HAF Leads Interfaith Effort to Shut Down Offensive Facebook Groups

May 6, 2009

Author: Staff Writer

Source: Hindu American Foundation

http://www.hinduamericanfoundation.org/?q=node/247

The Hindu American Foundation joined hands with the American Jewish Committee (AJC) and Muslim Public Affairs Committee (MPAC) to send the following letter to Facebook:

Facebook Elliot Schrage, Esq., Vice President of Communications and Public Policy 156 University Ave. Palo Alto, CA 94301-1605

May 6, 2009

Dear Mr. Schrage,

On behalf of the Hindu American Foundation (HAF), American Jewish Committee (AJC) and the Muslim Public Affairs Council (MPAC), we are writing to request Facebook to take down the following groups which we believe promote hate speech:

F*** Hinduism F*** Judaism F*** Islam F*** Christianity F*** Buddhism

While each of these groups, in one way or another, state that they are not promoting hate against any individual adherents of the respective faiths, the use of the word "F***" in their titles immediately sets a standard for what follows: hate speech directed at individuals based on religion. A quick sampling of the Walls of these groups demonstrates that the groups do nothing but actively promote hatred against adherents of the said religions and do not engage in any genuine debates over the merits or demerits of the religions themselves. The examples below are reflective of the hateful, threatening and gratuitously violent speech that these groups foster: