Author's Note: The JIDF requested that I correct a couple of errors: First, that they do not boast of receiving 100,000 hits per month, and second, that they are also dedicated to what they call "Islamic terrorism and jihadist content." Their further comments are contained within the comment section of this post.
The JIDF, or Jewish Internet Defense Force, started as a collective of activists dedicated to the noble cause of combating antisemitic speech online. The group stood up against sites such as Facebook and Wikipedia in attempts to get them to remove hateful speech, and in mid-2009 achieved success in lobbying Facebook to remove its most vitriolic Holocaust denial groups.
But what was once a collective seems to have turned into a one-man show rife with hate speech and Islamophobia. Despite terms of service on the JIDF's site that claim that their content is "not intended to malign any religion, ethnic group, club, organization, company or individual," a recent posts blatantly equatedIslam--the Qur'an even--with terrorism:
In recent days, the JIDF's Twitter account, run by a sole activist who uses the nom de plume "David Appletree," has tweeted numerous other hate-filled statements, including the following claim that all Muslims are terrorists:
More alarming than the fact that one person could be filled with so much hate is the fact that this one person, who claims to represent an organization, has over 50,000 followers on Twitter and boasts site hits of over 100,000 per month.
I believe that the JIDF as an organization has some very valid concerns about the ways in which social media sites apply their terms of service (and perhaps about their terms of service in general), however, the answer to fighting hate speech is not more hate speech. The activists who truly believe in these ideals would be better to leave their hateful leader behind.
Follow Jillian York on Twitter: www.twitter.com/jilliancyork
Qur'an includes old Testament as well as the sayings of Jesus, whom they regard as a prophet.
Hateful Speech is not allowed for Jews. It is called l'shon hara. However, pointing out what others are saying or doing, lies and inuendo, and correcting facts, without using labels, IS allowed. It is precisely the labelling, namecalling, slander and inuendo, plain lies, which we argue against here. The responses to that have become more and more virulent and more and more ad hominem, as there are no facts they can use. Slander kills three, the speaker, the person who hears it, and the person about whom it is said. It is equated with MURDER. MURDER is not allowed.
Palestinian children are fed hatred, lies and learn to be martyrs. Think about it. I am NOT speaking here to advance any Israeli cause. I am speaking to you here about what it does to the soul and conscience of a child.
It's the same choice we all get, and we are all judged accordingly when we live in the past and continue the same choices, or if we decide we can be better.
Personally, I can't get over the fact that the Huffington Post is allowing someone with such hostile views toward Israel and possibly pro-Hamas sympathies to write here.
Huffington Post Gives Voice to Pro-Hamas Anti-Israel Activist
http://www.thejidf.org/2009/12/huffington-post-gives-voice-to-pro.html
Please, correct any errors in the comments and I will correct them in the post, if I can confirm them as fact.
I never once boasted about having over 100,000 hits per month.
The JIDF, did not start "as a collective of activists dedicated to the noble cause of combating antisemitic speech online."
Two minutes of research - even looking on Wikipedia or our "About" page would have told you something different.
We do not merely focus on "hateful speech" as you suggest. We also focus on Islamic terrorism and jihadist content. While the JIDF has been successful against much antisemitic and jihadist material, Holocaust denial groups was one area in which we were not so successful, thanks to Facebook's (very public) stand in support of Holocaust denial content on their platform.
While I appreciate you wanting to give me full credit for all our success (as you claim this is a "one man show"), that's absolutely absurd. I'm nothing without thousands of people helping, in various capacities.
It really shouldn't be so shocking to anyone who knows the first thing about the Qur'an associate that anyone with half a brain would associate it with Islamic terrorism and antisemitism. While you try to defame me as an "Islamophobe" you fail to recognize the clear antisemitism and Jew hatred found within Islam. For example, labeling of Jews as apes and pigs which we discussed, in full, with Islamic sources, here: http://www.thejidf.org/2009/12/islam-jews-are-apes-and-pigs.html
Where we discuss how:
"The divine punishment of Jews is mentioned in three Koranic verses: "... They are those whom Allah has cast aside and on whom His wrath has fallen and of whom He has made some as apes and swine..." (5:60); "...You have surely known the end of those from amongst you who transgressed in the matter of the Sabbath, in consequence of which we condemned them: Be ye like apes, despised" (2:65);[13] and "when, instead of amending, they became more persistent in the pursuit of that which they were forbidden, we condemned them: Be ye as apes, despised" (7:166)
Futhermore, you fail to discuss any of our posts which again, outline the clear propagation of violence, which we brought up in this post: http://www.thejidf.org/2009/11/does-islam-breed-violence.html -and have gone into detail such as:
Quran 9:5 "Fight and kill the disbelievers wherever you find them, take them captive, harass them, lie in wait and ambush them using every stratagem of war."
9:112 "The Believers fight in Allah's cause; they slay and are slain, kill and are killed."
8:39 "So fight them until there is no more Fitnah (disbelief [non-Muslims]) and all submit to the religion of Allah alone (in the whole world)."
I only wish you the best in life. I hope that you find compassion for others someday and are able to widen your scope of perception. There are horrible people out there on all sides of the spectrum. Right, left, Jewish, Muslim, Christian, etc. But if you close your mind, you will never discover all the good in people as well.
I am not a general supporter of the JIDF and have had many documented run-ins with them on various issues. I however could not help noticing that you tweeted support for firing rockets into a country as a "bargaining chip". Let's forget that it is in the context of Israel/ disputed territories. Let's talk about any country. Advocating killing people as a bargaining chip? Is that hate speech?
Sincerely
Brian Cuban
Are there things I said then that I would take back now? Absolutely. But the fact remains that the rockets fired into Sderot did not, in any situation, warrant the response Israel gave.
So it's abundantly clear now, I do not support the firing of rockets into Israel, in the same manner that I do not support Israel's continuing murders of Palestinians, innocent or otherwise, without due trial.
Hamas and other Palestinian terrorists intentionally target Israeli civilians for murder. It's not collateral damage. They know it's easier to just attack innocents instead of engaging the military which would be the right form of rebellion.
But you and your ilk can never understand the difference and will always support terrorists, because saying that you understand why they commit acts of terror means that you support them.
Just wanted you to know that there are people out there who saw David for what he really is.