Update May 31: After this article was published, MeWe spokesperson David Weistreich told Coconuts Saturday that the user who created the poll had deleted the account, “removing the poll and all of their content in the process.” He also said MeWe enforces its user terms of service.
Singapore’s media authority said today that it has asked a U.S.-based social media platform to remove all traces of a sexually-explicit online poll targeting its Islamic religious teachers.
The Infocomm Media Development Authority said it had contacted WeMe in a statement today, a day after outrage spread among the local Muslim community about the online poll, which asked people to vote on which women teachers deserved a “gangbang.” It was denounced by President Halimah Yacob, and the Islamic Religious Council said it had filed a police report on the matter.
“A poll on local female asatizah (religious teachers), posted on the MeWe social media platform, promotes sexual violence or sexual activity involving coercion or non-consent,” the media authority, or IMDA, said. “Such content is unacceptable and has no place in Singapore. IMDA has assessed it constitutes prohibited content under Singapore’s Internet Code of Practice.”
Singapore Muslims demand action over poll on female religious teachers deserving a ‘gangbang’
IMDA added that it had reached out to other social media platforms to “ensure that the post does not surface” there.
Screenshots of the user-made poll showed it included the names and faces of the 12 individuals. Their identifying details were blurred out in the images that circulated widely online yesterday, spurring religious leaders such as Muhammad Zahid Mohd Zin to condemn it and urge the authorities to take action. The poll had 245 voters when it was captured. A separate poll of five individuals dated April 15 had more than a thousand respondents.
It could no longer be found on the site as of yesterday. MeWe brands itself as an anti-Facebook and is popular with the hard right and political fringe for its lack of moderation. The Los Angeles company does not appear to have an office in Singapore
The Islamic Religious Council of Singapore, or MUIS, said yesterday evening that it had filed a police report and was providing counseling to the women listed in the poll, which was put up by an account named “M A.”
The council described the poll as “demeaning and insulting the modesty of some female religious teachers and members of our asatizah community,” using a term for Islamic instructors.
“The post has caused immense distress to the individuals named in the post,” it said in a statement, which came just over an hour after Halimah weighed in on the matter.
“I’m deeply perturbed to read about a poll being conducted on a particular website asking people to rank the sexual attractiveness of some female asatizahs (religious teachers). Is there no limit to how low some will stoop to degrade and defile women?” Halimah said online, where she also addressed rumors that those behind the poll were Islamic students.
“If indeed it’s true that some are students studying the religion (of which I stand corrected), then we have to seriously consider whether they are fit to preach in the community once they complete their studies,” she added.
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Singapore Muslims demand action over poll on female religious teachers deserving a ‘gangbang’
