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Thematic analysis reveals self–other similarity reduces hate speech in Arabic posts during pandemics, indicating its significance in fostering understanding.
The Ebola outbreak in 2014, COVID-19 in 2020, and Monkeypox in 2022 triggered a surge in hate speech against West Africans, the Chinese, and the LGBTQ+ communities globally. However, Arabs exhibited distinct responses, particularly toward West Africans. Our thematic and critical stylistic analysis of Arabic X posts referencing these groups amid their respective pandemics revealed a significantly lower level of hate directed at West Africans compared to the Chinese and the LGBTQ+ communities. This divergence in reactions can be attributed to the perceived self–other similarity, where religious and sociohistorical parallels highlighted by Arabs in their posts with West Africans contributed to mitigating hatred. This study presents a linguistic analysis of Arabic hate and support X posts and establishes a connection between perceived self–other similarity and hate speech moderation.
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Al-Sabbagh et al. (2025) studied this question.
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