Why is the use of the word 'shaheed' banned on Instagram, Facebook?

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Under its content moderation policy, Meta removes instances of the word 'shaheed' when referring to people considered dangerous. Now the oversight board is asking the company to relax its restrictions on the use of the Arabic word, which means martyr

The term has been flagged and removed more frequently than any other word or phrase on Meta's platforms, including Facebook and Instagram. Reuters

Meta's oversight board is calling on the company to end its blanket ban on common usage of the Arabic word "shaheed," or "martyr" in English.

A year-long review found the Facebook owner's approach was "overbroad" and had unnecessarily suppressed the speech of millions of users.

This comes amid long-standing criticism of the Meta content moderation policy, especially about West Asian-related subjects.

The term has been flagged and removed more frequently than any other word or phrase on Meta's platforms, including Facebook and Instagram.

Let's take a closer look.

What is the board saying?

Meta seeks advice on complex policy issues from a varied range of international experts, including professors, solicitors, human rights advocates, and others, within the Oversight Board. Though it receives funding from Meta, the board operates independently.

The board said the social media giant should remove posts containing the word "shaheed" only when they are linked to clear signs of violence or if they violate other Meta rules independently, as per Reuters.

The board argued that Meta's existing policy restricts free speech and hinders public debate because it is overly broad.

According to Helle Thorning-Schmidt, co-chair of the Oversight Board, the word has deeper linguistic meanings than only the English word "martyr."

Meta currently removes any posts using "shaheed" in referring to people it designates on its list of "dangerous organisations and individuals." Reuters

"Meta has been operating under the assumption that censorship can and will improve safety, but the evidence suggests that censorship can marginalise whole populations while not improving safety at all," Thorning-Schmidt said in a statement.

The board acknowledged that although the term "shaheed" is occasionally used to praise violent acts, it is also used in neutral settings including news reports, academic conversations, and discussions of human rights.

The board stated that Meta's existing policies against inciting violence and support for designated terrorists and terror outfits are sufficient to address the risks associated with terrorist activity on its platforms.

They urged Meta to reconsider its approach to moderation to prevent the removal of content that does not endorse terrorism or violence.

Why Meta has an issue with the term?

Meta currently removes any posts using "shaheed" in referring to people it designates on its list of "dangerous organisations and individuals," which includes members of Islamist militant groups, drug cartels and white supremacist organisations.

According to Reuters, the company says the word constitutes praise for those entities, which it bans, according to the board's report.

Hamas is among the groups the company designates as a "dangerous organisation."

Meta sought the board's inputs on the topic last year, after starting a reassessment of the policy in 2020 but failing to reach consensus internally, according to the board.

Meta's management of content related to West Asia has long been criticised.

The criticism intensified during the Israel-Hamas hostilities in October, with rights groups accusing Meta of suppressing pro-Palestinian content on its platform.

What does 'shaheed' mean?

The Arabic term "shaheed" literally means "witness," according to USA Today.

Although the word essentially translates to "martyr" in English, it has multiple meanings in Arabic, and how one interprets it depends greatly on the context. The phrase is widely used to honour persons who die while carrying out violent crimes.

"Anyone killed unjustly, or anyone that died on their way to their studies, as well as those who have died for their homeland, are just a few of the circumstances that qualify someone to be referred to as Shaheed. The term is used in many circumstances, but the vast majority of those referred to as Shaheed are civilians," Nadim Nashif, founder and general director of 7amleh − The Arab Center for the Advancement of Social Media − said in a statement, as per the report.

What's next?

In response to the board's latest recommendations, Meta said that the company would review the board's feedback and respond within 60 days.

"We want people to be able to use our platforms to share their views, and have a set of policies to help them do so safely. We aim to apply these policies fairly but doing so at scale brings global challenges," a Meta spokesperson told Axios.

With inputs from Reuters

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