According to Instagram, am I a keffiyeh-wearing terrorist?

I've been working on limiting the time I spend on social media for a while now and occasionally share my experiences here. As an active journalist and digital media manager, I’ve managed to significantly cut down my screen time. I completely closed my X account nine months ago and haven’t used Facebook in ages. That leaves me with just Instagram, where I mainly share posts on topics like genocide, Gaza’s resistance, and the Syrian revolution, along with book recommendation videos. However, Instagram has been restricting me—labeling me and imposing one sanction after another. Just in the past week, three of my posts were removed. I’m sure at least two of them will seem completely harmless to you, yet Instagram has practically branded me a terrorist!

Let me first remind you of some context: After Hamas Political Bureau Chief Ismail Haniyeh was assassinated in Tehran by Israel, META sparked what can only be called a "freedom crisis." Instagram algorithmically restricted millions of posts about Haniyeh in Türkiye, resulting in one of the most comprehensive acts of censorship ever seen. In response, the Turkish government imposed access restrictions on the platform, causing it to remain shut down for several days. With nearly 60 million users in Türkiye, tensions began to rise. While some blamed the government for limiting their freedoms, others recognized this as a necessary step against META’s overreach. The Ministry of Transport and BTK held their ground, despite public pressure, and negotiations between the parties eventually led to a compromise. META supposedly agreed not to indiscriminately remove posts using AI-powered tagging algorithms. Although the platform eased its Israel-centered policies slightly, it continued censoring content related to Gaza. For example, they deleted a video I had shared months earlier from a funeral in Doha.

Let’s be clear: META—comprising Facebook, Instagram, and WhatsApp—operates entirely in favor of Israel’s interests under the guise of “unlimited freedom.” We’re all aware of this and yet, we still play along. Since October 7, this digital empire of over 4 billion users worldwide has overtly supported every stage of the genocide in Gaza. Publicly, they worked to obscure the atrocities and suppress the narrative, while privately becoming part of Zionist intelligence networks. Tech experts have revealed that Israeli spyware has used WhatsApp to gather the addresses and communications of people living in Gaza’s homes and camps. The evidence is all out in the open: META’s stance is crystal clear.

Now, about Instagram nearly labeling me a terrorist: Last week, they removed a photo I shared of Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar, who was martyred. I posted it on the day he was killed, nearly three months ago. As I mentioned earlier, Instagram had committed to refraining from blanket censorship using AI tools, but it seems they’re now working through posts individually—and it appears my turn has come. It’s no secret that META designates Hamas as a terrorist organization because Israel dictates this. Removing Sinwar’s photo was clearly part of a Zionist sanction policy, granting them the unethical right to act as they please in service of the genocide.

On January 4, I woke up to yet another instance of censorship. Instagram removed a photo and post I had shared, taken in front of a house in Aleppo's Khan al-Asal village shortly after the Syrian revolution. I had also published it here. The photo showed me standing by a door with the inscription “Abu Qasim’s house” on the balcony. The notification I received explained, “It seems you’ve shared, sent, praised, or followed symbols of individuals or organizations we identify as dangerous.”

META had given a similar warning for my post about Yahya Sinwar. But how could a story and photo of an abandoned house in a village bombed by Assad pose any kind of danger? I have no answer to this. I couldn’t help but wonder—what if Zuckerberg received a call from Assad, now sheltered in Moscow, saying, “They’re glorifying rebels on your platform. They’re terrorists. No different from Hamas. Soon, they’ll trouble Israel too, and you’re giving them a platform.” Could it be possible? Would Assad do it? Absolutely.

The next day brought yet another censorship—this time targeting the Palestinian keffiyeh. Months ago, I shared a photo of myself wearing a keffiyeh during a protest. It was also my profile picture. Instagram sent me another notification saying, “We’ve removed your photo,” citing the same reason: “You shared symbols of individuals or organizations we define as dangerous.”

With this, the keffiyeh—recognized globally as a symbol of the Palestinian people and their resistance—was officially added to Instagram’s blacklist. By labeling Palestinian women, children, and even babies in Gaza as terrorists, Instagram essentially branded me a “potential terrorist” too. Tomorrow, any visa application I submit could be denied because of these removed posts. Unlimited freedom, it seems, has its limits.

So, what now? I’ve appealed, but I have no expectations. It’s their platform. If they shut down my account tomorrow, I wouldn’t be surprised. At most, I’ll write an article and move on. I do have one takeaway to share: if even META is scrutinizing posts and banning symbols this obsessively, it’s a desperate attempt to prolong Israel’s survival. They’ve lost all credibility and can’t craft a new image to gain acceptance. Even awarding Holocaust-themed films at the Golden Globes feels like a final act of this narrative.

Let them censor our keffiyehs. As long as Gaza continues to resist, we won’t waste time worrying about the account balance. If they’re looking for terrorists, Israel is right there!