Karbala Friday Prayer Leader:

Social networks are more dangerous than the pestilence of the tongue

Rasa – Hujjat al-Islam al-Karbala’i said, “Social media networks are even more dangerous than language. The dissemination of lies and defamation is one of the dangers of social media networks.”

News ID: 436017

Date: 26 January 2018 - 21:47

RNA – During his Friday prayer sermon delivered to a large and fervent crowd of believers in the Iraqi holy city of Karbala’s Holy Shrine of Imam al-Husayn, Hujjat al-Islam Abdul-Mahdi al-Karbala’i said, “Islam has put a lot of emphasis in establishing social relations in order to protect the society from the problems and dangers that exist.”

The representative of Grand Ayatollah Sayyid Ali al-Sistani in Karbala warned against any neglect of the social system and social and cultural coexistence and added, “The expansion and development of the individual and society are among the effects and blessings of increasing social relations.”

He stated, “The system of social coexistence exists among believers in order to provide individual duties and at the same time, there are dangers that threaten the social system and lead to the undermining of social cohesion.”

Hujjat al-Islam al-Karbala’i added, “Fanaticism, self-esteem and the use of violence against others are part of the issues that seriously threaten the health of the social system.”

The custodian of the Holy Shrine of Imam al-Husayn said, “Mankind must use good practices in their conduct and words. Islam has warned against using any kind of violence as it makes matters more complicated. Sometimes problems and disagreements are very simple but solving these issues with violence brings more complexity.”

He continued, “Negative dialogue, non-constructive criticism and the use of stinging language are among other threats to social health. Criticism eliminates defects, errors and inappropriate behaviours.”

Hujjat al-Islam al-Karbala’i emphasized that dialogue must not be accompanied by ridicule and humiliation, saying, “The culture of dialogue often does not exist in our social, cultural and political circles and in many cases, we do not care about the principles of dialogue and behave in a manner that is superficial. Thus, we are in need of precise and positive discussions and constructive criticisms.”

In conclusion, His Eminence stated that many social problems originate from the pestilence of the tongue, saying, “Social media networks are even more dangerous than language. The dissemination of lies and defamation is one of the dangers of social media networks.”

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