Shaker Khidr

With the publication of everything related to the Yazidi people in social networks, especially public pages, attacks on the Yazidi faith are noticeable, clinging to religious and public figures. There are those who support terrorism and even finance hostile comments at their own expense.
The language of hostility is one of the main elements that can break the social situation in Iraq, regardless of the method of its dissemination. Currently, social networks are playing an important role in spreading these discourses aimed at minorities in Iraq and in particular at the Yazidi population, as they are at the forefront after the ISIL attack on the Sinjar district.
The number of hostile statements in Iraq is a record. The Paths Foundation for the Development of Culture and Mass Media conducted a monitoring, following the sharp increase in the number of hate speech in Iraq.
The latest reports of the" National Center for Combating Language Hostility " indicate that the number of hostile statements in the media and social networks has more than doubled in 2020 compared to 2019. It is expected that in 2021 there will be more negative statements than in the coming years.
The journalist Diab Ghanem claims that the existence of hateful statements against the Yazidis is not something new for the Yazidis themselves and minorities in general.
Iraqi social networks are increasing incitement to hatred when covering Yazidi religious and social ceremonies. Ghanem does not exclude the existence of journalists in the media whose purpose is to incite hatred towards representatives of national minorities, and especially towards the Yazidi population.
The responsibility in this matter lies with two parties, the first, of course, are those who use this discourse. It targets the Yazidis and works to discredit them and belittle their role, but in return, the Yazidis themselves bear part of the responsibility. This is reflected in the lack of clarity in the discourse of the Yazidis in a broader sense related to their ideological aspect, although the Yazidis have lived in Iraq for thousands of years.
In addition, there is another problem related to sectarian and religious accusations in Iraq, which caused this problem. Everyone tries to ignore each other, bearing in mind that the clergy and the lack of public consciousness in relation to other religions are at the heart of this problem.
Activist Adhraa Mahdi believes that hatred and exclusion of others in our society have roots, and only a few have left and triumphed over themselves, and coexistence has become their main principle. Hatred of religious and ethnic minorities is present in society as a whole. Today, social networks have become a mirror of the society that tracks these topics. The problem is not limited to a certain group of society, but even those who claim to be secular or enlightened are part of the product of this social system, which is racist towards others or intimidates national minorities. Studies and surveys that reveal the true face of people are not the only solution, it is necessary to put into effect strict laws that protect the Yazidis and stop this farce that destroys society and nations.
This work is a product of the project "The role of the Media in countering hate speech and false news", which was implemented by the Ezidi 24 Media Foundation with the support of IMS International Media Support.