The Combat Antisemitism Movement has condemned Meta’s Oversight Board’s recommendation to end its ban on the use of the Arabic word “shaheed,” or “martyr” in English, after a year-long review.
At present, Meta removes any posts using “shaheed” in referring to people it designates on its list of “dangerous organizations and individuals,” which includes members of Islamist terrorist organizations.
“The word Shaheed is an honorific term for murderers. The recommendation by Meta’s Oversight Board could be seen as giving a green light for the glorification of murder,” said CAM CEO Sacha Roytman Dratwa. “This term is used to honor those who murder, maim, and terrorize people around the world, from Osama Bin Laden to the Hamas perpetrators of the October 7th massacre, and allowing its usage sends entirely the wrong signal.”
“We call on Meta to disregard this deeply problematic recommendation and continue to remove the word “shaheed” which is overwhelmingly used to glorify terror and bloodshed. It is clear that social media platforms have been used as recruitment centers for terrorist organizations over the last few years, and social media companies should be working to prevent rather than assisting this process.”
The Combat Antisemitism Movement (CAM) is a global coalition engaging more than 850 partner organizations and four million people from a diverse array of religious, political, and cultural backgrounds in the common mission of fighting the world’s oldest hatred. CAM acts collaboratively to build a better future, free of bigotry, for Jews and all humanity.
