(WASHINGTON, D.C., 9/11/2023) – The Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR), the nation’s largest Muslim civil rights and advocacy organization, today called on Meta to investigate its closure of the Facebook page of a Palestinian journalist who posted a video delving into Meta’s censorship of Palestinians, and take broader action to end such censorship.
Tamer Almisshal, a presenter for Al Jazeera Arabic, had his personal, verified page taken down after his show, “Tip of the Iceberg,” did an investigative report on Meta’s alleged censorship of Palestinian content. The report, titled “The Locked Space,” featured admissions from former Israeli cybersecurity chief Eric Barbing regarding their efforts to monitor Palestinian content based on specific criteria, including engaging with content depicting Palestinians killed by Israeli forces. The agency would appeal to Facebook to have such content removed, and, according to Barbing, Facebook would typically comply.
SEE: Meta removes Al Jazeera presenter’s profile after show critical of Israel | The Business Standard
In a statement, CAIR National Executive Director Nihad Awad said:
“It is deeply concerning and ironic that Meta would respond to a story about the platform’s censorship of Palestinian voices by taking down the account of a Palestinian journalist who covered the story. We urge Meta to investigate this incident and end discriminatory censorship of Palestinian human rights activism.”
CAIR’s mission is to protect civil rights, enhance understanding of Islam, promote justice, and empower American Muslims.
La misión de CAIR es proteger las libertades civiles, mejorar la comprensión del Islam, promover la justicia, y empoderar a los musulmanes en los Estados Unidos.
Become a Fan of CAIR on Facebook
http://www.facebook.com/CAIRNational
Subscribe to CAIR’s Email List
https://action.cair.com/a/newsletters
Subscribe to CAIR’s Twitter Feed
http://twitter.com/cairnational
Subscribe to CAIR’s YouTube Channel
Follow CAIR on Instagram
https://www.instagram.com/cair_national/
Donate to CAIR
https://action.cair.com/a/donate
Do you like reading CAIR press releases and taking part in our action alerts? You can help contribute to CAIR’s work of defending civil rights and empowering American Muslims across the country by making a one-time contribution or becoming a monthly donor. Supporters like you make CAIR’s advocacy work possible and defeating Islamophobia an achievable goal. Click here to donate to CAIR.
If you would like to join CAIR’s media list, please sign up here: https://action.cair.com/a/newsletters — For more information, email: [email protected], CC [email protected]
END
CONTACT: CAIR National Deputy Director Edward Ahmed Mitchell, 404-285-9530, [email protected]; CAIR Government Affairs Director Robert McCaw, 202-742-6448, [email protected]; CAIR National Communications Director Ibrahim Hooper, 202-744-7726, [email protected]; CAIR National Communications Manager Ismail Allison, 202-770-6280, [email protected]