The portrayal of the Rohingya genocide and refugee crisis in the age of post-truth politics

Abstract

The systematic persecution and ethnic cleansing of the Rohingyas by Myanmar which resulted from populist hatred can be traced back to the Second World War when the Rohingyas sided with the British. Xenophobia has taken a permanent shape in the practice of power, the motive force behind the actions and reactions of successive Myanmar states and political elites. The colonial legacy has been used as the rationale for isolation and the use of violence against the Rohingyas. The socio-historical constructed and imposed identity throughout the colonial and post-colonial years has been used by the majority Buddhists to dehumanize the Rohingyas. The article argues that the historical identity creation and imposition by the majority Buddhists have facilitated the recent refugee crisis. The article aims to identify whether the tactics of post-truth politics have been used to fuel populist anti-Rohingya feelings among the majority Buddhists.

Marginalized and Misunderstood: How Anti-Rohingya Language Policies Fuel Genocide

“…Relatedly, Md. Ali Siddiquee ( 2019 ) writes that recent atrocities against the Rohingya have been carried out “through the tactics of post-truth politics,” including the willful spreading of misinformation, appeals to emotions and personal beliefs rather than established facts, and a constant repetition of core motifs. The situation is strikingly similar in Bangladesh, where analysis of The Daily Star newspaper shows the “othering” of the Rohingya using three fundamental frame sets: the Rohingya as an impediment to Bangladeshi prosperity, as victims, and as intruders on Bangladeshi sovereignty (Ubayasiri 2019 , pp.…”

The Golden Circle: Creating Socio-technical Alignment in Content Moderation

“…(c) Online harassment: online bullying, harassment, and discrimination, often of marginalized groups or individuals based on race, gender, sexual orientation, disability, religion, or ethnicity, whether targeted at specific individuals or entire groups such as Rohingya Muslims (Siddiquee, 2020), results in exclusion, marginalization, and in the most extreme cases physical violence, and even genocide. This virtual (Patton et al, 2014) and physical violence results from harmful content not being detected before it is posted or not being taken down after it has been posted.…”

Political Implications of Hate Speech Digitalization in a Post-Truth Era: Impact on Emotional Regimes in Digital Conflicts

“…В современном мире множится количество примеров, когда через цифровой язык вражды происходит не только сетевая травля различных меньшинств или социальных групп, но и их физическое преследование. Наиболее показательным в этой связи стал геноцид в Мьянме, где ключевую роль в распространении ненависти сыграли именно социальные сети [Siddiquee 2020]. Аналогичная ситуация складывалась в период пандемии COVID-19, когда сторонники и противники вакцинации в разных странах мира подвергали друг друга сетевой травле.…”