Antisemitism watchdog group urges Meta to keep ban on the word ‘shaheed’

A prominent antisemitism watchdog pushed back on a recommendation by Meta Platform's oversight board to allow the term "shaheed" to be used on platforms such as Instagram and Facebook. 

“The recommendation by Meta’s Oversight Board could be seen as giving a green light for the glorification of murder,” Combat Antisemitism Movement CEO Sacha Roytman said. “This term is used to honor those who murder, maim, and terrorize people around the world and allowing its usage sends entirely the wrong signal, that this word is used in acceptable and non-violent discourse, which it is not.”

According to the Collins Dictionary, the term "shaheed" is another term for "martyr."

Meta has banned the use of the term prior to 2020. But in 2023, the oversight board announced that it would look into how it approached the term.

Under the current policy, Meta removes “shaheed” when it is used to refer to people it believes are dangerous.

Helle Thorning-Schmidt, a member of the Meta oversight board, said that the current policy is "overbroad and disproportionately restricts freedom of expression and civic discourse,” USA Today reports. 

The Combat Antisemitism Movement argues that Meta keep the policy in place, saying the term is "used to honor those who murder, maim, and terrorize people around the world and allowing its usage sends entirely the wrong signal, that this word is used in acceptable and non-violent discourse, which it is not.”