The Double Standards and Hypocrisy of Social Media Giants

by Majid Rafizadeh
January 13, 2021 at 4:00 am

https://www.gatestoneinstitute.org/16938/social-media-hypocrisy

Translations of this item:

What, however, about Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei who constantly tweets anti-Semitic and incendiary tweets and whose regime the US Department of State called "the world's worst sponsor of terrorism"? Khamenei, in fact, has become so emboldened on Twitter that, on it, he publicly calls for annihilation of Israel and denies Holocaust.
According to Twitter's "Violent organizations policy": "There is no place on Twitter for violent organizations, including terrorist organizations, violent extremist groups, or individuals who affiliate with and promote their illicit activities... Our assessments under this policy are informed by national and international terrorism designations..."
More shocking, in November 9, 2014 Khamenei posted a tweet laying out how to annihilate Israel "Why should & how can #Israel be eliminated? Ayatollah Khamenei's answer to 9 key questions. #HandsOffAlAqsa". Khamenei actually posted a screen shot exactly detailing the process to destroy Israel. These tweets are still up.
"I kid you not! At a Knesset hearing on Antisemitism, @Twitter rep tells me they flag @realDonaldTrump because it serves 'public conversation', but not Iran's @khamenei_ir call for GENOCIDE, which passes for acceptable 'commentary on political issues of the day'" — Human rights lawyer Arsen Ostrovsky, July 29, 2020.

(Photo Illustration by Justin Sullivan/Getty Images)

Several social media giants recently made a controversial move by banning US President Donald Trump while allowing leaders of what the US Department of State has called the top state sponsor of terrorism, the Iranian regime, to operate freely on their platforms.

First, it was Facebook and Instagram that banned the President "indefinitely." Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg said:

"We believe the risks of allowing the President to continue to use our service during this period are simply too great. Therefore, we are extending the block we have placed on his Facebook and Instagram accounts indefinitely and for at least the next two weeks until the peaceful transition of power is complete."

Twitter immediately followed suit by suspending the accounts of President Trump, Michael Flynn and Sidney Powell. Regarding President Trump, Twitter claimed:

"After close review of recent Tweets from the @realDonaldTrump account and the context around them — specifically how they are being received and interpreted on and off Twitter — we have permanently suspended the account due to the risk of further incitement of violence."

Twitter apparently had a problem with only two tweets of the President: one stated that he would not attend President-elect Joe Biden's inauguration on January 20: "To all of those who have asked, I will not be going to the Inauguration on January 20th." In the second one, President Trump wrote:

"The 75,000,000 great American Patriots who voted for me, AMERICA FIRST, and MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN, will have a GIANT VOICE long into the future. They will not be disrespected or treated unfairly in any way, shape or form!!!"

Twitter explained:

"These two Tweets must be read in the context of broader events in the country and the ways in which the President's statements can be mobilized by different audiences, including to incite violence, as well as in the context of the pattern of behavior from this account in recent weeks. After assessing the language in these Tweets against our Glorification of Violence policy, we have determined that these Tweets are in violation of the Glorification of Violence Policy and the user @realDonaldTrump should be immediately permanently suspended from the service."

Such an interpretation of those words seems, bluntly, a bit of a stretch -- especially when compared to what is permitted on Twitter without so much as a "thoughtful little note" of any kind.

What, for instance, about Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who constantly tweets anti-Semitic and incendiary tweets and whose regime the US Department of State has called "the world's worst sponsor of terrorism"? Khamenei has no problem on Twitter publicly calling for the annihilation of Israel and denying the Holocaust.

"We will support and assist any nation or any group anywhere who opposes and fights the Zionist regime," Khamenei tweeted on May 20, 2020, "and we do not hesitate to say this. #FlyTheFlag". On May 18, 2020 he posted a tweet:

"The West Bank must be armed, just as Gaza. The only thing that can reduce the Palestinians' hardships is the hand of power. Otherwise, compromise won't reduce a bit of the cruelty of this usurping, evil, wolf-like entity. #FlyTheFlag".

On May 21, 2020, he tweeted:

"The ppl of Palestine should hold a referendum. Any political sys they vote for should govern in all of Palestine. The only remedy until the removal of the Zionist regime is firm, armed resistance."

According to Twitter's "Violent organizations policy":

"There is no place on Twitter for violent organizations, including terrorist organizations, violent extremist groups, or individuals who affiliate with and promote their illicit activities... Our assessments under this policy are informed by national and international terrorism designations, as well as our violent extremist group and violent organizations criteria.

Don't those tweets from Iran's Supreme Leader violate Twitter's own rules?

More shocking, in November 9, 2014 Khamenei posted a tweet laying out how to annihilate Israel: "Why should & how can #Israel be eliminated? Ayatollah Khamenei's answer to 9 key questions. #HandsOffAlAqsa". Khamenei actually posted a screenshot exactly detailing the process to destroy Israel. Those tweets are still up.

When asked about the ayatollah's anti-Semitic tweets, Ylwa Pettersson, Twitter's head of policy for the Nordic countries and Israel, told the Israeli Knesset's Committee for Immigration, Absorption and Diaspora Affairs, through a video-conference:

"We have an approach toward leaders that says that direct interactions with fellow public figures, comments on political issues of the day, or foreign policy saber-rattling on military-economic issues are generally not in violation of our rules."

The response commendably sparked outrage. People pointed to the double standards. Member of Knesset Michal Cotler-Wunsh, who was in the session and led the discussion, wrote:

"Wow. Twitter just admitted that tweets calling for genocide against Jews by Iranian leaders DON'T violate its policy! THIS is a double standard. This is antisemitism."

Human rights lawyer Arsen Ostrovsky tweeted:

"I kid you not! At a Knesset hearing on Antisemitism, @Twitter rep tells me they flag @realDonaldTrump because it serves 'public conversation', but not Iran's @khamenei_ir call for GENOCIDE, which passes for acceptable 'commentary on political issues of the day'. cc. @CotlerWunsh"

Social media giants nevertheless freely allow Iranian leaders to tweet death threats to Americans, anti-Semitism and calls for the destruction of Israel. Will no one please stop them?

Dr. Majid Rafizadeh is a business strategist and advisor, Harvard-educated scholar, political scientist, board member of Harvard International Review, and president of the International American Council on the Middle East. He has authored several books on Islam and US foreign policy. He can be reached at Dr.Rafizadeh@Post.Harvard.Edu

Follow Majid Rafizadeh on X (formerly Twitter)

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Related Topics: Threats to Free Speech

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Comment on this item

22 Reader Comments

Mike • Jun 29, 2021 at 17:29

Watch the movie Social Media and take note of the origins of Facebook and comments of MZ at the beginning of the story of FB.

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Babbler • Feb 27, 2021 at 13:26

Twitter should be outlawed in the US for supporting terrorism. But the left hate America and prefer communism. Stupid is as stupid does.

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PermReader • Jan 18, 2021 at 13:44

What are the roots of the right - left double standards of the media and even the world humanitarian traditions? The Nuremberg and the Tokyo trials with the Holocaust memorial turned the Nazi-fascist crimes to incomparably diabolic acts. The peoples pray for their victims. The Left's crimes remain disputable, questionable, having nothing in common with the "sacred" communist, socialist ideas, ideas impudent enough to call themselves democratic. This inequality of right- left ideology values are the basis of leftist media aggression against non liberal (leftist) opinions.

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Amarillys Taylor • Jan 14, 2021 at 20:40

I am not in Twitter or Facebook ! Do the same ! Be free.

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Raj • Jan 14, 2021 at 05:03

Most of the terrorists on 9/11 were Saudi nationals, still doing business there including selling the latest beautiful missiles made in the USA. How's that for hypocrisy! just look at their human rights record. But of course we wouldn't want to criticise that so as not to offend due to cultural sensitivity. But when you get Americans turning on their fellow Americans then we have become a country of despondent fools with a misguided view on reality!

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Gintas Vilkelis

Raj • Jan 18, 2021 at 11:05

While most of the terrorists on 9/11 were Saudi nationals, it's an important distinction that they were NOT acting on the orders from the Saudi government (even though, generally speaking, their actions *were* in part inspired and emboldened by the Wahhabi ideology of the Saudi state).

This is very different from Iran, which *is* organising, financing and directing a large number of terrorist activities.

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Bull Herman • Jan 13, 2021 at 20:58

The most dangerous, most threatening activities to Progressives, Islamists, and commies is Freedom of Expression. The second is an armed #1.
Choking off communications prevents like minded people from uniting. Keeping US penned up at home from Plandemic prevents formal organizing and civil actions.
The elites know few will take the ayatollahs seriously. But Trump? 75% the country automatically agrees and retweets his thoughts. For them that's dangerous!
Even employees at Apple and Amazon prefer unionization to the happy status quo. So without an already established political stranglehold (and fair tracable elections) Progressives will be soon exposed the lying failures they are.
I don't Twitter, nor do I waste money on Liberal publications unless I'm storing up toilet paper alternatives.
The days will come when bootlegged Bible's and copies of Rush Limbaugh's books will secretly be read out loud by candlelight across US households.
It's a good time to screen the first rendition of the movie Red Dawn.

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Jacobite • Jan 13, 2021 at 14:52

The idea that double standards are "bad" is based on a fundamental ignorance of Human Nature. Every normal human, and every normal human society, instinctively divides people into two groups -- in-group (i.e., my people) and out-group (other people). Although this is instinctual behavior, because every other society is doing the same thing (and your people are their out-group) it is perfectly rational. So, every normal human society will have multiple standards, applying to different classes of people. If you refuse to consider people who consider you to be their enemy to be your enemies, you may be high-minded, but you're going to be extinct PDQ (evolution is selecting-out unicorn fanciers). I believe the Italians have a saying: "He's so good, he's good for nothing"(tanto bono che no vale niente).

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oldguyincolorado

Jacobite • Jan 14, 2021 at 11:35

Your position is correct as far as you go. The problem is: We live in a world where each "class/society" can destroy the other. With this in mind, for a double standard to exist, each must then live within their own world/class, separate and apart from the other. But we don't do this and no longer can. Historically, as you well know, there has always been a clash between ideas/civilizations. A double standard will not work in the modern world because no one will accept/tolerate becoming the "underclass"; few of us have anywhere else to go. Based upon your position, we can only hope that the other side will see that what they believe in is "wrong" (not very likely given our current status), this before we go to war (which seems to have already begun). If a change doesn't take place (with "the other") then we all become extinct PDQ. Perhaps with the passage of time (and the passing of the "old guys" who are now in charge) will all of us be "saved". But I have my doubts.

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Jacobite

oldguyincolorado • Jan 16, 2021 at 19:18

When one group conflicts with another group, both don't disappear, only the losers do (unless they have a safe place to retreat to). The idea is to defeat the other group.

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oldguyincolorado

Jacobite • Jan 18, 2021 at 01:45

You miss my point: we live in an age of nuclear mutual destruction. We throw everything we have at them and they throw everything they have at us. With the magnetic pulse capability of just one nuke at 400 miles above us, 90% of the U.S. population is gone within a year. Look it up. That's the reasoned calculation. Now send us 10 we can't intercept. Or we send 10 they can't intercept. Likely we will both know that the other has launched in enough time to shoot ours, too. In this world, with this ultimate capability, there will be no winners. No one will go down to defeat without using everything that they have if means that you disappear. We will be lucky enough to have a few losers left on each side to possibly begin again in an almost stone age environment.

That is just one reason why Iran must never be allowed the bomb. It already has the missiles.

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oldguyincolorado • Jan 13, 2021 at 11:57

You are correct: remove Khamenei's tweets, too. Anyone who incites to riot, constantly lies, spews anti-Semitic rhetoric, or calls for the death of America should not be given a platform. Freedom of speech does not include being able to say anything you want to. There are limits on what you can say. We are in the process of determining those limits, limits which may well be tested in a court.

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af • Jan 13, 2021 at 11:47

With all due respect to Ms. Walter's comment, society needs to do more than to cancel their accounts, though that is a good action for individuals to take. We need to "fight" back (oh, to all of society's snowflakes, I'm soooooo sorry for using that word).

For those who live in red states, or states with lots of red, write your governors, and tell them to sell any and all of their pension plan stock in these garbage, fascistic companies who are against free speech, unless it agrees with that of the left. Ditto for companies who haven't fallen prey to Dorsey and Zuckerberg, et al.

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Heidi Walter

af • Jan 14, 2021 at 08:58

Dear af, of course we need to do more but that would at least be a beginning. Customers and every citizen have so much power to change things if they only would realize how much. The problem is that they either ignore or are unaware of it. I live in Germany where we are right now trying to battle the left, as is all of Europe. One is automatically their enemy if they do not agree with their point of view or what they believe in. I would hate to see the US go the same downhill path as Europe is right now. My thoughts are with my friends in the US and I hope the best for them as for you all.

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Bull Herman

Heidi Walter • Jan 19, 2021 at 13:49

Interesting comparison. The EU vs US.
The EU has allowed massive numbers of Muslim illegal immigrants which are disrupting cultural norms while forcing their own religion and culture on the natives.
Much like illegal immigration in US. Illegal immigrants don't want to assimilate.

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Heidi Walter

Bull Herman • Jan 20, 2021 at 01:40

Bull Herman, the EU has not only allowed a massive influx of illegal immigrants it is still allowing it. When they set their camps ablaze, as happened in Greece and Bulgaria, the left will insist that mostly Germany will take them in. The left will always spend money they don't have on people who take it for granted that we have support them because we owe to them for whatever reason. A good example of how the left works could be seen in the former GDR and all Eastern European countries after the wall came down. Dilapidated and run down countries. One of our true journalists who, unfortunately, is no longer among us once made this statement, which is as accurate as one can get "Who thinks to have to save the POOR of the world and takes in half of Calcutta, does not save CALCUTTA, - but becomes CALCUTTA himself." Peter Scholl-Latour. Germany and Europe are well on their way to become Calcutta.

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Harvey L • Jan 13, 2021 at 09:49

The answer is to cancel your account unfortunately the younger generation and a lot of businesses use Twitter specifically to pass on comments -- young people in particular are never off the media giants it is a great idea but hard to enforce so it hurts them financially. A better idea would be as has I believe happened in the state of Idaho is for the ISP to email their customers to the effect that if you want to have access to Facebook, Instagram or Twitter you have to request access from your ISP otherwise it will be blocked, it's no more censorship than what these media giants are doing to conservative thinkers. They have to be damaged financially - it's the only language they understand

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Ebony Saintz

Harvey L • Jan 15, 2021 at 15:58

Unfortunately, we live in a world full of parents who don't understand that they are the people in charge of their kids' internet activities. Lots of parents hand their children cellphones that they themselves can't use, basically leaving them open to all sorts of exploitation. It also allows complete strangers to mold their world views. In my mind, letting kids have untethered access to the internet, and social media, should be charged with neglect.

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Heidi Walter • Jan 13, 2021 at 06:50

There is a very simple solution to end their hypocrisy and double standards: if you do not agree with their actions cancel your account. If all who are dissatisfied with their behaviour close their accounts it will hurt them financially and as well know money talks. I've cancelled all of my accounts and let them know why as I have done with all newspapers and magazines.

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arthur facteau

Heidi Walter • Jan 13, 2021 at 10:03

I quit Twitter and Facebook years ago, and did my best to get people to go with me, went to both Gab and MeWe. No one would follow, all made excuses. Tried to warn them, but as usual, no one wanted to listen.

I have made a lot of good calls over the years, and people just don't listen, then as time passes, turns out I was right, but then they get mad at me for actually being right. Go figure...

Now I'm wondering how many people I'm now going to run into on those sites as refugees from Facebook that I tried to warn about the coming censorship, or Twitter, for that matter. But your right, if people would just leave and go to alternates, they would be bankrupt in no time.

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Bonnie

Heidi Walter • Jan 13, 2021 at 15:08

I agree, we should all vote with our voices and actions. Cancel all social media accounts which participate in censoring the voices of our fellow citizens and our elected representatives. When their Wall Street stocks plunge in value and they lose advertising revenue, then they may learn to listen to us. And keep track of any elected representatives who enable or participate in cancel culture and do not reelect them.

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Kevin Palmer

Heidi Walter • Jan 13, 2021 at 15:13

Exactly. I am going to do the same with Twitter. Run by a bunch of hypocritical twits - the name suits.
One also has to ask the question: How much are these organisations being supported by the UN - another antisimetic organisation that supports and welcomes terrorism especially against Israel.

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