This post contains the letter I sent to Mark Zuckerberg and his board. We know we can make a difference. Rabbi Tarfon used to say, “It is not incumbent upon you to complete the task, but you are not exempt from undertaking it.”
Take five minutes. I know this sounds like a long time in an age when it takes a second to tweet. But take five minutes to copy the letter, turn it into a word document, print it, sign your name, put it in an envelope, address the envelope and MAIL it. Just write across one of the pages:
I AGREE
Let Facebook know that you have had enough of their censorship and their acceptance of the normalization of antisemitism while promoting Islamophobia.
Here is the letter.
Mark Zuckerberg
1 Hacker Way
Menlo Park, CA
94025
November 2, 2017
Dear Mr. Zuckerberg,
My name is Diane Weber Bederman. I am a respected, multi-faith endorsed chaplain, author and blogger. I write about mental health, religion/spirituality, politics and ethics. My articles have been published around the world, in many languages, in journals, books and magazines.
I am contacting you to request more information regarding the removal of articles that I have posted, the many times I have been prevented from posting, and the reason for the one month total ban from participating on Facebook.
I contacted Facebook Canada October 20 regarding the removal of my articles. I heard nothing. I have been blocked since then, as well.
It appears that I am being stalked but have no way of knowing who because Facebook doesn’t tell me which article triggered the block or the person who reported me. I’d like to know so that I can block that person/persons to protect myself.
From the little information I receive from Facebook, it appears my articles about Islam have been targeted as well as my articles about antisemitism. I am told that they do not fit community standards. Which community? The one that promote freedom of speech within its Constitution, or communities where free speech is squelched?
Who is in charge of making these decisions? In which communities do they live? Is it possible that my articles conflict with their community standards but not those in Canada and the USA?
I feel that Facebook is promoting antisemitism; that I am being targeted for exposing antisemitism whether it comes from Nazis, Christians or Muslims. I was most shocked when this article was taken down as spam. As a Jewish woman, mother of three and grandmother of nine I am appalled that Facebook would take down an article about antisemitism. https://dianebederman.com/definition-of-islamophobiathe-rational-fear-of-islam/
And then I read a new German law introducing state censorship on social media platforms came into effect on October 1, 2017.
“The new law requires social media platforms, such as Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube, to censor their users on behalf of the German state. Meanwhile, the district court in Munich recently sentenced a German journalist, Michael Stürzenberger, to six months in jail for posting on his Facebook page a historical photo of the Grand Mufti of Jerusalem, Haj Amin al-Husseini, shaking the hand of a senior Nazi official in Berlin in 1941. The prosecution accused Stürzenberger of “inciting hatred towards Islam” and “denigrating Islam” by publishing the photograph. The court found Stürzenberger guilty of “disseminating the propaganda of anti-constitutional organizations”. While the mutual admiration that once existed between al-Husseini and German Nazis is an undisputed historical fact, now evidently history is being rewritten by German courts. Stürzenberger has appealed the verdict.” www.gatestoneinstitute.org/11205/germany-official-censorship
That this takes place in Germany, the home of the Holocaust, is frightening. How many Canadians have been shut down by Facebook for posting the same photo?
Now I am reading that Capitol Hill is concerned about the trustworthiness of Facebook.
I did notice that you allowed this post to remain and did not block the person who posted it. These are two of many.
https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=1603158066390736&set=pcb.1603158123057397&type=3&theater
https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=1603158046390738&set=pcb.1603158123057397&type=3
I fear that Mr. Zuckerberg’s collusion with Angela Merkel regarding “Islamophobia” has been brought to Canada.
“In January 2016, the Facebook page “Justin Trudeau Not,” which contained content critical of the Canadian prime minister’s views on Islamic supremacism, was deleted by Facebook as a “violation of community standards.” The offense? The page’s authors “contrasted Trudeau’s immediate condemnation of a pepper spray attack against Muslims in Vancouver with his complete refusal to address a firearm attack by Muslims in Calgary.” https://www.gatestoneinstitute.org/11211/facebook-social-media-jihad
I make every effort to thoroughly research my articles and link to respected sights. I report on the teachings of Islam based on three principles that they espouse on all respected Muslim sights, and preached here in Canada by the leading Imam at ICNA-The Islamic Circle of North America.
Dr. Iqbal Massod Al-Nadvi is the Amir (President) of Islamic Circle of North America (ICNA) Canada and is also serving as Chairperson of Canadian Council of Imams (Canada’s top Imam). The book “Riyad us Saliheen” (“The Gardens of the Righteous”) which appears on his ICNA Canada site adds modern commentary to the verses from the Qur’an and hadith. The following are excerpts from the book which deal with the question whether Islam is compatible with the values of Western democracy.
“[Hadith]: 673. Abu Bakrah (May Allah be pleased with him) reported: I heard Messenger of Allah (PBUH) saying, “He who insults the rulers, Allah will insult him.”
Commentary: To affront and degrade the ruler means to disobey him and to by-pass his orders. This impairs his power, honour and dignity. “Believers have been told to obey and support rulers for the sake of national interest and welfare, understanding that they desist from committing an overt disbelief and maintain congregation Salat(salat al-jama’ah) and other duties of religion.
Congregational prayer is a symbol of the power of Muslims, closeness of hearts and their solidarity in their unity of purpose. It eliminates discord, strikes fear in the hearts of enemies, upsets hypocrites, and is a thorn in the eyes of the malevolent. Congregational prayer is a demonstration of presence on the scene, and the link between the Imam and the ummah.
“The political system of Islam is totally incompatible with western democracy.”
“The concept of government party and the opposition is alien to Islam.”
“All belong to one Ummah with only one goal and pursue the same aims and objects of Islamic guidelines!”
I live in a country that sits firmly on the Judeo/Christian ethic that promotes freedom; the same ethic that underpins America.
https://www.amazon.com/Back-Ethic-Reclaiming-Western-Values/dp/1927618053/
If Facebook is going to have the right to access Canadian citizens then Facebook must honour our values.
I look forward to your explanation for each article that was taken down, each time I was prevented from accessing Facebook for the purpose of sharing my articles.
I have no intention of being silenced by Facebook.
Sincerely,
cc: Sheryl Sandberg, Marc Andreessen, Erskine B. Bowles, Susan Desmond-Hellmann, Donald E. Graham, Reed Hastings ,Peter A. Thiel, Colin Stretch
