As social media becomes increasingly dominant, a clear shift has been occurring among the tech giants of Silicon Valley. Major Internet platforms have been gradually moving from operating as neutral online platforms to full-fledged publications wielding more and more control over the content of their user’s posts.
Facebook specifically has placed itself at the center of the censorship debate with a long series of controversial bans over the past two years. In May, Facebook announced the first members of its controversial Oversight Board, a committee meant to act as the company’s “supreme court” in determining which content is acceptable and which are considered hate speech.
While many have serious doubts regarding the efficacy of such a board, a much bigger issue is developing: the bias of its members and the potential for inflaming anti-Israel rhetoric across Facebook.
One of the first committee members to be appointed was Yemeni journalist Tawakkol Karman. To some, Karman is known for her activism in the 2011 “Arab Spring” political revolutions in the Middle East. For her efforts in promoting governmental change in her own country, as well as others in the region, Karman was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 2011.
Karman’s active associations with the Muslim Brotherhood, an Islamist group from which Hamas was created, have sparked strong objections not only in Israel but within the Arab world as well. In her native country, Karman once held a senior position in Al-Islah Party, an official affiliate of the Brotherhood in Yemen. During her most active years, she spoke out publicly to protest against the arrest of Muslim Brotherhood officials and later against the group being barred from politics in Egypt.
The Brotherhood even released a congratulatory message to Karman when she won the 2011 Nobel Peace Prize.
Perhaps more damningly, Karman has hinted at supporting the Muslim Brotherhood’s use of violence. In an interview on BBC Arabic TV in 2013, Karman stated, “The Muslim Brotherhood and its supporters, who oppose the military rule, are engaged in a legendary struggle, which they are waging with their blood, their resolute steadfastness, and their belief that they will restore the revolution to its true path.”
The concern over Karman’s position goes beyond granting power to a controversial figure. The greater concern is that she will use her position to promote her Islamist sympathies, and allow anti-Israel and anti-Semitic messages to make their way into social media. While officially breaking ties with the Brotherhood, Karman has never repudiated the views of the group. In fact, Karman has had close interactions with the Brotherhood’s violence-promoting founder Yusuf al-Qaradawi, even meeting with him personally in Doha immediately following her receiving of the Nobel Prize.
The infamous cleric, known for issuing violent fatwas (Islamic religious edicts) against Israel, calls for suicide bombings, praising Hitler for “punishing” the Jews, and condemning the “oppressive Zionist movement” has been roundly condemned for his violent stance toward Israel since appearing on the world stage during the Arab Spring.
The risk certainly exists that Karman will capitalize on her position to promote anti-Israel content. Given that Hamas and the Muslim Brotherhood are effectively two sides of the same coin, Karman’s Brotherhood affiliates should be deeply troubling to Israel. As Hamas increases its threatening hate speech against Israel, especially on Facebook, having someone like Karman calling the shots is troubling.
When asked about her feelings toward the Brotherhood, Karman said to reporters, “You can hear it from me, at this stage, I am partial towards the Muslim Brotherhood.” In Karman’s eyes, the Brotherhood is a force of progress in the region that has suffered undeserved oppression and deserves both a platform and international support. In May 2019, years after Karman officially left the group, the Yemeni Nobel laureate made her position crystal clear in the following Facebook post: “Muslim Brotherhood movement will remain an anti-tyranny movement […] and it is one of the victims of tyranny and official terrorism in the region.”
In an online discussion panel hosted by the political risk consultancy Cornerstone Global last month, Paul Tweed, a renowned international media lawyer, stated that Facebook’s Oversight Committee means the company has “left [itself] open to a situation where [it] can be accused of giving in to who shouts the loudest or whoever can exert the most influence or pressure in order to encourage the suspension or closure of an account.” If it becomes a shouting contest over what content remains versus what is removed, then this may suggest, with Karman’s appointment, that Muslim Brotherhood (and its offshoots like Hamas) can use Facebook as their mouthpiece.
While the world has made strides in recognizing the danger of the Muslim Brotherhood and its leaders, Tawakkol Karman’s appointment is a move in the wrong direction. Concerns have already risen in past years about Facebook’s allowing of anti-Israel rhetoric on their site. This is on top of already existing fears that Facebook’s current policies do not address anti-Semitic posts, even those that appear regularly on the site. A known anti-Israel sympathizer like Karman can give a new voice to the extremist views of the Brotherhood and legitimize violent, anti-Israel online narratives.
Mikael Virtanen is a Helsinki-based entrepreneur with a focus on chemical manufacturing, commodities trading and crisis management. He leverages his broad commercial and business experience to write about global economic and political affairs.