HERAT CITY (SW): Academics in Herat province believe a large number of social media users in Afghanistan are involved in promoting hate speech and division among the nation.
In conversation with Salam Watandar, a number of enlightened, liberal and educated individuals expressed concerns over surge in character assassinations and hate speech in the social media. Faisal Karimi, professor at the Herat University, said it is worrying to see a large number of social media users engaged in promoting hatred among different ethnic groups in the country. He stressed upon the need to monitor and regulate the social media in a bid to curb destructive activities that are harmful to the country.
Karimi pointed out to the usage of Facebook in particular. He said some enlightened and educated people are also not immune to the hate speech.
Ali Ahmad Kawa, an anthropologist, said in this regard that the government should take immediate and effective steps to regulate the social media. He acknowledged that the social media is an effective tool in holding the government accountable, but exploiting it to the extent of promoting division and hatred is worth worrying about. “The incidents in Kabul have exposed how divided we are, even our politicians and people from the educated class were seen propagating for their regional, ethnic and ideological views”, he said.
Shafiq Bahrozyan, a social media analyst, argued that the culture of properly using social media has not properly evolved in Afghanistan. These analysts urged the government to streamline anti-cybercrime laws and also vigilantly regulate the social media in the country.
ENDS
