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[00:00:00] Welcome to Al-Akhbariya. Advisor for Arab Affairs at
[00:00:04] do we differ? How do we maintain the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Expatriates, Mohammad Taher Al-Ahmed, met
[00:00:07] with the European Union Ambassador to Syria, Mikhail Unmach, at
[00:00:11] the Ministry's headquarters in Damascus. The two sides discussed regional
[00:00:15] whoever they are, whatever they are, wherever they are? developments in the Arab region in general, and Syrian relations
[00:00:18] with neighboring countries and the Arab Gulf, and their implications for
[00:00:21] the prospects of cooperation with the European
[00:00:23] Union.
[00:00:27] Minister of Energy Mohammed Al-Bashir met with a delegation from the Iraqi Ministry of Water
[00:00:31] Resources headed by Technical Undersecretary Hussein
[00:00:35] Abdel Amir Bakka. They discussed ways to develop water cooperation between Syria
[00:00:39] and Iraq. The meeting also addressed the importance of expanding areas of technical
[00:00:43] cooperation and exchanging experiences and information related to the water
[00:00:46] situation, especially in the Euphrates River basin, in a way that enhances joint
[00:00:50] work and supports continuous coordination between the two sides on issues of common
[00:00:54] to, I mean, spread this interest.
[00:00:55] common
[00:00:59] The Rehabilitation and Training Department concluded a training course that lasted
[00:01:03] 70 days at the Rehabilitation and Training Branch
[00:01:06] of the Internal Security Forces Command in Hama Governorate,
[00:01:09] where the graduates took the military oath, declaring their commitment
[00:01:13] to their duties and responsibilities in
[00:01:15] that this serving the homeland and maintaining security.
[00:01:18] from someone who does not think The graduation ceremony included honoring the top three trainees in appreciation
[00:01:22] of their excellence and distinction during the training stages, in addition to
[00:01:25] presenting two shields of thanks and appreciation, the first to the Commander
[00:01:29] of the Internal Security of the Governorate, Brigadier General Ahmed Farzat Al-Hamdi, in appreciation
[00:01:32] of his presence and support for the training process, and the second
[00:01:36] to the Head of the Training Branch, Colonel Hussein Al-Shawah, in recognition
[00:01:39] of his efforts in supervising this
[00:01:41] course.
[00:01:45] The Internal Security Forces arrested a terrorist cell belonging to the ISIS
[00:01:49] terrorist organization involved in
[00:01:53] of the word on a series of assassinations in Deir
[00:01:55] After about a month of ez-Zor. Investigations revealed the cell's involvement in targeting
[00:01:57] a member of the Ministry of Defense with a gunshot near Al-Rashid Mosque
[00:02:01] in Al-Mayadin city. The operation also resulted in
[00:02:04] the confiscation of weapons and ammunition found
[00:02:07] inside a hideout
[00:02:09] for the cell.
[00:02:16] into Hellfire on their faces The Prophet, peace be upon him, also emphasized Customs Authority staff at the Qmar Bridge border crossing with the Lebanese Republic foiled an attempt to smuggle a quantity
[00:02:21] is the impact of a word from a religious perspective. As for of narcotics. The General Authority for Ports
[00:02:24] and Customs stated that during routine inspection and auditing
[00:02:28] there is no operations of travelers' luggage arriving through the crossing,
[00:02:31] 2600 grams of hashish and
[00:02:34] 17 grams of heroin were seized, which were
[00:02:38] tightly hidden inside a loudspeaker
[00:02:41] nature when it turns in an attempt to deceive and bypass customs inspection procedures.
[00:02:44] customs
[00:02:48] In our last news, the Deputy Director of Internal Trade
[00:02:51] and Consumer Protection in Al-Hasakah, Hussam El-Din
[00:02:54] Joweid, said in a statement to Al-Akhbariya that the supervisory
[00:02:58] patrol immediately moved to inspect the commercial establishments
[00:03:02] where citizens ate after
[00:03:06] they are tried receiving a report about the admission of a number of food poisoning
[00:03:09] cases in the city.
[00:03:10] who perhaps incite He confirmed that the registered
[00:03:13] cases reached
[00:03:15] person as a journalist eight cases, five of which are suspected of being linked
[00:03:18] to eating sweets, and three other cases
[00:03:23] to circumvent resulted from eating meals from a fast food restaurant,
[00:03:26] where the patrol carried out field inspection tours of
[00:03:30] to the court the concerned activity. The inspection operations resulted in the seizure of food items unfit
[00:03:34] for human consumption, and the necessary supply
[00:03:37] control records were organized and legal measures were taken
[00:03:41] against
[00:03:42] the violators.
[00:03:46] perhaps not The summary ends with God's peace.
[00:04:12] and correct information.
[00:04:19] Uh, those working in
[00:04:21] at any moment. We have seen many
[00:04:26] sometimes lies in
[00:04:38] hate speech or incitement
[00:04:45] even if it's just a comment on
[00:04:54] Good evening, dear viewers, and welcome to a new episode
[00:04:57] of the program Syria Tonight. Good evening Nadia, good evening Abdel Qader,
[00:05:01] and welcome, dear viewers. We start tonight's Syria files
[00:05:06] These campaigns alone are not with the headlines. The Syrian Academy concludes
[00:05:09] the work of the national campaign.
[00:05:12] basic state. It is natural The word. Builds and affirms its keenness to
[00:05:14] enhance the culture of dialogue and responsibility in public
[00:05:18] discourse.
[00:05:22] With the aim of supporting youth initiatives and stimulating emerging
[00:05:26] projects, the entrepreneurship conference kicks off in Daraa Governorate
[00:05:30] with widespread
[00:05:31] participation.
[00:05:35] The Anti-Narcotics Department reveals the results of its operations during
[00:05:39] October and confirms its continued pursuit
[00:05:42] of those involved in smuggling and promotion
[00:05:45] operations.
[00:05:50] The Directorate of Education in Raqqa Governorate continues
[00:05:54] to rehabilitate damaged schools and determines the mechanism
[00:05:57] for their selection and the plans set for the upcoming
[00:06:01] stages.
[00:06:06] Dozens of food poisoning cases in Deir Ezzor and the Health Directorate confirms sending
[00:06:10] food samples to laboratories.
[00:06:35] Good evening again. The Syrian Media Academy concluded
[00:06:39] the work of the national campaign, the word
[00:06:42] builds, which it launched in partnership with the Ministry of Information and the United
[00:06:46] Nations Development Program.
[00:06:49] According to the Academy's director, Ibrahim Al-Sharif, the campaign was keen
[00:06:53] to deliver comprehensive messages that consider the diversity
[00:06:56] of Syrian society and focus on the importance
[00:06:59] of verifying information and respecting differences in viewpoints.
[00:07:02] viewpoints.
[00:07:07] activities, the Syrian Media Academy concluded the work of the campaign.
[00:07:10] The national campaign, "The Word Builds,"
[00:07:14] was launched in partnership with the Ministry of Information and the United
[00:07:18] Nations Development Program, UNDP. The Academy's Director,
[00:07:22] Ibrahim Al-Sharif, clarified that the campaign was keen
[00:07:25] to deliver comprehensive messages that take into account the diversity
[00:07:28] of Syrian society and promote
[00:07:31] the culture of dialogue and responsibility in public
[00:07:34] discourse, with a focus on the importance of verifying
[00:07:37] information and respecting differences in viewpoints
[00:07:40] and raising awareness of the difference between freedom
[00:07:43] of expression and hate speech, noting
[00:07:45] that expressing opinion and criticism
[00:07:48] is a guaranteed right, but it loses its responsible
[00:07:53] into incitement to hatred. The campaign extended
[00:07:57] to more than ten governorates
[00:08:00] and achieved more than 24 million
[00:08:03] views on social media platforms. Al-Sharif pointed
[00:08:07] out that the monitoring and follow-up operations carried
[00:08:10] out by the Academy during the campaign period documented
[00:08:13] 70 separate media materials
[00:08:16] across 21
[00:08:19] entities and publishing platforms, including
[00:08:22] 61 materials related
[00:08:26] to the campaign and project, in addition to
[00:08:28] 28 reposting operations,
[00:08:31] bringing the total monitoring records to
[00:08:34] 119 records. In light of the rapid spread
[00:08:38] of digital content and the development of production
[00:08:41] the campaign came with the aim of
[00:08:45] raising awareness of the dangers of hate speech
[00:08:48] and misinformation and establishing responsible
[00:08:51] practices in content circulation through media
[00:08:54] and social media platforms,
[00:08:57] and to hold journalists and content creators
[00:09:00] accountable.
[00:09:04] Regarding this file, I would like to welcome our colleague, journalist
[00:09:07] Karima Al-Saeed, here in the studio. Welcome
[00:09:10] Karima. So, first of all, I want to ask you why
[00:09:14] has hate speech become a challenge for
[00:09:17] Syrian media and how do you view such campaigns
[00:09:20] carried out by the Ministry of Information? Yes, the word
[00:09:23] is, in fact, or hate speech specifically,
[00:09:26] is a challenge for Syrian media because a word
[00:09:30] can turn into a bullet
[00:09:34] contexts where a single word was enough to ignite
[00:09:37] a conflict, especially since the Syrian context is complex and sensitive
[00:09:40] and susceptible to ignition at any moment as a result of political,
[00:09:44] social, and geographical changes. The complexities that Syria
[00:09:47] has gone through in general necessitate that the discourse
[00:09:51] be somewhat sensitive to the social environment. That is,
[00:09:54] we should be more careful with our words,
[00:09:58] Facebook or a post or any word that is publicly
[00:10:01] uttered by a person, it can cause
[00:10:05] either a headache or push forward
[00:10:09] towards building society, as the "The Word Builds" campaign
[00:10:12] did. Therefore, today, hate speech is a challenge because
[00:10:16] it is rampant and because it is available, and we have demanded freedom,
[00:10:20] so it is difficult to go back and tell people to be careful
[00:10:23] with what they say. It is different. That is, combating hate speech
[00:10:27] is different from conscious and responsible criticism
[00:10:31] and giving a remark with all respect and appreciation
[00:10:34] to the other party and not offending them. Therefore,
[00:10:38] we do not want to confuse freedom with distancing ourselves from
[00:10:42] hate speech. Today, the importance of this campaign for
[00:10:45] journalists who were
[00:10:48] present in this campaign, to what extent can we really
[00:10:51] feel its repercussions on
[00:10:53] their performance? As a journalist, I can tell you that
[00:10:57] it reminds us of our responsibility when we adopt any discourse
[00:11:00] or say any word or write any post or even include information
[00:11:04] in a report. So, the word builds and the word also destroys.
[00:11:07] Therefore, we are required today
[00:11:11] to raise the level of awareness, raise the level of selecting
[00:11:14] words, and be sensitive to discourse
[00:11:18] that is related to the Syrian context or conflict anywhere.
[00:11:21] Therefore, we as journalists are required today more than ever
[00:11:25] to choose the most appropriate words for the best situations. Joining
[00:11:28] us in this discussion is Dr. Mahmoud Al-Hassan, Director of the Global Leadership Development Academy,
[00:11:32] joining us directly from Hamburg, Germany. Good evening, Doctor,
[00:11:36] and thank you for being with us tonight on Syria Tonight. From your position
[00:11:39] as a supervisor of leadership and development training,
[00:11:43] how do you view the "The Word Builds" initiative?
[00:11:46] initiative?
[00:11:50] The "The Word Builds" initiative is a wonderful
[00:11:52] and excellent initiative. I can say about it that it is
[00:11:56] a step in the right direction, and it is not everything.
[00:12:00] I have some criticism of this initiative,
[00:12:03] perhaps that it ended on October
[00:12:06] 31st. This initiative starts and does not end.
[00:12:10] This initiative is a step followed by other
[00:12:13] steps, and therefore it continues always because the impact
[00:12:18] civil peace is a very significant impact, and on humanity
[00:12:21] in general, it raises to the sky and makes a person
[00:12:25] fall to the ground.
[00:12:28] Islam emphasized this word, like a good
[00:12:31] word is like a good tree whose root is firm
[00:12:34] and whose branches are in the sky.
[00:12:38] this matter, saying, "Will people be thrown
[00:12:41] on the Day of Resurrection, except for the harvests of their tongues?" So, this
[00:12:46] the societal perspective, its impact is very significant,
[00:12:49] and so that
[00:12:53] problem between perhaps freedom, and we have now
[00:12:57] achieved our freedom of expression,
[00:13:00] and between the word that leads to
[00:13:03] problems and leads to incitement, there is a difference
[00:13:07] between criticism, to criticize a certain behavior in a certain
[00:13:10] area, that this concerns only this problem,
[00:13:14] and generalizing to a certain group. Syria
[00:13:17] is famous for its wonderful, excellent diversity, social
[00:13:20] diversity, religious diversity, and regional
[00:13:24] diversity. We can benefit from this diversity
[00:13:27] as a strength to build and prosper Syria,
[00:13:31] and not some negative people, unfortunately,
[00:13:35] through this Syrian diversity to destroy
[00:13:39] Syria. The campaign was wonderful, and we support
[00:13:42] them 100% as a first step
[00:13:45] that the word builds, but it builds one
[00:13:48] brick. We must build brick after brick until
[00:13:52] there is a wall or a complete building
[00:13:55] for this great Syria, always prosperous Syria,
[00:13:59] and it is the responsibility of every citizen,
[00:14:02] not just the Ministry of Information or the Media
[00:14:05] Academy. Aha. I return to you, Karima. Where does
[00:14:09] freedom of expression end and the journalist's responsibility
[00:14:12] for the content he publishes begin? Yes, for the journalist,
[00:14:15] the limits of his freedom end when he does not have enough
[00:14:19] evidence, when he accuses a party
[00:14:23] or entity without having verified
[00:14:26] and confirmed enough, especially with the flood of information
[00:14:30] and multiple sources. That is, the need seems more urgent
[00:14:34] to track accurate
[00:14:37] This is the limit that stands in the way of the journalist's freedom to exercise
[00:14:41] honesty and accuracy, even if
[00:14:43] that comes at the expense of delaying the news. Speed
[00:14:47] is not as important as accuracy.
[00:14:50] Also, the results of misinformation. We have seen,
[00:14:53] in recent days, news that was circulated led to, for example,
[00:14:57] a state of panic in southern Syria. Southern Syria, in particular,
[00:15:00] is sensitive to
[00:15:03] to violence, for example. We cannot say that there are terrorist
[00:15:06] groups in such a way as to label an entire society. This is how
[00:15:10] a word turns into a bullet, and this is how a journalist
[00:15:13] can turn into a killer. Here, also, the point is: how can we differentiate between
[00:15:17] or distinguish between different opinions and hate speech?
[00:15:21] Difference is a guaranteed right for everyone.
[00:15:24] Basically. We as Syrian citizens have
[00:15:27] differences to the extent of enrichment and great
[00:15:30] diversity. So, naturally, difference is
[00:15:33] logical, it is the default
[00:15:37] that we are not in agreement, but how
[00:15:41] respect, if not love? Perhaps
[00:15:44] hatred means the absence of love. That's fine, but how
[00:15:48] do we maintain respect for the other,
[00:15:52] How do I protect their rights to citizenship,
[00:15:56] humanity, and equality? Here, my right to express
[00:15:59] myself is guaranteed. Any flaw in these standards is an abuse
[00:16:03] of freedom of expression. Dr. Mahmoud,
[00:16:06] this campaign is a national campaign that was in partnership
[00:16:09] between the Syrian Media Academy
[00:16:12] and also the Ministry of Information and, on the other hand,
[00:16:16] the United Nations Development Program. First, regarding the importance
[00:16:20] of this campaign and similar campaigns
[00:16:23] being under government umbrella, and from
[00:16:27] another side, there is a partnership with
[00:16:29] the United Nations Development Program.
[00:16:32] Excellent, indeed. Here, there are two great umbrellas:
[00:16:36] the umbrella of Syria and the Syrian government
[00:16:40] or the Media Academy. This is considered a wonderful
[00:16:43] umbrella for this campaign, as is the United Nations
[00:16:46] and the Development Program, which also
[00:16:50] gives it its due and strength.
[00:16:53] However, internally, we must all unite
[00:16:57] as citizens, and not just media professionals, with all due respect
[00:17:00] to the Ministry of Information and media professionals. We must all contribute
[00:17:04] from our respective positions, from the family
[00:17:07] to educate its members and children, from school
[00:17:10] to university, to civil society organizations,
[00:17:14] to professional academies that train and teach
[00:17:17] and develop youth and individuals through many programs,
[00:17:21] because what comes through perhaps a post
[00:17:24] or perhaps a certain video is different from what comes
[00:17:28] through a course, for example, in anger management
[00:17:32] or difference management or perhaps
[00:17:34] diversity management. We convey it
[00:17:38] in a deeper and more focused way, and these courses can also
[00:17:42] form these individuals who attend them, and they spread
[00:17:46] them to other individuals until they spread
[00:17:49] geometrically and become a policy.
[00:17:52] The role of the state or government is wonderful, and it was
[00:17:56] a wonderful umbrella, but I say that it must be reinforced
[00:18:00] by legislation and laws for this matter. That is,
[00:18:03] now most developed countries have laws against crime,
[00:18:08] and whoever utters a word or acts
[00:18:11] or even makes a racist gesture is held accountable
[00:18:13] by law and is tried for that.
[00:18:16] for that.
[00:18:19] And here I want to ask you, Dr. Mahmoud, about the danger of this discourse, racist
[00:18:22] hate speech, remaining unpunished
[00:18:25] and, on the other hand, without any awareness
[00:18:27] campaigns. The campaign is a wonderful thing,
[00:18:31] and it is awareness, awareness for these
[00:18:34] cultured people, people with minds, to
[00:18:37] learn from it. But there are some people against whom we must use the law,
[00:18:41] and therefore for the act
[00:18:45] that contains racism, whether it be words or
[00:18:48] gestures that harm others, other groups,
[00:18:51] and they are tried. And also for
[00:18:54] their posts, and electronic posts on social
[00:18:57] media can be proven by video recording or perhaps
[00:19:00] by taking a copy or a picture or
[00:19:02] a link of what was published and presented
[00:19:08] and held accountable for it. Of course, this matter cannot happen unless
[00:19:11] legislative projects and
[00:19:14] laws are issued. And the absence of this
[00:19:18] deterrent will make everyone
[00:19:23] care about this issue, so that we take it seriously.
[00:19:27] There are awareness campaigns, there is education,
[00:19:31] there are programs within universities, and perhaps even
[00:19:34] educational and teaching materials for this
[00:19:37] matter. And also, here, there are deterrent laws to apply
[00:19:41] the law, because some people, if not deterred,
[00:19:44] will stray from their path and do wrong. And this is
[00:19:48] a homeland, this is not about a specific person or group.
[00:19:52] We are talking about an entire homeland that emerged from a war. We do not
[00:19:56] want to return to it in a worse state.
[00:20:00] Many countries, we have noticed, and I lived through the period
[00:20:03] of Lebanon in the eighties when there was
[00:20:08] the seventies, the eighties, a war followed
[00:20:11] the war that preceded it and led to great
[00:20:15] destruction. We must stop
[00:20:17] perhaps awareness on one hand, and on the other hand, deterrent
[00:20:21] legislation. I return to you, Karima. The professor
[00:20:24] spoke about the law, the necessity of activating
[00:20:28] laws. However, he speaks from Germany. Here in Syria, who holds
[00:20:32] the journalist accountable when he speaks
[00:20:36] or incites or has or any party that has
[00:20:40] a wide or large audience?
[00:20:43] enough, certainly, but they are preventive. These campaigns
[00:20:47] are like a preventive measure so that we do not fall
[00:20:51] into hate speech, or to raise more awareness, perhaps.
[00:20:54] An ordinary citizen writes a comment and does not know that
[00:20:58] it falls under hate speech. So these campaigns are preventive
[00:21:01] measures and are very beneficial, better than prosecuting
[00:21:05] and trying the abuser. I support the existence
[00:21:08] of a law, of course, that controls the discourse, controls respect
[00:21:11] for others. But courts
[00:21:15] are a long road, and court is not a solution for everything.
[00:21:18] Instead of prosecuting anyone for any word, it might
[00:21:22] be better to push for awareness of the word and awareness
[00:21:24] of the content, and perhaps also
[00:21:28] to control things technically. That is,
[00:21:32] perhaps there are methods that are also preventive and technical,
[00:21:36] so that certain content is targeted for a specific audience. These
[00:21:39] measures I find more beneficial than the law, even though
[00:21:42] the existence of laws that control the standards
[00:21:46] by which we speak to each other is very important.
[00:21:49] But basically, prevention is better than cure. Can
[00:21:52] you talk about, I mean, the professor said earlier that
[00:21:56] this campaign should not stop, but it should not stop at the Ministry
[00:21:59] of Information either. I mean, there should be societal awareness,
[00:22:03] because you mentioned that, I mean, sometimes there is a comment
[00:22:08] that he is inciting, he thinks that he is expressing his personal opinion,
[00:22:12] but this opinion takes another direction, and there are those who, I mean,
[00:22:15] follow in the comments
[00:22:19] in the same way. Should there be other campaigns
[00:22:22] in addition to what the Ministry of Information has done from other ministries
[00:22:26] also to spread awareness of hate speech in a society that has emerged
[00:22:30] from crises and a war for many long years?
[00:22:33] Yes, Nadia, regarding the Syrian context, as you said,
[00:22:37] a society emerging from a long conflict, and in some
[00:22:40] cases there are still conflicts here and there, even if
[00:22:44] on very narrow fronts. But Syrian society
[00:22:47] is very sensitive to conflict. Therefore, I find it very important
[00:22:51] that all institutions work together. The school, the religious
[00:22:54] institution, the mosque, the church, all educational
[00:22:58] institutions, perhaps even the Ministry of Higher Education. Everyone
[00:23:01] from their position can contribute to combating
[00:23:05] hate speech, because the path to combating hate speech is very
[00:23:08] long. We are still at the beginning, and it is certainly not enough,
[00:23:12] even if it is a step in the right direction. Okay, Dr. Mahmoud,
[00:23:16] the most prominent issue in such campaigns is the statement that
[00:23:20] how can these campaigns, "The Word
[00:23:23] Builds," from an attempt
[00:23:26] to combat hate speech, some
[00:23:29] people say that such campaigns do not, I mean, go
[00:23:32] in the direction of restricting freedom
[00:23:35] of expression.
[00:23:39] This campaign and the mission of the Ministry of Information
[00:23:42] are to differentiate, to educate, to raise awareness. Now, the campaign
[00:23:46] has reached 24 million views. This is a beautiful and wonderful thing,
[00:23:50] but views are not enough. These views must be enhanced
[00:23:53] with knowledge, to convey the true information
[00:23:56] to differentiate between this and
[00:24:00] that, and therefore to differentiate between constructive criticism
[00:24:03] and between those who perhaps cause
[00:24:07] a crisis or a problem between sects. Then
[00:24:11] comes the third step or the third level, which is
[00:24:15] changing behavior. That is, we always monitor whether it is just a
[00:24:18] view that passed or if there was knowledge
[00:24:22] that then transformed into behavior. We want to change behavior,
[00:24:25] and that is the most important thing.
[00:24:28] Therefore, as we said, the Ministry of Information has the primary
[00:24:32] role in providing what is called framing
[00:24:35] and education in these concepts. However, other
[00:24:39] parties, as we said, from the family to schools, universities,
[00:24:42] civil society organizations, mosques, churches, everywhere,
[00:24:45] should adopt this issue and spread it and monitor
[00:24:49] it socially before
[00:24:52] we criminalize it legally. That is, when I sit
[00:24:56] in a community or in a group and they talk about
[00:24:59] a regional group or perhaps a religious
[00:25:03] group in a negative way and generalize,
[00:25:07] if I have been made aware
[00:25:09] and have gained knowledge from what the Ministry of Information
[00:25:13] has published, I can take a stand and educate everyone
[00:25:17] that what you are doing is something that
[00:25:20] offends, and therefore it destroys and does
[00:25:23] not build, and we must engage in the process of building.
[00:25:27] So, knowledge through, as we said, and through what
[00:25:31] is called continuous lectures and courses, whether
[00:25:34] in cultural centers or in universities. And universities
[00:25:37] are, I mean, a youth entity
[00:25:40] that can be a platform to spread
[00:25:43] these matters, and young people adopt these
[00:25:47] concepts because they are considered
[00:25:50] very lofty values. And therefore,
[00:25:52] in addition to the laws, which say
[00:25:56] that if punishment is safe, then bad manners will ensue.
[00:26:00] But the punishment should not be
[00:26:03] our goal in criminalizing, but merely that a person feels
[00:26:07] that so-and-so has had his name registered
[00:26:10] or been referred to court, even if it takes a long time,
[00:26:13] as the professor says. This deters others, because we want
[00:26:17] what are called deterrent punishments more than criminal punishments.
[00:26:21] Okay, Dr. Mahmoud, critical thinking, where is
[00:26:24] it in such national campaigns
[00:26:27] to combat hate speech? What is the role of
[00:26:31] critical thinking, accepting others, those with different
[00:26:34] viewpoints? Unfortunately, we have spent 50 years
[00:26:37] in the era of the dictator
[00:26:40] and his son, who abused these concepts
[00:26:44] and we forgot them. On the contrary, he reinforced concepts
[00:26:47] of hatred, regionalism,
[00:26:50] factionalism, and religious sectarianism, and all these matters.
[00:26:53] We need a long time
[00:26:56] concept
[00:26:59] and educate young people
[00:27:02] about these concepts
[00:27:06] and critical thinking and the method
[00:27:09] of criticizing any other
[00:27:12] issue with the aim of clarifying the truth
[00:27:15] with evidence
[00:27:18] is not permissible or incorrect based on such and such and such and such references.
[00:27:21] And this requires a long period of educating
[00:27:25] young people until they reach the stage of critical
[00:27:28] thinking on the one hand, and accepting criticism from the other party
[00:27:32] on the other. We, unfortunately, have reached a stage
[00:27:36] where as soon as the other person wants to criticize
[00:27:39] us for something very simple,
[00:27:42] tribalism rises and we defend,
[00:27:46] "Help your brother, whether he is an oppressor or oppressed." And this is one of the mistakes. We must spread
[00:27:50] this culture of accepting criticism as long
[00:27:53] as it is directed at the idea or behavior. Allow
[00:27:57] me to interrupt you, Professor, with this
[00:27:59] urgent news from our correspondent: the fall
[00:28:03] of rocket debris of unknown origin in the Al-Qusayr area
[00:28:06] in Homs countryside, with no injuries. So, our correspondent says
[00:28:10] that rocket debris of unknown
[00:28:13] origin fell in the Al-Qusayr area in Homs countryside,
[00:28:16] with no injuries.
[00:28:19] And I return to the topic of this
[00:28:22] episode, discussing hate
[00:28:25] speech. You were saying earlier that laws,
[00:28:29] I mean, should not also be a deterrent
[00:28:32] to the other, so that there are no
[00:28:36] laws that are also exploited for exclusion. So that there is
[00:28:40] no language or exclusionary discourse
[00:28:43] for different opinions. How can we also differentiate
[00:28:47] and separate? What do journalists perhaps fear when
[00:28:51] laws regulating media First, I wish safety to the people
[00:28:54] of the Al-Qusayr area. Returning to your question,
[00:28:58] my dear, as journalists, we will certainly find a way.
[00:29:01] I try to tell you that hate
[00:29:04] speech, exactly, the law is not its solution. You must combat
[00:29:07] hatred before you combat the discourse.
[00:29:10] That is, the hateful person or the malicious
[00:29:14] person or the unprofessional
[00:29:18] can find a way to circumvent the law. refers the word to
[00:29:21] another person, but includes it in his report. There are ways
[00:29:26] laws if they are issued, even if they are deterrent and even
[00:29:29] if they are beneficial. Of course, I support the issuance of these laws, but
[00:29:33] they are not enough. You start by fighting
[00:29:35] hatred itself. How do we fight hatred in our society
[00:29:39] by increasing constructive dialogue, dialogue among ourselves,
[00:29:42] getting to know points of difference, and coexisting with them? As a journalist,
[00:29:46] I don't feel that if any law
[00:29:49] is issued that combats hate speech, it threatens my
[00:29:52] professional freedom at all, because I can formulate my idea
[00:29:56] with hate-free speech without inciting violence.
[00:29:59] But the issue is not like that. The issue is basically the
[00:30:03] angle of treatment as a journalist, or the point I choose, the witnesses,
[00:30:07] the speakers. There are many ways of bias.
[00:30:09] As a journalist, I can convey the idea and create a problem. The law,
[00:30:13] I see it as not enough, nor is it a threat. National
[00:30:16] responsibility, moral responsibility is what manages the hate speech file.
[00:30:22] media institutions usually, I mean, certainly have an editorial
[00:30:25] line that they adhere to, but the problem
[00:30:28] the uh,
[00:30:32] those who call themselves influencers, because influence must always be
[00:30:36] positive. I mean, some influencers and some
[00:30:39] activists, I mean, those who the personal opinion of the journalist is, I mean,
[00:30:43] very dangerous, especially when you work within certain
[00:30:47] institutions, you also adhere to the line of the institution you work for, even if
[00:30:50] you have a personal opinion
[00:30:54] that may be contrary. But here, how can this public
[00:30:58] space be controlled? I mean, especially, I mean, the space