When the Paris terror attacks last December claimed the lives of 130 people, the hashtags #JeSuisParis started trending.
In the wake of the terror attacks in Belgium yesterday, at which the death toll currently stands at 30, the hashtag #StopIslam started trending.
But before you close down your computer and burn it, take a little heart: the hashtag is only trending because people are critical of it. Log on to Twitter now, and you’ll see plenty – if not the majority – of tweets with the sentiment of this one:
Fired up the Twitter on my flight, only to find that something called #stopislam is trending. Shameful.
— Joy Reid (@JoyAnnReid) March 22, 2016
The Washington Post scraped about 1,333 global tweets using the hashtag between 9:20am and 12:50pm EDT, and found that about 90% of them were critical of it. Their analysis “cautiously” pinned down the start of the hashtag criticism to this tweet from Spain, which translated reads: “My solidarities with the Belgian. End with this bigotry #StopIslam.”
Mi solidaridas con los bélgicos. Hay que acabar con este fanatismo #StopIslam
— Iker-Sara-Martín (@CasillasEterno) March 22, 2016
Within minutes, fellow Spanish Twitter users were also criticising the hashtag, and within an hour, #StopIslam was trending worldwide with anti-anti-Islam sentiment.
Growing up being friends with a Muslim, I know that they were taught killing an ant is wrong, let alone a human #StopIslam? I don’t think so
— Tom Mitchell (@tomxmitchell) March 22, 2016
Can we make THIS trend world? #STOPHATE? This world needs LOVING action- let’s BE the change. #Brussels #PrayForBrussels Not #StopIslam
— Give it another go:) (@CODYSAINTNEW) March 22, 2016
I thought I was dumb but I read the tweets under the hashtag #StopIslam and realized that I’m Einstein compared to these 326K Islamphobes.
— ? (@cumzaddy) March 22, 2016
#StopIslam has gotten out of hand. All I see beauty in the religion. Instead of keeping this # trending, go educate yourself about Islam.
— MSK (@marykhez) March 22, 2016
Most of those killed by ISIS and most of those fighting ISIS are Muslims. Remember that when you collectively blame Muslims for ISIS’ terror
— Daniel Wickham (@DanielWickham93) November 14, 2015
how is #stopislam trending, I’ve read some of the tweets and they’re sickening. terrorism has no religion.
— household fly (@femnoodle) March 22, 2016
Right now, it’s looking about a 50/50 split between the tiny minds who can’t comprehend that Muslims =/= terrorists, and the rest of us.
