Video-sharing websites such as YouTube, Dailymotion, and MySpace contain a large amount of racist and violent material, including both Islamophobic videos that defame Islam and incite against Muslims, and jihadist videos that praise and promote terrorism against the West.
MEMRI will address this phenomenon in a series of reports presenting videos from the major video-sharing websites, focusing on videos promoting jihad and Islamophobia as well as on videos containing antisemitism and other types of racism and bigotry.
This first report in the series deals with Islamophobic videos posted on the U.S. website YouTube, owned by Google, Inc. These videos contain offensive language and invective aimed at Islam and Muslims, stereotypical and hate-filled descriptions of Islam and Muslims which portray them, for example, as collectively "violent," "fanatical," or "backward," and virulently offensive images denigrating the name "Allah", the Koran, the Prophet Muhammad, and concepts sacred to Islam.
It should be mentioned that YouTube's Terms of Use (http://www.youtube.com/t/terms) prohibit the posting of videos that violate the sites' Community Guidelines (http://www.youtube.com/t/community_guidelines). The latter forbid videos featuring "hate speech which contains slurs or the malicious use of stereotypes intended to attack or demean a particular gender, sexual orientation, race, religion, or nationality." The Terms of Use also state that "YouTube will terminate a User's access to its Website if, under appropriate circumstances, they are determined to be a repeat infringer."
Below is a sample of Islamophobic videos from YouTube, along with the age and place of residence of the user who posted them (where specified). Please note the following contains vulgar language and graphic videos.
Videos Posted under the Heading of "Bash Islam Week"
Link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qYfoPF1V8tc
Title: My Contribution To Bash Islam Week V2
Content: The name "Allah" is transformed into an image of a naked woman; the speaker spits on a page bearing the name Allah and on an image representing the Prophet Muhammad.
Posted by: xxharddrivex
Age: 26
Place of residence: USA
Link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ROXpXTYjzk4
Title: Fuck Islam
Content: The speaker spits into a copy of the Koran; "Muhammad was a philandering fucking gigolo."
Posted by: Fakesagan
Age: 28
Place of residence: USA
Link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Uqc2KH831JU
Title: IM BACK! / Bash Islam Week (late entry) / Haters
Content: Islam is "backward"; Muslims are "stupid"; "Allah is a nickname for my cock."
Posted by: howtofoldsoup
Age: 33
Place of residence: Not given
Link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gx6XbjosjZk
Title: Islam is a violent religion. Period.
Content: "I want to say to every single Muslim…: Fuck you."
Posted by: Saturninefilms
Age: Not given
Place of residence: Midwest in the USA
Link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b18lWSaWqsk
Title: BASH ISLAM WEEK ENTRY: DESTROY EVERYTHING
Content: Presents Muslims as bent on destroying the West and it values. Ends with the words "Fuck Islam!"
Posted by: 666norton420
Age: 25
Place of residence: Canada
Link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lfPDlw49GCg
Title: Re: Defending Freedom = Inappropriate Content?
Content: A rant against the hijab; "fuck Islam and fuck their treatment of women, and if I had a Koran to spit in it right now, I'd spit in it."
Posted by: kamenoko25
Age: 26
Place of residence: Halifax, Canada
Link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kXDyI4CvBHY
Title: My Contribution To "Bash Islam Week"
Content: "Seven reasons why Islam is crazy."
Posted by: g0at
Age: Not given
Place of residence: Austin, Texas, USA
Islamophobic Videos Posted by "CapnOAwesome"
Link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OsKrSHFSPq4
Title: Eliciting a Fatwa 5: Decapitating Muhammad
Content: A figure representing the Prophet Muhammad is decapitated.
Posted by: CapnOAwesome
Age: 24
Place of residence: Not given
Link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O_baLZcoVDU
Title: A Conservative Atheist: Eliciting a Fatwa 2
Content: Koranic verses written on a roll of toilet paper; the speaker masturbates while looking at a cartoon of the Prophet Muhammad.
Posted by: CapnOAwesome
Age: 24
Place of residence: Not given
Link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dyG8uOH3mTg
Title: Islam; Blow me.
Content: "My videos are made so I, and all the other atheists here on YouTube, can fucking laugh at your [i.e., the Muslims'] barbaric asses."
Posted by: CapnOAwesome
Age: 24
Place of residence: Not given
Link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6o7HxhAc5Zs
Title: Muhammad was a terrorist and pedophile.
Content: Offensive impersonation of the Prophet Muhammad, delivered in a fake Arabic accent; "I am just a pedophile... My religion is one of violence and terrorism."
Posted by: CapnOAwesome
Age: 24
Place of residence: Not given
Link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C7_H03Pqg74
Title: Married to Muhammad: Episode one
Content: The speaker masturbates while looking at a cartoon of the Prophet Muhammad; hits the cartoon with a whip.
Posted by: CapnOAwesome
Age: 24
Place of residence: Not given
Link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fj08k7dgBp0
Title: A conservative atheist takes on Islam
Content: "Muslims blow themselves up for their religion. Come to think about it… one less Muslim. We should get them all to do it."
Posted by: CapnOAwesome
Age: 24
Place of residence: Not given
Videos Posted under the Heading "Fuck Islam"
Link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GQ5OTJUtglE
Title: Fuck Islam
Content: Video defaming Islam and other religions.
Posted by: sierraman323
Age: 22
Place of residence: USA
Link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QQf2DE3Mtk4
Title: Islam Fucked Again!!!!!
Content: The speaker draws a cartoon of the Prophet Muhammad and burns out its eyes with a cigarette.
Posted by: x71isnwor
Age: 26
Place of residence: Nashville, Tennessee, USA
Link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QZR_kRDQhLY
Title: Fuck Islam – literally
Content: "A 'tribute' to the currently most fascistic and evil religion of the world";
image of a dog having intercourse with the Koran.
Posted by: ReligionIsScam
Age: Not given
Place of residence: Not given
Link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QQf2DE3Mtk4
Title: Islam should be renamed JIZZlam.
Content: "Islam is a sucky sucky pathetic religion."
Posted by: x71isnwor
Age: 26
Place of residence: Nashville, Tennessee, USA
Videos Posted under the Heading of "Islam is Evil"
Link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6tvMRCF_ipU
Title: Goofing on Evil Islam
Content: Muslims are "animals"; Muslims are "evil"; "Islam should be wiped off the face of the earth."
Posted by: dhoffryn
Age: Not given
Place of residence: Not given
Link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RiUopdvS6jc
Title: Islam Is Evil
Content: "Fuck slam"; "Islam is an evil religion."
Posted by: IhateIslamInGeneral
Age: 19
Place of residence: Not given
Link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8BhAfUDIfqE
Title: What have I got against Muslims?
Content: "I know there are a few good [Muslims], but they are fucking rare. Most of them are fucking morons."
Posted by: Sgartut200
Age: 22
Place of residence: United Kingdom
Videos Posted under the Heading of "Fun with the Quran"
Link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2pvcvLrPeWo&NR=1
Title: Fun with the Quran
Content: A copy of the Koran is placed in the toilet and nailed to the wall.
Posted by: Islamicdawah
Age: Not given
Place of residence: United Kingdom
*A. Mahjar Barducci is a research fellow at MEMRI.