individuals are.
By sharing this letter with you, I hope to make you stop and think for a bit.
Why is it that certain things are labeled free speech, and others hate speech? 
Why is it that when it comes to certain groups, hate speech parading as free speech is actually something to be protected rather than condemned?
Why is it that some people can get away with such uncalled for, abusive, offensive and derogatory behavior, while others doing the same or similar things cannot?
We need to wake up and think about why there are so many double standards.
We've been asleep for long enough. It's time to stop shying away from the reality of certain things and look them in the eye.
I know I'm ready. 
Are you?


This letter was written by a Facebook user in Pakistan, in light of the "Draw Muhammad(P.B.U.H) Day" controversy. 


By Saad Mustafa Warraich, Karachi – Pakistan

I had been banned from Facebook and my account had been disabled a night before Facebook was banned in Pakistan. Before all this happened, I visited the blasphemous page “Draw Muhammad Day” and the content on the page hurt me badly.
Once again a certain group of westerners called it the “freedom of expression” and went on to show extremism – something they always verbally disassociate themselves from.
As a response to this lunacy, I thought it best to find out how they respond to others’ right of freedom of expression – I created an Adolf Hitler page right away and it read, “To all those who think they can ridicule Islam in the name of freedom of expression and yet punish those who speak of the genius of Hitler”.
The comment on the wall read, “Let’s hit them where it hurts them the most”. Further I added some photos of the Fuhrer, Nazi Party and the Italian Footballer Paolo Di Canio who was banned and fined by FIFA two years ago for performing the “controversial” Roman Salute which according to him gave him a sense of belonging to his people.
Within an hour tens of people joined the Hitler page which was named “H | T L E R”. The very next time I tried to log in I found out that my profile had been disabled for ‘violation of Facebook Regulations’.

Facebook’s reply for my inquiry was as following (also shown in above screenshot):

Hi Saad,

After reviewing your situation, we have determined that your violated our Statement of Rights and Responsibilities. One of Facebook’s main priorities is the comfort and safety of our users.
We do not tolerate hate speech. Targeting people based on their race, ethnicity, national origin, religion, sex, gender identity, sexual orientation, disability, or disease is a serious violation of our standards and has resulted in the permanent loss of your account.
We will not be able to reactivate your account for any reason. This decision is final.

Kimmie
User Operations,
Facebook

Now how is it that Hitler is termed as the most evil person in the history of mankind while those that bomb Muslims, commit heinous crimes in their countries, ridicule their Prophet and Quran and as a result hurt the sentiments of 1.2 billion Muslims are hailed as heroes? And I wonder why the victims of Holocaust are more important than victims of Hiroshima and Nagasaki.
Despite the protest of a large number of Muslims, Facebook has not removed the blasphemous page from the website.
According the statement issued by Facebook their policy is to withhold such content in countries where it is controversial. The statement specifically says that we do not remove Nazi content from Facebook because it is illegal only in a few countries. 
As two-faced statements go, this one takes the prize. Perhaps before issuing the statement the Facebook did not realise that words like “Adolf Hitler”, “Sieg Heil” and “Nazi” are not allowed to be used on Facebook to create new pages.
And if all this and the removal of Hitler page and the permanent deactivation of my profile isn’t enough, here is a testament to Facebook’s vile hypocrisy. 
The statement issued by Facebook on 20 May says, “We strongly believe that Facebook users have the freedom to express their opinions, and we don’t typically take down content, groups or pages that speak out against countries, religions, political entities, or ideas.”
While, in another instance, Facebook replied me in entirely different way. Excerpt and screenshot is given above.
Now these two conflicting statements speak volumes about the discrimination by the Facebook. It simply means that Facebook through its official statement to global media wants the world to believe that they are the torchbearers of freedom of expression and allow everyone to speak their minds out. 
On the other hand the face that individuals like me get to see is a much horrible one. It talks about hate and intolerance and all forms of so-called equality and unshakable resolve. While Facebook is portraying itself as the silent and innocent onlooker for the entire world, I wonder what gives them the right to remove a major chunk of my life from the web.
I don’t think Facebook should come up with any clarification statements for the Muslim world over what happened. 
It is clearer than crystal that as long as we are labelled as extremists, we are not going to enjoy the equal rights in this world. And those that are trying to play God love to label us that. 
While reporting the Facebook ban in Pakistan in different articles, guardian.co.uk mentions the brutality of Pakistan Army in Swat while Yahoo thinks it’s necessary to unveil Al-Qaida’s plans of attacks on Danish and Dutch football teams. 
It is a blatant attempt to criticize Pakistan for placing the ban, link the country to extremism and terrorism and thereby justifying this sacrilegious act of Facebook users.


Thoughts?
xx

Lost and Finally Found

For a few days now, I have been putting some (relatively) serious thought into what to do with my blog.
Before you burst into a happy dance, let me assure you that I am not thinking of deleting it.
I've been thinking about what I write on my blog and why.
I started it initially because I wanted to have a kind of "portfolio". Something to make it a bit easier for those I submit my work to, so they can decide if they might like to have me write for them.
As I wrote more articles for DesiVibe though, as well as just wrote more in general, I began to realize what I enjoyed writing most.
I became more certain that I didn't want to go into journalism, or any kind of field where I'd be restricted to writing only neutral or factual type pieces.
I love voicing my opinions, being creative, and asking for my readers' opinions as well. I really do enjoy knowing what others think, not just about my writing but about different issues in general.
World events are always important of course, but I found that I gravitate more towards more subjective topics like observations on the world around us, and issues that define and concern certain groups of people perhaps. I guess that would be included in the realm of personal, anecdotal, and even cultural discussion type writing.
Some time ago, I decided to change my blog's direction, and write about what it's like to be shuffling confusedly between Ottawa and Dubai, among "other stuff".
Unfortunately, I forgot the former part of my blog description, and got caught up in the "other stuff".
I'd remember periodically that I was also supposed to be writing about my experiences, which is when you'd get the more personal type blog posts, but overall I believe I failed to do justice to what I had set out to do.
Lest I get sidetracked again, I've gone and made some changes to my blog description and how I'm going to approach topics now.
I'm too much of a wanderer though, and don't like to confine myself, so there will still be a mish mash of things on my blog. That'll probably help prevent things from getting too serious or monotonous, which is always good, right?
So what can you expect from this blog?
You can expect the honest and candid thoughts, experiences, and situations, a 20 something, Canadian Desi girl finds herself in as she lives in two totally different parts of the world. 
The first is a part of the contemporary Western world, and the second, the modern Arab world of today. There is a third too, my homeland, which I visit for a few days every now and then.
I understand and respect all three cultures, even though I don't agree completely with everything in any of them. I am aware of the advantages and pitfalls of each place, and maybe that's what makes it difficult to decide which one truly comes out on tops. 
Until I navigate my way around in my head some more, and write up my next post, why don't you be so kind as to visit the link to my latest article and leave your comments on the website?
It would be much appreciated. 
And if you know someone like the character I've described in my piece, do let me know how you've been dealing with them. Maybe we can exchange some valuable tips.
Till next time then,
xx


Link: http://www.desivibe.com/special-feature/679-the-human-leech

Article Alert - The Human Leech @ DesiVibe.com

We come across all sorts of people, and perhaps that’s part of what makes life so interesting. Without some irritating intruders, how would we ever know the difference between those we want to spend time with, and those we consider a waste of energy? You need to have experienced the bad to appreciate the good, right? That’s a more positive way to look at it anyway.

There is a whole variety of individuals worth discussing, but there is only so much that can be talked about in one article.

Today then, we’ll be talking about that category of people who seem more like descendents of the leech family or some combination of human and leech genes that have mutated together over time. For your convenience, I have named this type of person, “The Human Leech”. Just to make it easier for us to discuss and educate ourselves on, of course.

For the rest of the article visit DesiVibe.com or http://www.desivibe.com/special-feature/679-the-human-leech

Hope you like it!

xx

For Moms - Mine, Yours, and Everyone Else's

I didn't need to think long and hard to know that anything I say on this topic has already been said in one form or another. That doesn't mean I'm not going to try though.
I'll start with a few beautiful quotes. These three stood out in particular.


Making a decision to have a child--it's momentous. It is to decide forever to have your heart go walking around outside your body. Elizabeth Stone  


The heart of a mother is a deep abyss at the bottom of which you will always find forgiveness. Honore de Balzac


I remember my mother's prayers and they have always followed me. They have clung to me all my life. Abraham Lincoln


And finally, the simplest and most beautiful saying on mothers was uttered by none other than the Holy Prophet Muhammad, (Peace Be Upon Him). 


"Paradise lies under the feet of your mother."


The Holy Quran's description of Heaven is not extremely detailed, but it does speak of a place so beautiful and wholesome in its perfection that the human mind can't even fathom it. 
Such then, is the position awarded to mothers that the Holy Prophet said that Heaven itself lies at their feet.


Whenever I'm worried because things are getting a little overwhelming, all I need to do is put my head in my mom's lap, and all my worries seem to melt away like a bar of ice cream on a scorching summer day. 
Even if we don't speak, and she doesn't ask me a single question, I always leave feeling much better than before.
If you don't believe me, try it for yourself. 


And now here's a little message to my mother, and to all mothers. A message from those living at home like me and my siblings, or those who live in a different house in the same city, or country, or continent.


Most of us really do love our mothers, and really do respect and appreciate what they do and have done for us, even though we may not always show it, say it, or even behave like it.
True to my nature, I forgot to buy my mom a Mother's Day card, and didn't bother buying a present because I figured everything I gave her would be left unused (as it always is).
She doesn't even like cake, chocolate, or any kind of dessert much, so that ruled that out.
True, I could have gotten up early, gotten dressed, and gone out to buy a bouquet of fresh flowers, but my laziness got in the way as usual.
My mom didn't get upset, but she did say I make excuses just like my little brother, (both of us are terrible at giving gifts on time, and are just generally late as well).
That may be true, but the thing is, I really didn't think I needed to go out and buy stuff to show my mom that I cared.
Then again, I didn't even bother doing anything to show her I do, other than shouting out "HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY" every hour starting from when I woke up, to when she went to bed.
Immature maybe, but I had to make up for the card my sister got her, and because I had to show her that I too, remembered, even though I had no concrete proof of it in the form of a card, or gift, or anything else.
Perhaps that's why I'm writing this, "out of guilt", as my mom said, when I yelled out "Happy Mother's Day!" for the umpteenth time today.
So my dearest mama, I really do love you, and I really do care. Hopefully I'll get my act together next Mother's Day. Till then, you can read this every time you get annoyed at something or another I am bound to do during the course of the year.
Happy Mother's Day all!
xx

Music In Your Tie?

There's a new tie on the market. It's called a Sonic Fabric Tie and is designer Alyce Santoro's brainchild.
This tie is different from other ties made from recycled material because it uses old audio cassette tape as one of its main components.
Each tie is made from a combination of cassette tape and colored thread, and the ratio is about 50% of each.
The designer didn't just use any old cassette tape though. She used tape with music from the streets of New York, including some from one of her own CD's.
What makes these ties even more unique is the fact that you can actually hear some of the music when you run a playhead over the fabric portion of the tie.
Each tie retails for $90 US, and can be ordered online.
As for the playhead, if you have an old walkman or cassette player lying around, you can pull it apart and remove the head from inside to listen to some NYC beats right from your very own tie.
Would you ever wear one of these?

Sources: switched.com, pulp.co.nz, perezhilton.com