We don't want Angry Birds

Just so you’re not confused, I’m not going to talk here about the widely famous strategy video game Angry Birds developed by the Finnish Rovio Mobile in 2009. I am referring to other angry birds that are increasingly abusing the newfound freedom of speech on the Internet through social media websites.
It is a frightening realty that the use of bad language, insults, slander and even death threats are becoming an integral part of our daily reading of the local Saudi digital and social media. The rest of the world had come to recognize and resolve this kind of social disorder by introducing new laws in what is globally known as hate speech.
Hate speech is defined by international law as any speech, gesture or writing that may incite violence or prejudicial action against an individual or group of people. This kind of social behavior is considered a crime punishable by law in many civil societies.
The most notable observation is that many of the local hate language is generated by either unknown individuals who hide behind false profiles, or by a group of hard-line fundamentalists who believe that the grip of religion is losing its control to a liberal, secular and westernized section of society.
This wave of hate speech has reached a high level when a group of religious scholars issued a statement last week to condemn the spread of Atheism in Saudi Arabia. The group used very threatening and provocative language to demand punishment and retribution against all writers and thinkers that they believe to have paved the way for this kind of blasphemy.
Although later, the grand Mufti issued a statement of condemnation regarding this statement and similar ones, it is clear that the hate language is not going to stop by only appealing to the good nature of people who are using bad or threatening language. The situation requires stronger measures.
We urgently need to introduce new laws regarding hate speech. The developing debate on freedom of speech in digital media should also address the role of government in establishing clear and decisive laws to incriminate this kind of action.
These laws will form a starting base to fight against this social disease, online and offline. We must work together on exposing and eliminating such behavior that is destructive to our society. We may even put a stop to the wrong kind of angry birds.

Tweet: “Great minds talk about ideas, average minds talk about events, and small minds talk about people.” — Eleanor Roosevelt

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Email: msalsaif@hotmail.com