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acknowledging the damage that hate speech can have on individuals and their right to be equal citizens is vital in understanding the long lasting impact of hate speech which is not as visible to us as violence. After recognising the importance of Waldron’s concern for the long term damage to groups and individuals targeted by hate, we need to address the violence and harassment that online hate influences. Foxman and Wolf (2013) address the real and measurable influence of hate speech, citing examples of incidents in the United States against homosexuals and the bombing of abortion clinics, often inspired by content found online.69 Britain First are a further example of how a Facebook group or a website can influence hate-inspired acts; many marches and protests have been organised through their Facebook page and their comments, and many of these have ended in violence.70 Britain First condoned the harassment of Muslims after one incident, advocating further actions from the proactive members of their community. After five supporters turned up to abuse a group of Muslim volunteers who were offering to talk to the public about their religion, Britain First posted on their Facebook page: ‘well done to our Northern activists who confronted Islamic Extremists.’71 The side effects of hate sites can carry over from the virtual world and into the real, and though we cannot know exactly how far online hate affects the real world as it is largely speculative, it is still a major concern. One of the most notable cases of real world hate from online activity was the anti-Muslim attacks that followed the circulation of The Innocence of Muslims, an example used by Foxman and Wolf. In 2012 an Egyptian-American blogger publicized the fourteen minute movie trailer that featured a derogatory portrayal of Mohammed in an Arabic post online, and then 69 Foxman and Wolf, (2013) p.29. 70 Lo, J., (2014) ‘Far Right Britain First’s Brick Lane March Ends in Violence’, London 24, available at: http://www.london24.com/news/crime/far_right_britain_first_s_brick_lane_march_ends_in_violen ce_1_3613477 [November]. 71 TellMAMA: Measuring Anti Muslim Attacks, (2015) ‘The Only Extremists We See Are the Britain First Sympathisers here’, available at: http://tellmamauk.org/the-only-extremists-we-see-are-thebritain-first-sympathisers-here/ [November 2015]. - 34 -

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Religion, hate speech and social media in Myanmar: Analysing methods of intervention

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Language

English

Topic

Hate Speech
Rohingya Crisis

Author(s)

Bethany Davis

Date Published: Dec 1, 2015

Abstract: Myanmar is home to one of the longest running intrastate conflicts in the world, involving a series of ethnic and religious clashes that have caused harm to all parties involved. The ideology of a homogeneity based on Buddhism and the Bamar ethnicity has marginalized minority groups, which make up a third of the population, and has particularly affected the Rakhine state’s Buddhist and Muslim communities, the latter of which are subject to what international human rights organizations are calling an ethnic cleansing. Since the government relaxed restrictions to the access of foreign websites, the social media site Facebook has become a popular means to disseminate misinformation and rumours, and this has created mistrust and hatred against Muslims across the country, heightening the polarization between Buddhist and Muslim groups. This study will combine conflict analysis with the assessment of different approaches of countering hate speech to propose which methods of intervention are most suitable for this situation in Myanmar. Lederach argues that to counter hatred and avoid reoccurrence of violence, deep alterations of the parties’ relationships is needed. This idea forms the basis for chapter three which examines educational methods, interfaith projects and social media campaigns to both prevent and change negative attitudes towards the religious ‘Other’. It argues that education and awareness campaigns are more effective than the implementation of legal regulation as we need to combat the underlying issue. In addition to secondary sources, this study involved field research to collect information about how the youth are influence by hate speech and counter hate campaigns in Myanmar.

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Myanmar Internet Project

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Religion, hate speech and social media in Myanmar: Analysing methods of intervention

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