In Afghanistan, Social Media Gives Rise to Hate Speech � Global Voices

31.5.16

In Afghanistan, Social Media Gives Rise to Hate Speech � Global Voices: Ethno-linguistic map of Afghanistan. Wikipedia image.

Ethno-linguistic map of Afghanistan. Wikipedia image.

On May 16 Kabul witnessed a peaceful protest of unprecedented size when a mostly Hazara crowd of thousands converged on the Afghan capital to vent their disappointment at the government's decision to re-route a multi-million dollar transmission line, bypassing central Afghanistan, an area heavily populated by the ethnic group.

Supporters of the protest credited it as an example of the strengthening of Afghan civil society as a long-oppressed community mobilised to demand justice from the inept central government without the demonstration descending into violence at any point.

Among detractors, however, there were the timeless conspiracy theories that the Hazara were merely acting as puppets of Iran, with whom the group has religious and cultural ties, as well as even more ugly examples of the ethnic stereotyping that has found a comfortable home on Afghan sections of social media platforms.