The Role of Social Media in Societal Pollution-Part 2
By Dr. Zafar Darik Qasmi, New Age Islam
14 may 2026
Abstract:
Social media contributes to social pollution by spreading hatred, fear, false information, and communal tension. Anti-Muslim statements, distorted videos, and misleading news are often shared to create psychological fear and disturb social harmony. Many people misuse social media for political gain, religious hatred, and sensationalism without verifying facts. Such activities damage peace, religious tolerance, and unity in society. Islam teaches people to verify news before sharing it. Qur’anic guidance and Prophetic teachings strongly discourage the spread of unverified information. Society must unite against harmful social media behaviour in order to protect humanity, peace, mutual respect, and the social beauty and harmony of India.
Main Points:
· Social media spreads hatred, fear, and communal tension through false and misleading online content daily.
· Anti-Muslim statements and edited videos badly affect religious harmony, peace, and social balance in society.
· Many people share unverified news online to gain political influence, attention, or create unnecessary controversy.
· Islam teaches believers to verify information carefully before sharing news, rumours, or public statements with others.
· Society must oppose harmful social media behaviour together to protect unity, humanity, peace, and mutual respect.
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Besides this, anti-Muslim statements are also spread on social media to increase social pollution. Recently, a video was seen in which someone said that if they were given only three days of freedom, they would finish off all Muslims. Many similar statements are shared online only to create fear and psychological pressure among a particular community, especially Muslims.
The question is: Is it right to publish such material on social media? Any sensible person would certainly say that this behaviour plays a major role in spreading social pollution. People involved in such activities should be brought to justice.
Another harmful aspect of social media is that sometimes the religion of the Muslim minority is insulted, and even blasphemous remarks against the Prophet are made. Such actions damage religious tolerance and peaceful coexistence. These things are not done secretly behind closed doors; rather, videos are deliberately recorded and uploaded on social media. This naturally disturbs the balance and harmony of society. If this is true, then why are such elements allowed to move freely without any action being taken against them?
No matter which religion or community a person belongs to, if someone spreads hatred, tension, conflict, or social unrest through such actions, legal action should be taken against them so that they do not continue these harmful activities in future.
Social media is also used to spread lies and baseless stories in order to create hatred and enmity in society. Such misinformation is often shared to insult religions, target communities, distort history, or gain political advantage. Most of these claims have no evidence at all and are falsely linked to different people or events.
Similarly, statements made by political leaders, religious personalities, or social activists are often presented out of context and shown from a completely different angle. A recent example is related to the Vice Chancellor of Jamia Millia Islamia. What he actually said had a different context, but only a small part of his statement was circulated to create disturbance in society. Such behaviour has now become common. Political speeches are regularly edited and presented in misleading ways.
The people who spread such content on social media are not sincere towards anyone. Their main aim is to pollute the social environment, and they are willing to go to any extent to achieve this purpose.
There are also social media users who promote social pollution by turning ordinary news into sensational stories. This creates fear and panic in society, which is another form of social pollution.
Sadly, when such news, statements, and claims are investigated, they often turn out to be full of lies and deception. In this regard, religions provide valuable guidance. Islam teaches that news should be verified before it is shared with others.
Allah says in the Holy Qur’an:
يَآ اَيُّـهَا الَّـذِيْنَ اٰمَنُـوٓا اِنْ جَآءَكُمْ فَاسِقٌ بِنَبَاٍ فَتَبَيَّنُـوٓا اَنْ تُصِيْبُوْا قَوْمًا بِجَهَالَـةٍ فَتُصْبِحُوْا عَلٰى مَا فَعَلْـتُـمْ نَادِمِيْنَ ۔ ( الحجرات: 6)
“O believers! If a sinful person brings you any news, verify it carefully, lest you harm people unknowingly and later regret your actions.”
Abul A'la Maududi explained that this verse teaches Muslims an important principle: whenever an important piece of information is received, the reliability of the person bringing the news must first be checked. If the source is not trustworthy, then proper investigation is necessary before taking any action.
This principle later became the basis for Islamic scholarship in the science of Hadith verification and in the laws related to testimony and evidence. However, scholars also explain that not every small daily matter requires deep investigation; the verse mainly refers to important matters that may lead to serious consequences.
Similarly, the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ said:
عَنْ أَبِي هُرَيْرَةَ، أَنّ النَّبِيَّ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ، قَالَ:" كَفَى بِالْمَرْءِ إِثْمًا أَنْ يُحَدِّثَ بِكُلِّ مَا سَمِعَ۔
( سنن ابو داؤد ، کتاب الادب ،باب فی التشدید فی الکذب)
“It is enough of a sin for a person to narrate everything he hears.”
Today, the standard of much of social media, print media, and electronic media has become disappointing. News is often published without proper verification. If the news is related to Muslims or Islam, it is usually presented in a more sensational and dramatic way. The attitude of many media platforms towards Muslims and Islam is not only irresponsible but also regrettable.
All actions on social media that spread social pollution in any form should be strongly opposed. Until society stands united against such harmful trends, positive social change cannot become possible.
The way hatred against Muslims is spread through social media and other media platforms is damaging the beauty, harmony, and greatness of India. Therefore, people must avoid adopting ideas and actions that harm society and humanity for the sake of personal interests or narrow agendas.
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Dr. Zafar Darik Qasmi is an Islamic Scholar, author and Regular Columnist for New Age Islam.
URL: https://newageislam.com/islam-media/social-media-societal-pollution-part-2/d/140018
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