A black Sudanese TV host has been the target of hate-filled, misogynist, and racist tweets after her report criticized the Lebanese government, including from Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah. Al Jadeed's Sudanese TV anchor Dalia Ahmad was racially abused and trolled over the past couple of days, with Nasrallah calling her "black dog."
Nasrallah's racist slurs further instigated other Hezbollah loyalists to target Ahmad and the color of her skin. On Monday, several hashtags targeting Ahmad, her skin color and Al-Jadeed were trending in Lebanon. This has left Ahmad not only shocked but also shows how racism exists across the globe, with black people one of its biggest targets.
Innocent Victim
Ahmad's report on Lebanon's government didn't go down with many as she was a bit harsh. Hezbollah loyalists started targeting her after she described Lebanon's long-reigning party officials as crocodiles during her show "Fashet Khalq" on Lebanon's Al-Jadeed news channel.
Moments later, Hezbollah leader Nasrallah called her a "black dog" instigating several other loyalists to make Ahmad a target on social media, using racial slurs to describe her skin color.
"You'd be sitting under the safety of God when a black dog comes and starts barking, you want to hit it but then it appears not to be a dog but a black female dog from Sudan," read a tweet from a profile featuring a photo of the slain Iranian military commander Qassem Soleimani.
Within minutes #DogBreedImprovement started trending in Lebanon in Arabic. Most of the trolls and racial slurs were in Arabic. Many also started threatening her and telling her that the consequences will be beyond her imagination that Ahmad is safe just because of Hezbollah.
In Bad Taste
The entire attack has been described to be in bad taste but unfortunately there is no one in Lebanon to condemn it.
"Without #hizbollah Dalia Ahmed would have been offered for sale in the slave market, along with her ilk, by ISIS," read one tweet in Arabic.
"May God curse the sperm that settled in the womb of the mother of those who offend you, Mr. Nasrallah #DogBreedImprovement," another user tweeted in Arabic. The account's profile has the word Hezbollah in Arabic with a yellow heart next to it.
"Never in my life have I bullied or criticized the creation of our Lord, but this despicable woman, because her heart and tongue are so black they are reflecting on her ugly and malicious face," read a tweet from @KassemHala555, which had a black smiley face emoji at the end and two images of Ahmad.
Interestingly, not only Hezbollah loyalists but several sympathizers with Nasrallah also joined in the attack. And they too were equally in bad taste.
"There are breeds that don't improve because their genes are unclean from the start," tweeted journalist Hosein Mortada, who has more than 494,000 followers. His tweet was accompanied by a photo of Ahmad. Mortada's tweet has seen been removed by Twitter since it violated the rules.
Although a couple of sensible people tried to defend Ahmad but they too soon became targets of the trolls.
Women, particularly journalists, have often been subject to attack and harassments by the Hezbollah and Ahmad's the latest incident. Hezbollah had earlier targeted independent journalist Luna Safwan in October 2020 via an online abuse campaign after her tweet criticizing the party was carried by an Israeli news channel and she was accused of cooperating with Israel.
Lebanese journalist Maryam Seif Eddine, who has often criticized the Hezbollah despite being Shiite, was also given death threats, while her mother and brother were physically assaulted, with her sibling being left with a broken nose. The harassment, she said, was followed by insulting and threatening phone calls to her mother, who suffered a stroke as a result of the stress.
