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CARE White Paper – Issue 20 – Online Warfare- Definition, Drivers, and Solutions by Anjum Rahman and Prof. Mohan Dutta.

Online Warfare: Definition, Drivers and Solutions by Anjum Rahman
Islamophobia and digital regulation: Responding to the Christchurch call with Anjum Rahman
CARE_White_Paper_Issue_20_March_2024Download

Hosted by Prof. Mohan Dutta & CARE, Manawatu campus Massey University & Palmerston North City Library

Tue, 22nd Aug – 12 PM | CARE Lab BSC 1.06

CARE AIRP Workshop: To censor or not to censor: how should we deal with online hate?

Abstract: Violent, extremist, and hateful content has real impacts both in the online and offline world. In this workshop we ask you to put your thinking hats to discuss the best ways to deal with it. Real life examples will be provided, and you will be asked to look at each scenario from a different perspective to understand the complexity of dealing with content that might or might not be illegal but can be damaging in various ways.

Tue, 22nd Aug – 7 PM | Facebook PREMIERE

CARE In Conversation with Anjum Rahman & Prof. Mohan Dutta 

Link To Facebook event: https://www.facebook.com/events/821896023004741

Link to YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5NQsXtdn1II

Abstract: Aotearoa New Zealand is a colonised land, and this informs our understanding of our history and contemporary times. Islamophobia is also the product of global colonisation while Muslims have historically also been colonisers in other countries. This lively conversation will cover complex and challenging issues to provide a better understanding of the drivers of Islamophobia internationally and locally.

Wed, 23rd Aug – 12 PM | Mezzanine Floor, Central Library

CARE AIRP- Public Talk: Islamophobia after the Christchurch Terrorist Attacks: has the State done enough?

CARE-Activist-In-Residence-Public-Talk_Powepoint-23_Aug_2023Download

Link To Facebook event: https://www.facebook.com/events/1346640192936274

Link to YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DL1Q7TOYTmE

There were 44 recommendations in the Royal Commission report on the Christchurch mosques attacks. This Public Talk explores government actions to date, with a critical review of what has been achieved, where the gaps are, and what are the implications for other communities currently being targeted. Will the government response protect us from further terrorist attacks? And if not, what more needs to be done?

Thurs, 24th Aug – 12 PM | BSCB1.08 COMMS Lab

CARE AIRP White Paper Launch – Online warfare: who, why and how

Link To Facebook event: https://www.facebook.com/events/197357120015397

Link to YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PmJ4UYNKrv0

Abstract: Targeting small and vulnerable populations is an age-old technique for creating fear used by political and state actors, as well as those seeking to profit from outrage and insecurity. This CARE White Paper will focus on the failure of the government of Aotearoa New Zealand to respond to other states, extremist groups and influencers targeting minorities. Our national security system is aware of the way groups are strategically targeted, and also understand the impact. Yet there appears to be no coordinated and effective strategy to protect those targeted. Solutions are presented, with a call on the government and all political parties to act urgently.

Facebook Event Link: https://www.facebook.com/events/241515122078310

RSVP Here: https://forms.office.com/r/KXcFseS6QK or https://www.facebook.com/events/241515122078310

Anjum Rahman is the founder of the Inclusive Aotearoa Collective Tāhono. She is a chartered accountant with over 25 years’ experience, working with a range of entities in the commercial, farming and not-for-profit sectors.

She also commits to various volunteer roles in the community. She was a founding member of the Islamic Women’s Council of New Zealand, an organisation formed in 1990 to bring Muslim women together and represent their concerns, and is currently the media spokesperson. She has also been a founding member and trustee of Shama, Ethnic Women’s Trust, which supports ethnic minority women through its social work service, life-skills classes and community development. She has worked in the area of sexual violence prevention both as a volunteer and as part of Government working groups. Anjum is a Trustee of Trust Waikato, a major funder in the Waikato Region.


Anjum has been an active member of the Waikato Interfaith Council for over a decade, a trustee of the Trust that governs Hamilton’s community access broadcaster, Free FM. She is a member of international committees dealing with violent extremist content online, being the co-chair of the Christchurch Call Advisory Network and a member of the Independent Advisory Committee of the Global Internet Forum for Countering Terrorism. She is also a member of the Charities and Not for Profit Commitee of Chartered Accountants Australia New Zealand.

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Hate Effects of Jai Shree Ram: Professor Dutta Explores Ayodhya Temple’s Role in Hindutva Mobilization Across India

In this final video of the series on The Hate Effects of Jai Shree Ram, Professor Mohan Dutta discusses the Ayodhya Temple as the backdrop for the broader mobilisation for Hindutva across India. He argues how Ayodhya serves as an entry point for the ongoing organisation of Hindutva, aimed at attacking Muslim spaces and heritage sites to establish India as a Hindu nation.

You can watch other videos from The Hate Effects of Jai Shree Ram series here:
Video 5
Video 4
Video 3
Video 2
Video 1

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Hate Effects of Jai Shree Ram: Professor Dutta Explores How Ayodhya Temple Celebrations Fuel Hindutva’s Narrative of Hindu Pride

Professor Mohan Dutta, Director of CARE, sheds light on how videos circulating on X (Twitter) depicting the celebrations surrounding the inauguration of the Ayodhya Temple become mobilizing anchors for deploying the narrative of Hindu pride. Within this narrative of reclaiming the lost glory of Hinduism, violence is legitimised. Portraying the Hindu majority as victims of Muslim invaders and framing sites of grievance as the politics of grievance, while depicting minorities as perpetrators of crimes, often form the architecture for violence and fascist organising, a key feature of Hindutva.

You can watch other videos from The Hate Effects of Jai Shree Ram series here:
Video 5
Video 4
Video 3
Video 2
Video 1

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Hate Effects of Jai Shree Ram: Prof. Dutta Analyzes Social Media Videos Depicting Hindutva Mob Violence Against Muslims Amid ‘Jai Shree Ram’ Chants

In the fourth installment of the compelling series “The Hate Effects of Jai Shree Ram,” Professor Dutta delves into the disturbing footage circulating on X (Twitter). These videos capture alarming instances of Hindutva mobs unleashing violence upon Muslims across India, all while fervently chanting “Jai Shree Ram.”

You can watch other videos from The Hate Effects of Jai Shree Ram series here:
Video 5
Video 4
Video 3
Video 2
Video 1

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The Hate Effects of Jai Shree Ram – Video 2

In Video 2 of the series The Hate Effects of Jai Shree Ram, Professor Dutta brings to light videos that surfaced on X (Twitter) where Hindutva mobs are seen attacking Muslim shops and Muslim shop owners, while chanting “Jai Shree Ram.”

You can watch other videos from The Hate Effects of Jai Shree Ram series here:
Video 5
Video 4
Video 3
Video 2
Video 1

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Hate Effects of Jai Shree Ram: Professor Dutta Addresses Violence Attached With ‘Jai Shree Ram’ Chants

In the inaugural video of the series titled ‘The Hate Effects of Jai Shree Ram,’ Professor Dutta, Director of CARE, addresses the pervasive violence associated with the slogan “Jai Shree Ram.” He argues that the chanting of this slogan must be understood within its contextual framework, particularly when utilised by Hindutva mobs in large gatherings. Professor Dutta highlights that in such settings, the chanting serves as a precursor to violence, often utilised as a means to perpetrate acts of aggression.

You can watch other videos from The Hate Effects of Jai Shree Ram series here:
Video 5
Video 4
Video 3
Video 2
Video 1

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Highbury Community Garden Initiative: CARE’s Community Researcher Venessa Pokaia updates

Update 3

CARE’s Community Researcher Venessa Pokaia updates us on how the Maori-centred and driven Highbury community garden is coming along.

This is part of the Pā Tamariki initiative, a community-led culture-centered social cohesion intervention created by the Highbury Advisory Rōpū, built by tangata whenua community researchers at the Center for Culture-centered Approach to Research and Evaluation (CARE) in partnership with the community in Highbury.

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Professor Mohan Dutta Unpacks the Colonial Concept of Divide and Rule

A talk by Prof. Mohan Dutta on Colonial Divide & Rule

In this insightful lecture, Professor Mohan Dutta critically analyzes the colonial divide and rule strategy, examining its historical implementation and its enduring relevance in contemporary contexts. He elucidates how this strategy has been employed to exert control over colonial subjects and draws connections to present-day scenarios. Professor Dutta illustrates the perpetuation of this divide and rule tactic through strategies aimed at fragmenting Maori communities, separating them from ethnic migrant groups. Moreover, he delves into the transformative process of decolonization, emphasizing its role in fostering connection and unity among diverse communities.

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CARE Director, Professor Mohan Dutta’s academic-activism recognised by NCA with prestigious Presidential Citation

NCA Presidential Citation for Professor Mohan Dutta

Professor Mohan Dutta, Dean’s Chair Professor of Communication and Director of the Center for Culture-Centered Approach to Research and Evaluation (CARE), has been commended by the NCA with the Presidential Citation for his impact as an activist-scholar in the #CommSoWhite movement.

The movement began as a result of growing recognition that the communication field was mainly dominated by white perspectives and preferences, which affected how people were recognised by their work. Resulting research supported the movement as it revealed how the field has historically ignored the contributions of scholars from diverse backgrounds.

Professor Dutta says he’s humbled to be part of a broader movement that is creating generative changes for minoritised scholars.

“Communication as a discipline is rooted in the intersections of colonialism and Empire, having historically worked to systematically erase diverse forms of scholarship. This is reflected in the plethora of ways in which knowledge is organised in the discipline. The #CommSoWhite movement is a critical part of the conversation to build spaces for transformation.”

Professor Dutta’s contributions involved efforts to uplift all minoritised communities in the discipline, including writing blog posts, developing interventions on digital platforms and collaborating with other activist scholars in the field. Together, they established digital spaces where scholars could express their experiences and challenges regarding inclusion in the discipline.

Alongside Syracuse University’s Professor Amardo Rodriguez and Georgia Southern University’s Associate Professor Elizabeth Desnoyers-Colas, Professor Dutta co-edited the special issue of Departures in Critical Qualitative Research on ‘Merit, Whiteness and Privilege’. In his role as Editor of the Journal of Applied Communication Research, Professor Dutta played a key role in establishing a platform for diverse forms of scholarship addressing communication practice. This initiative involved launching a new section within the journal titled ‘Communication Intervention’, which sought to highlight a wide range of community-engaged, place-based scholarship.

While grateful for this recognition, Professor Dutta says there is still much work to be done in advancing equity and inclusivity within academic spaces.

“We need to continue to build critical interventions that bring about changes to how scholarship is understood and recognised. Doing this work brings about risks from being targeted by structures of whiteness, and my current energies are focused on how we safeguard academic spaces for scholars doing the brave work of challenging these structures.”

About the National Communication Association

The NCA advances communication as the discipline that studies all forms, modes, media and consequences of communication through humanistic, social scientific and aesthetic inquiry. The NCA serves the scholars, teachers, and practitioners who are its members by enabling and supporting their professional interests in research and teaching.

Dedicated to fostering and promoting free and ethical communication, the NCA promotes the widespread appreciation of the importance of communication in public and private life, the application of competent communication to improve the quality of human life and relationships and the use of knowledge about communication to solve human problems.

Article Source: Professor Mohan Dutta’s academic-activism recognised with prestigious Presidential Citation – Massey University