YouTube bans this video on Muslim Brotherhood, Sharia and Civilization Jihad as “hate speech”

By Robert Spencer from jihadwatch.org

The concept of “hate speech” is, in reality, a tool of the powerful to silence and demonize their critics. It has no place in a free society. This action by YouTube is ominous in the extreme, and is almost certainly the harbinger of much worse to come.

On Thursday of last week, this jihadwatch.com published a video on its YouTube channel.  As of yesterday, YouTube has pulled that video declaring it a violation of its “hate speech” policy.  The irony is that the video was appreciated by Muslim reformers such as CounterJihad’s own Shireen Qudosi, who pointed out that to reformers like her it was actually helpful speech.

We spoke with Jim Hanson, Executive Vice President of the Center for Security Policy and the official in charge of the video’s production.  “I am stunned,” he said, “that the policy that YouTube developed for the express purpose of fighting Islamic State propaganda is now being used to silence critics of radical jihad.”  He pointed out that this means that supporters of groups like the Islamic State (ISIS) have managed to turn YouTube’s own policies against it.  “Instead of counteracting radical propaganda online,” Hanson said, “these policies are now being used to silence the very speech that YouTube said it wanted — speech that challenges ISIS.”