Before going to Hajj

Iranian journalists have called for calm on social media after the case of two Iranian boys' alleged assault at the Jeddah airport while on pilgrimage became public.
A week after Iran’s Foreign Ministry told the media about the case, the Saudi Interior Ministry spokesman confirmed yesterday that legal action is being taken against the two security officers accused. Before the Saudi statements, however, Iranians went online to protest the lack of attention toward the case by Saudi officials, in sometimes racist and xenophobic language. Iran Newspaper, which is managed by the administration, has published articles on two consecutive days warning about the dangers of allowing emotions to get out of control on social media. Yesterday, April 14, Mohammad Nouri wrote an op-ed arguing that “the elite of society do not have permission to be silent” at a time when the values of coexistence are in danger. Nouri warned that “Iranian society, despite a proliferation of media activities, now faces a dangerous poison and series of norm-breaking events that if tolerated by the elite of the country, could inflict irreparable dangers and harm to the foundations of societal coexistence.”
Beyond the social media reactions to the case, Nouri also condemned traditional media reactions, saying their “analysis is based on nothing more than blind historical prejudices.” Nouri continued, “The differences between Iran and Saudi Arabia over Yemen and Iraq or even mistreatment of Iranian pilgrims is not new.” He added, “If some people want to tie these differences to sectarian and races issues, it is an act that needs reflection.”

Nouri wrote that various “dogmatic or reactionary” groups on social media were attempting to attract people to their own political motivations by invoking anti-Arab sentiments. Nouri called racism “a serious illness that is in need of … treatment.”

Another op-ed in Iran Newspaper today read that the reactions on social media and social messaging services such as Viber against Saudi Arabia had “turned into insults toward a race.” The article stated that this is the first time that the elite have shown “concern for the fate of social media” and its impact on society.

The article went on that the worst thing an Iranian citizen can do is choose to be silent in such a circumstance, arguing, “The battle between two movements of moderation and extremism is serious and the followers of moderation cannot give the arena to their opponents.”
In Shahrvand, Mehdi Malmir also decried reactions over social media to the incident. He wrote that the “violent words and anti-Arabism” of social media users made it seem as if “millions of Arabs had participated in the act with the two security officers at Jeddah airport.” He added, “One of the signs of a mature society is one that can separate between micro and macro issues.”