Religious, fundamentalist groups on Facebook: Mimikama warns of a dangerous trend

Press release

Vienna, April 18, 2023 - Mimikama warns of a worrying trend on Facebook: the emergence of religious fundamentalist groups spreading their extremist views and ideologies online.

In recent months, Mimikama has increasingly discovered such groups on Facebook and observed how they are able to attract more and more members and distribute their content unhindered.

A worrying tactic has recently emerged with religious, fundamentalist groups on Facebook: They lure users into their groups through seemingly harmless questions and discussions. The operators of these groups use simple and trivial questions to appeal to a wide range of users and lure them into their extremist communities.

Examples of such questions are: “What was your favorite perfume in the 80s?”, “Which concert are you grateful for having attended?” or “What would you never buy even if you were very rich?”. These questions seem harmless at first glance, but their real intent is to draw users into the clutches of fundamentalist groups.

Another example is the “Sayings and Greetings” page, which is associated with the “Faith in God” group. The question here is: “Your next travel destination must start with the same letter as your first name. “Where are you going?” While the question itself seems harmless, it serves to lure users into the “Believe in God” group, where they may then be confronted with extremist ideas.

This tactic highlights the importance of being aware of the potential dangers that can come with participating in seemingly harmless discussions on Facebook and other social media. Users should be vigilant and pay attention to which groups they join or which discussions they follow to avoid being unintentionally drawn into extremist groups.

“We are observing with great concern that religious fundamentalist groups are gaining ever greater reach on Facebook, creating dangerous potential,” says Andre Wolf, press spokesman for Mimikama.

Mimikama therefore calls on all Facebook users to avoid such groups and not to support them. At the same time, the association calls on Facebook to take measures to prevent the spread of extremist content on its platform and to remove corresponding groups.

“It is important that we stand together against religious fundamentalism and extremism on Facebook and other social media,” says Wannenmacher, the founder of Mimikama. “ This is the only way we can ensure that our society remains free and democratic.”

Further information on the topic can be found on the Mimikama website: https://www.mimikama.org/religioese-fundamentalistische-gruppen-facebook/

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