Writing on Quora while Palestinian
The following posts on a Quora blog called Collapse Detectives document Benay Blend’s and my queries re Quora policies for deleting, collapsing answers and flagging questions. They span the period from January 2018 through May 1, 2019. There is also one post by Raef Gritly and one by Stefan Jerphanion, as well as comments in discussion by several people, including Nathan Ali. They are posted chronologically, starting with the most recent.
These blog posts are meant to add to the documentation about Quora practices detailed in:
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The following question has been deleted. There is an increased number of pro-Palestinian questions deleted. Are you disappointed that Rima Najjar’s account was banned, most likely because of her standing up for Palestine? My answer had 60 upvotes and over 1000 viewers. Does anyone have a suggestion as to why this happened.
92 views · 7 upvotes · Posted Wed
I did not write the question. I had to look to make sure. I did write the answer though. My answer was sincere. I don’t know the motives of the person who wrote the question. There have been several questions/comments that mention Rima’s name in a way that I do not believe conforms to BNBR, so we were both confused as to the rules. Now that we know them, we will not break them again, but I will be reporting comments/questions that mention either one of us. I had not done that before.
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Collapsed answer and question need improvement:
I believe it is better to post on Collapsed Detective section than appealing a decision without having an answer from the moderation.
My answer to Do the pro-Israeli writers, especially the most viewed ones on Palestinians pages, really believe they describe well what Palestinians have, feel and know? is collapsed by the moderation without explaining the reasons. Please provide a reason.
Do the pro-Israeli writers, especially the most viewed ones on Palestinians pages, really believe they describe well what Palestinians have, feel and know? Is a question marked as “needing improvement”
“This question may need editing
This question may need editing to correct phrasing or other mistakes, including:”
· Spelling and grammar mistakes ? Apparently NO.
· Not phrased as a complete question ? It is complete.
· Too reliant on the question source ? Nothing wrong there too.
The reports were obviously not sincere for the following reasons:
1. The question refers to a legitimate observation on Palestinian pages, unless we want a group of people usurping the right to talk on behalf of others with their questionable and behind-the-lines speeches.
2. The arguments regarding the question editing seem not to be applied here.
3. The moderation itself is somehow tolerating one-sided abuse of Quora policies’ enforcement.
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Questions deleted
The following two questions asked by Rima Najjar have been deleted and she is now temporarily banned from editing.
Do these questions violate any policies?
https://www.quora.com/Do-you-agr...
https://www.quora.com/Why-is-the...
She is appealing the edit ban.
122 views · Posted Apr 27
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Woke up to find this answer deleted and would like some suggestions as to why.Benay Blend’s answer to What does ‘normalization’ mean in the context of the struggle for justice in Palestine? Why is it controversial? I appealed and said that it was by mistake.
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A reminder from Quora Moderation this morning about my “recent answers and questions” as having been found to violate Quora’s policies and Guidelines.
1. Quora Moderation collapsed your answer to Rima Najjar’s answer to Why are there so many Anti-Semitic questions on Quora? [Not my question]
2. Quora Moderation collapsed your answer to Rima Najjar’s answer to What picture about Palestinians emerges on Quora from the mostly Zionist writers who dominate the list of “Most Viewed Writers in Palestinians”? [My question]
3. The question What picture about Palestinians emerges on Quora from the mostly Zionist writers who dominate the list of “Most Viewed Writers in Palestinians”? was marked as needing improvement?
4. Ilana Halupovich edited the title of What picture about Palestinians emerges on Quora from the mostly Zionist writers who dominate [are on] the list of “Most Viewed Writers in Palestinians”? was marked as needing improvement?
My questions are:
Does the reminder represent a “finding” of violations or is this a response to reports that are yet to be investigated on appeal? The notice says (confusingly to me), “have been found” to be so, although I can and will appeal both collapses. My two answers are likely to be reversed on appeal, as I honestly cannot spot any violations. As for the question flag, the word “dominate” in the question , if changed to “are on”, would obscure the point of the question.
I am wondering, though:
In #2 above, the only thing I can think of that could be remiss in my answer is my using the word “Zionist” as a descriptor of someone’s political position — as one would say, “Republican” or “Democrat”. I have asked the following question in the hopes of clarifying this particular issue: Does describing someone as a Zionist on Quora violate BNBR policy? Why or why not? But I would really like to know what people here think.
My answer (also in #2) critically analyzes the answers given by two Quorans. Is this a BNBR violation per se?
I would very much appreciate some light shed on this matter.
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85 views · 9 upvotes · Posted Apr 27
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The following question has been flagged at least 18 times as of this moment: Do you think that people should apologize for criticizing Israel’s policies when not doing so might cost them their jobs? Why or why not? Any suggestions as to why it is being flagged as insincere? I wrote an answer that as far as I know has not been reported. Right now it is not flagged, but I’m being proactive. Thanks in advance.
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How can I figure out to what violations this reminder from Quora Moderation refers?
I have just received a reminder from Quora Moderation: “Some of your recent questions, answers, and comments have been found to violate Quora’s Policies and Guidelines.” For me, given my postings here, this reminder is ominous and also astonishing, as I have not been, to my knowledge, in violation with regard to any questions I asked, answers I have written or the very infrequent comments I make.
Moreover, I am discovering that questions I have asked and answered some time ago are flagged as “insincere” like this question about statistics:
I was looking for my answer to give the information to someone on Facebook who was asking for the statistics and not being able to find them on Google, and that’s how I discovered other questions also flagged in this way and therefor out of circulation. No telling how many more are flagged in error. I wonder if this is the reason for the Moderation reminder.
P.S. I used to be able to message Moderation back upon receiving the reminder through messages, but the “reply” function there no longer works.
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109 views · 2 upvotes · Posted Apr 17
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Do you see any violations here?
I wrote this answer yesterday and it was just collapsed as “needing improvements”. Any ideas?
Rima Najjar’s answer to Which organizations are the most effective at mutually defusing the tension in Israel-Palestine?
86 views · 3 upvotes · Posted Apr 12
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This question from Jan. 22 is flagged.Do people draw parallels today between the native peoples of the Americas and the Palestinian People? I have tried to edit several times. capitalized “Native” uncapitalized People. At some desperate point in the middle of the nighttime insomnia even removed “colonized.” Still flagged. Suggestions? Thanks very much. Here is a link to my answer Benay Blend’s answer to Do people draw parallels today between the native peoples of the Americas and the Palestinian People?
73 views · 1 upvote · Posted Apr 12
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“What are your reasons for opposing Israel”
This answer of mine has been collapsed for ‘Violating a Policy on Quora’
I have no idea what policy that can be….
Stefan Jerphanion’s answer to What are your reasons for opposing Israel?
I’ve deleted all the comments of people who personally attacked me, and have blocked/ muted those people.
I wasn’t planning on ‘disabling comments’, but I felt I had no choice.
Moral grounds: It’s the Right thing to do.
Israel is the product of Zionism. Zionism is an ideology which is centred around the invented ‘Narrative’ that Jewish people, followers of the religion Judaism, are a ‘Race’ and therefor need a state of their own on land which has never been theirs.
Zionism is akin to National Socialism. Both subscribed to theories of racial hierarchy and Social Darwinism (*)
(*) The application of the evolutionary concept of natural selection to human society. The term ‘Social Darwinism’ emerged in the 1880’s.
“The Nazis aimed to unite all Germans living in historically German territory, as well as gain additional lands for German expansion under the doctrine of Lebensraum and exclude those who they deemed either community aliens or “inferior” races”
Zionists aim to unite all Jewish people in Palestine based on their theory that Jewish people, followers of the religion called Judaism, are a ‘Race’ which can trace it’s lineage back to ancient Palestine. Historical and biblical accounts have been manipulated to suit their theories.
Zionists also exclude those they deem either ‘Community Aliens’ or ‘Inferior Races’. Their ‘project’, Israel, is a ‘Jewish State’: A State for Jewish People.. ..’Others’ have no place in a society which revolves around a specific group of people.
“The Zionist project in Palestine developed under the motto of hafrada (*), separate development. Zionist settlers did not mean to join and develop the existing economic and social systems in Palestine but, rather, pursued policies typical of settler colonialism. The goal of occupying a maximum of land with a minimum of Arabs has been the policy of all Israeli administrations. So has the fundamental idea that Israel is “the state of the Jewish people” rather than a state of its citizens. This naturally reduces Arab citizens of Israel to a second-class status.”
Israel continuously breeches ‘Internal Law’ and ‘Human Rights’ in pursuit of their ideology.
-The native population is being driven off their ancestral lands by the Zionist pursuit of ‘Lebensraum’. Zionists/ Israel are/is ‘Ethnically cleansing’ regions which they/ it consider to be theirs.
The native population is being ‘herded’ into cramped, run-down, areas, reminiscent of the Ghettos in which Jewish people were being forced to live by the Nazis, ‘Segregated’ from the Israeli population by walls and check-points.
700,000 Palestinians were driven away shortly after Israel’s independence in what became known as the ‘Nakba’. There are 5 million Palestinians living in other countries as refugees and even though International Law allows refugees to return to their land.. ..Israel does not.
For Israel to stay the ‘State for Jewish People’ it needs to maintain a ‘Jewish Majority’.
-Gaza is in essence a ‘Concentration Camp’. +/- 2 million People are trapped in a tiny area which cannot sustain them. Both Israel and Egypt have put a blockade on Gaza. Palestinians rely on supplies which are heavily being controlled by Israel. Just about enough is being let through so that the Gaza population doesn’t starve to death.
The population is slowly being poisoned. Malfunctioning sanitation and water supply are the reasons for that, but Israel refuses to let buildings materials through the blockade. 97% of Gaza’s water is toxic.
Israeli sewage water is being dumped in the sea at Gaza.
-Israel conducts experiments on Palestinian prisoners and Israel tests Chemical/ Biological/ Conventional weapons on the Palestinian population of the West Bank and Gaza.
Israel has been trying to develop a biological weapon which would target the Palestinian population only (That would be Genocide on an ‘Industrial Scale’, no different than what the Nazis unleashed on the Jewish population of Europe).
-The Palestinian population of the West Bank is being exploited as ‘Slave Labour’ in Israeli or Foreign companies which have been built in the occupied territories (Jewish people were being exploited as Slave labour by the Nazis).
Israel would not exist, nor survive, without the support of foreign powers.
Israel has created, and maintains, massive ‘Networks’ in many countries around the world to ensure that the governments and populations of those countries stay Pro-Israel/ Pro-Zionist. This ‘Network’ has been careful built up and nurtured ever since the birth of the Zionist ideology.
Those ‘Lobby groups’ are very well organised and funded, and Israeli ‘Hasbara’ (Propaganda) is very sophisticated.
Any person or organisation which dares to criticise Israel will be subjected to violent smear campaigns aimed at discrediting that person or organisation.
The ‘Accusation of Antisemitism’ is a very effective tool being (ab)used to silence/ discredit people who are critical of Israel or Zionism.
How can I, anyone, support a country like Israel? Supporting Israel is no different than supporting Nazi Germany.
Israel shouldn’t have been, and there’s certainly no room for Israel in the future.
-Edited to add 9th of April 2019-
In a short amount of time I’ve been called a Neo-Nazi and an Antisemite several times. I know I am not; Nowhere in my answer(s) have I been negative about Jewish people or Judaism. I criticise Israel as a country, and the ideology which is behind it.
Now, I know from which ‘corner’ it comes, so I can’t say I am too bothered..
..However, I’ve decided to ‘Disable the Comments’. It’s not something I prefer to do, but I feel I have no choice. If you disagree with my Point of View, that’s fine.. ..Do so in a civil manner.
91 views · 5 upvotes · Posted Apr 10
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Are question topics associated with Quora’s distribution system?
How do you explain Quora Moderation removing the following topics from the question below?
Israel, Propaganda, Israeli-Palestinian Conflict, Palestine, Rhetoric
Question: What are some of the “words that work” that Frank Luntz lists in his PR strategies for Israel and why are such words persuasive in imposing Israel’s “narrative” on the American public? (link to document provided)
I wrote the question and indicated the topics, because I wanted answers from a wide array of perspectives related to the question. My understanding is that topics are meant for this purpose. But could they also be there for distribution purposes? What can be behind the removal of “Israel” (mentioned in the question itself) and “Propaganda”, for example, other than limiting distribution away from these two topics (as well as the others)?
210 views · 7 upvotes · Posted Mar 25
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I have now edited this question four times. Suggestions please, and thanks: In your opinion, what would César Chávez have thought of the Palestinian Liberation Movement?
116 views · 2 upvotes · Posted Mar 25
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UPdate from Rima: I am now banned from Quora. Before the ban, I got notice that one more of my answers was collapsed. To this question: Was the acronym ‘HAMAS’ chosen deliberately by the Palestinians because it means violence in Hebrew? [https://www.quora.com/Was-the-ac...]
I just read the remaining two answers on the Hamas question. They collapsed the others that were there when I wrote. The top one begins, as I did, correcting the question and quoting Wikipedia and then concludes with the opinion that yes, the name was probably chosen because it means violence in Hebrew. The second one says no it doesn’t, but that’s not the top answer.
My answer may be unpopular and may not go to the top, but it does not violate BNBR policy or any other policy. I provide information about the violence the question asks about.
The Hamas question has an ad. The question attracts readers because it is inflammatory itself. When the reader attracted by such a question gets to the answer, the reader will only get carefully designed answers, or (on this topic, because of the number of writers answering from that perspective) possibly one with a pro Israel dig, as in this case. Quora’s motto is: “A place to share knowledge and better understand the world”, but it is a skewed understanding. Some of my answers may be unpopular and may not go to the top, but they do not violate policy and I should not be banned.
The contact us page will not allow me to appeal. The submit button is deactivated.
Update: Rima Najjar received a notice that she has been banned from Quora. It doing so it has lost an important voice.
I am very disturbed at what amounts to censorship of speech when it comes to Palestinian writers on Quora. I feel that given the political urgency of the situation, it is important for us to speak up, as people of conscience and as a community to preserve the integrity of Quora for all those who write here.
The following three answers were collapsed in the past couple of days after the writer was first edit-blocked. This is just not right.
Surely there is something we can do?
1) Why did the Muslims of the Palestine Mandate refuse to create a state when the British left in 1948?
https://www.quora.com/Why-did-th...
2) Why has Israel’s electoral committee banned the Palestinian Joint List, a party that calls for equality for all, from the April 2019 elections?
https://www.quora.com/Why-has-Is...
3) What is Jewish nationalism? https://www.quora.com/What-is-Je...
229 views · 16 upvotes · Posted Mar
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Help with repeatedly flagged question
The question is: Is Palestine the birthright of Trump’s grandchildren now in accordance with Israel’s Law of return? Several times when it was flagged as not sincere, I edited it to make it sound more neutral. Each time Quora changed it back to the original post saying that I had changed the meaning of the question. This time it is marked as not being sincere. Does anyone have a suggestion? The focus is on the Law of Return, which would give me as a Jewish person the right to Israeli citizenship, though I have no familial ties to Israel unless a distant relative who I don’t know settled there. On the other hand, Rima has tied to Palestine through her grandparents, etc., but she cannot return and be granted citizenship. I believe that the way it is phrased is neutral as it stands, but I would like suggestions. I would like to answer this question but it is still flagged. At one point Quora Review gave it the seal of approval, but it still got reported.
146 views · 7 upvotes · Posted Mar 14
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I was just about to answer this question when I noticed that it was flagged as “This question’s wording makes it seem like a joke, or intended rhetorically to make a statement, rather than looking for helpful answers. It should be rewritten to be a neutral, non-leading question. See Quora’s policies on questions.” It actually is a true statement with documentation: Over 30 New York scholars and activists spied on by former Mossad agents. Any suggestions on how to make this neutral??? thanks in advance.
127 views · 2 upvotes · Posted Mar 1
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I just got two un-collapsed and now this. What’s going on?
UPDATE: March 6
Quora Moderation uncollapsed your answer to According to Islam, are Palestine and Israel holy lands, or is it just Jerusalem?
To see the answer page, visit: According to Islam, are Palestine and Israel holy lands, or is it just Jerusalem?
…
148 views · 10 upvotes · Posted Mar 1
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Help with the second question of the day that “needs improvement”
Asking for suggestions for the second question of the day that “needs improvement.” Benay Blend’s answer to If Americans knew that Israel has increasingly moved toward the right under Netanyahu, would they vilify countries for standing up to Israel? For example, it recently passed the Jewish nationality law which codifies Apartheid. This is the second question answered quite awhile ago so hoping this is also a mistake, or needs some slight tweaking. It appears that it is the question, not my answer, that was flagged . Any suggestions appreciated.
This question may need editing to correct phrasing or other mistakes, including:
· Spelling and grammar mistakes
· Not phrased as a complete question
· Too reliant on the question source
105 views · 2 upvotes · Posted Feb 27
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I will appeal if no one here spots a BNBR violation
UPDATE (28 Feb 2019): “Your content was mistakenly marked as violating our BNBR policy, but has now been reinstated and is visible to the community.”
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This is the second inexplicable collapse in a couple of days. I have appealed the previous one, as I am sure collapsing it was a mistake. This collapse is worrying because it seems to be leading to another edit-block through the accumulation of collapses. It is also ironic, because the question itself is about censorship and ways used to silence Palestinian voices.
Rima Najjar’s answer to How does Israel silence speech on justice in Palestine?
I will appeal if no one here spots a BNBR violation. Thanks.
141 views · 11 upvotes · Posted Feb 27
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Help with question that might need suggestions.
My answer to Benay Blend’s answer to How accurate and true were Rep. Ilhan Omar’s comments about AIPAC and Israel? this question was marked this morning as needing improvement. Does anyone have a suggestion as to what could be the problem? Editing suggestions? It was written two weeks ago. I believe this might be a mistake.
88 views · 2 upvotes · Posted Feb 27
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UPDATE (28 Feb 2019): “Your content was mistakenly marked as violating our BNBR policy, but has now been reinstated and is visible to the community.” No explanation.
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Another reminder from Quora Moderation that “some of my recent questions and answers have been found to violate Quora’s Policies and Guidelines” with the collapse of this answer: What do you think about French President Macron’s declaration that anti-Zionism is now equivalent to anti-Semitism? Rima Najjar’s answer to What do you think about French President Macron’s declaration that anti-Zionism is now equivalent to anti-Semitism?
Can you help me spot if there is indeed a violation in there and how I can improve my answer?
177 views · 9 upvotes · Posted Feb 25
UPDATE (28 Feb 2019): “Your content was mistakenly marked as violating our BNBR policy, but has now been reinstated and is visible to the community.” No explanation.
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UPDATE II: I appealed and received the following notice (almost immediately!): “Your credential was mistakenly marked as being in violation of our policy on credentials. This error has been corrected, and your credential should now be visible.” Unfortunately, no news as to how the mistake happened. Thanks to all who responded.
UPDATE I: I had posted with this query on the blog Dot suggested (Bug? or Feature?), and got the following reply. (Btw, Leah’s suggested fix only worked temporarily):
This situation arises when another Quora user flags your credential. Quora itself rarely takes any action unless there is a “report” from someone. You should be able to appeal, but I think the appeal desk is run by useless bots so I’m not sure if that will help or not.
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Can you help me restore a credential? It’s been flagged as “This credential is hidden and needs editing to be helpful to readers. Please edit and improve it to have it appear next to your answers.”
Topic, Israel
The credential flagged for editing is: I come from Lifta/Jerusalem and Ijzim/Haifa
I tried to change it to: my roots are in Lifta-Jerusalem and Ijzim-Haifa
That didn’t take, either. I find this credential helpful to my readers when I am answering certain questions regarding Israel, as it explains my relationship to or connection with it. There are so many credentials out there stating that they “visited Israel” or they “lived in Israel for x number of years”. I often write about UN Res 194 and the internationally recognized right of return of Palestinian refugees. Stating where I come from helps frame my answers and is certainly helpful to readers, who may decide to view my answer on that basis — or not. It’s up to them. Everywhere I go as a Palestinian I am asked, “Where do you come from?”
Why am I not allowed to say where I come from on my Quora credentials? All my personal details are there — where I live, where I studied, etc.
What can I do to restore some form of this credential?
146 views · 15 upvotes · Posted Feb 24
UPDATE: I appealed and received the following notice (almost immediately!): “Your credential was mistakenly marked as being in violation of our policy on credentials. This error has been corrected, and your credential should now be visible.”
Unfortunately, no news as to how the mistake happened. Thanks to all who responded.
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UPDATE REDUX — my answer has been reinstated. Thanks for all the help. REason given: mistakenly flagged as spam. I am not any wiser, though, about how these mistakes happen and how to to prevent them in the future.
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UPDATE: This morning I noticed a message from moderation that said that my answer was deleted due to spam. I believe that was a mistake, because all of my citations are from credible sources, not commercial ones. Any suggestions/comments would be helpful. I document everything, because less would be plagiarism, so without specifying what was considered spam I don’ t know how not to make this same mistake again.
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This morning I received a notice that the following answer was deleted :Benay Blend’s answer to What will happen to Israel if BDS will get what they want? I have also published this answer on Medium with the note that it was first published here What will Happen to Israel if BDS Gets What it Wants?. I am wondering if folks can give me some suggestions as to why it was deleted. I have appealed to Quora moderation. All information is documented from credible sources. I would invite others to look at the other answers to this question because I am puzzled. I looked carefully through the other answers for hints at how I could make mine better, if it was a citation problem, but none of the other answers had documentation so they did not offer any clues. I published this answer as part of a blog on Medium after I got the notification, and noted at the bottom that it had been deleted from Quora. If anyone has any suggestions for how to keep this from happening again, it would be very much appreciated.
126 views · 3 upvotes · Posted Feb 18
Robert, I did not portray a vision of what Palestine should look like because it is not my place to do that. BDS also does not have an end-game. It is a strategy only. It does not specify one state or two state. It seeks only to bring Israel to task for its crimes. Also, I am not Palestinian or I…
Robert P. Collins There is a question that is getting lots of attention. Is Israel an imperialist state? I’m curious what answer you (or anyone) would consider the best answer among the many. I am sort of stuck myself on this one, so would appreciate your in-put because it will help in crafting my own answers.
I would have liked to read what Rima Najjar has to say on that question, but she has been inexplicably silenced. How does that benefit income generation for Quora?
This morning I noticed a message from moderation that said that my answer was deleted due to spam. I believe that was a mistake, because all of my citations are from credible sources, not commercial ones. Any suggestions/comments would be helpful. I document everything, because less would be plagiarism, so without specifying what was considered spam I don’ t know how not to make this same mistake again.
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The following question has been collapsed: What definition for ‘apartheid’ does the ESCWA report “Israeli practices towards the Palestinian People and the Question of Apartheid” use?
I would very much appreciate comments as to how it could be phrased more “neutrally.” Thanks in advance.
100 views · 3 upvotes · Posted Feb 11
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Can anyone see anything in the answer that violates the BNBR policy?
Update: Thanks for all the comments. Just received a notification from Quora Moderation informing me that they have “reviewed and rejected my appeal regarding the answer. The decision cannot be appealed.” I have posted the content on my blog.
Not sure what lesson I have learned here. Whereas I agree with Kurt Van den Broeck that his concise statement of opinion (without referencing information about Israel’s Apartheid and treatment of Palestinians) reads more easily, I don’t see how referencing such information in a paragraph justifying my opinion why military aid to Israel is unjustified — in fact, obscene, is against BNBR policy.
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On Feb 9, 2019, 11:26 PM I received a notice that the following answer (written Mar 21, 2018) to the question “How much funding does Israel receive from the USA, and is it justified?” has been collapsed followed by a warning notice.
Rima Najjar’s answer to How much funding does Israel receive from the USA, and is it justified?
My answer, as can be seen, provides factual information with references to several reliable sources.
Can anyone see anything in the answer that violates the BNBR policy?
Note: On Feb 5, 2019 at 7:34 PM <moderation-noreply@quora.com> wrote: Quora Moderation restored your privileges on Quora for this reason: overturned
After I was temporarily blocked, I received notices that four of my answers were collapsed/deleted, three of which were restored. Since then, I have written three or four answers without incident — so far.
259 views · 20 upvotes · Posted Feb 10
Please log in to add a comment.
Although I do not believe the use of the word “abomination” to describe the billions in military aid to Israel against basically an unarmed people violates the BNBR policy, as it is not directed at any person, people or creed, I have edited the word out and appealed.
Update: Thanks for all the comments. Just received a notification from Quora Moderation informing me that they have “reviewed and rejected my appeal regarding the answer. The decision cannot be appealed.” I have posted the content on my blog.
Not sure what lesson I have learned here. Whereas I agree with Kurt Van den Broeck that his concise statement of opinion (without referencing information about Israel’s Apartheid and treatment of Palestinians) reads more easily, I don’t see how referencing such information in a paragraph justifying my opinion why military aid to Israel is unjustified — in fact, obscene, is against BNBR policy.
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My Quora account has been restored, an answer un-collapsed, but I am still in the dark
“Quora Moderation restored your privileges on Quora for this reason: Reverted via internal user log”
I still have no idea how my account was temporarily blocked, especially as only a short while before I had received the above welcome but uninformative message from Quora, I had received a form message from Quora Moderation that I had “been found” in violation of “one or more” of a list of violations that I most emphatically had not violated. Following is the letter I wrote in response asking for an explanation and calling for transparency in Quora’s user operations:
Dear Kurt,
Would you please identify which provision(s) of the several policies you mention I have violated and why, and explain which of my posts resulted in my being blocked?
I have reviewed the policies and do not see a provision I have violated.
How can writers avoid being blocked by Quora Moderation when there is so little transparency from Moderation?
After the block, one of my questions was flagged as “should be edited”, one of my answers was collapsed for an unspecified violation and another was deleted! I have appealed. There are no credible violations in them in as far as I understand Quora policies. If anti-zionist content about zionist policy and practice in Israel and the occupied Palestinian territories hurts the feelings of zionists, then, even more so, zionist speech hurts the feelings of Palestinians. If this is the criterion or paradigm Quora BNBR follows, rather than true hate speech, then how is communication possible if it is banned, and when one side’s understanding of reality is deemed “hate or bigoted speech” even when no such speech is ever used?
When I posted on Collapse Detectives that I was disturbed by getting baseless reminders, a Quora member commented describing what he supposed I must be doing on Quora in a way that did not fit with the facts of the matter. I am copying my answers to him here, by way of addressing the violations you claim I have committed.
“You say that I,
1. Ask loaded/leading question (“what is this darnedest…” or “what do you think about the despicable…”, etc.)
I have never asked questions framed like your examples above. When I first began asking questions, I had one or two flagged and learned quickly what “a bot” might misconstrue.
2. Ask collapse detectives how to remedy the situation
Yes, I have found CD immensely helpful and am grateful, not least of all because the record of flagging my questions and answers on Quora is now public. Anyone can go back and check all my posts here and determine for themselves if I am doing what you are falsely accusing me of doing. When I post on CD, I do so because I have a strong desire to understand Quora rules and
avoid committing violations. And equally important to me, to help others learn.
3. Get a ton of edits, get lots of reverts as some of them change the original meaning
If you are referring to my last post on CD, which is easy to check because it is directly below this one, it is clear that the “tons of edits” (your language here is not so neutral, Altug) were meant to side-step mistakes made by a bot, not a human being.”
I would really appreciate a transparent answer.
Best,
Rima
163 views · 17 upvotes · Posted Jan 29
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Help with yet another one of Rima’s answers that was deleted.
Yet another one of Rima Najjar’s answers on Quora has been deleted [it is now published on Medium: https://medium.com/@rimanajjar/arab-or-jew-israels-confusing-census-classification-5b9c237d406b].
Her answer is not in violation of BNBR policy. It refutes a political construct made by Theodore Herzl that has led to the Palestinian Nakba and engages with social and political realities in Israel related directly to that construct and the ongoing oppression of Palestinian Arabs in and outside Israel. Such ideas, in all conscience, ought not to be censored on Quora. They are neither anti-Semitic nor hate speech. They are painful realities for Palestinians.”
Anti-Zionist speech is not anti-Semitic speech and the conflation of the two ideas seems to be what deleted the question.
It is important to separate Zionism, a political movement, from Judaism, a religion.
116 views · 8 upvotes · Posted Jan 28
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Yet another of Rima Najjar ‘s answers (Rima Najjar’s answer to What is the philosophical meaning of the Palestinian Arab motto “Yitbach Al Yehud”?) was collapsed AFTER she had been blocked. The collapse is clearly a mistake. Moreover, this is the first collapsed answer in quite awhile. Her answer was well-written. It drew on personal experience as well as her knowledge as an Arabic speaker. She explains how these words are often misinterpreted. Again, her Palestinian voice is important. It is just as important or more so than my Jewish voice, because only a Palestinian can speak about her history. This repeated banning and collapsing of her writing is taking time away that she could be spending educating other Quora readers with her wealth of information.
201 views · 11 upvotes · Posted Jan 26
It more likely was a concerted effort to downvote Rima’s answer, and so to silence her. It seems to me that these sites should be an arena where we can find voices that are not often on the mainstream news. There should be a way within the system to find a way around such “censorship.” If not, then we accept, as Quora members, that the business model you describe should be allowed to stand when it seriously impacts negatively on the information people are receiving from Quora about a political issue where masses of people are being violently oppressed. Neither of us are willing to accept it passively. I taught history long enough to see the profession change from one in which we exchanged and questioned ideas, to one in which education became a business with one goal — profit that would bring higher wages and awards for administrators. The losers really were the students. We can see the impact today on our public discourse. Thomas Jefferson said that we could not have a democracy without the free flow of information. Sadly, there are few arenas left in which this happens. For Rima and me, Quora served this purpose, a place where in particular could use her eloquent Palestinian voice to provide a side that people rarely hear. For me, though I am Jewish and not Palestinian, it meant pretty much the same thing. To be outdone by a robot is just not acceptable when my Palestinian comrades are facing much greater dangers. If Quora’s mission is truly to provide education, then that cannot be done without the passion that stokes the flames.
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Below is Rima Najjar’s post from Facebook about her most recent ban from Quora. Are the two questions she identifies really violations of Quora policy? If so, why?
***
For some time now, I have been getting reminders (“Some of your recent questions and answers have been found to violate Quora policies and guidelines”) without having received any prior notifications regarding any violations of Quora policies I may have committed. None of my answers were collapsed and I had attended to the “MAY be insincere” notices that did pop up on a couple of questions immediately and removed the notices.
I posted about my concern re: these disturbing reminders on Collapse Detectives here:
Please help re: disturbing notice from Quora: “Violations may lead to being temporarily blocked from contributing to Quora, or to a permanent ban.”
Today, my fear has been realized: I received a fourth “reminder” (with the baseless “some of your recent questions and answers have been found to violate Quora’s policies and guidelines …”, followed by a notification that I am now temporarily blocked from writing on Quora on the heels of my posting the following questions:
1. What does the political rhetoric about Palestinians in the current Israeli elections tell us about the nature and foundation of Israel as a state?
2. Which citizen of Israel would you vote for in an election for president of one democratic state in all of Palestine and why?
(This question now has a notice that says it “SHOULD be rephrased with neutral and sincere language”).
Ironically, Only yesterday I received a notice on my Quora account saying, “You’re now A Most Viewed Writer in Palestine”
(See Rima Najjar)
166 views · 16 upvotes · Posted Jan 26
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To follow up with my own thoughts, the latest finding that one of Rima Najjar’s questions was found to be problematic because it is not “neutral” and “sincere” is a fascinating conclusion when one looks at the question itself:
“2. Which citizen of Israel would you vote for in an election for president of one democratic state in all of Palestine and why?”
Certainly none of the individual terms lack neutrality; democracy is a neutral, if complicated, concept. Palestine is a geographic area with historical and contemporary significance and the origin of millions of people around the globe who are known as Palestinians. Nor does the question contain false assumptions or suggest an answer.
So why does Quora believe the question lacks sincerity and neutrality? The only reason I can come up with is that those who complained about the question are hostile to the very idea of a democratic state in all of Palestine. That possibility itself is controversial. Why? Because Israel in its current form cannot be democratic by definition; it is defined as a Jewish state in an area with a majority non-Jewish population. Asking questions about a “democratic state in all of Palestine” invokes the possibility of the end of Jewish supremacy in Israel — otherwise known as “the right of Israel to exist.” Whether a question is neutral or not should not depend on whether it evokes hostility in some of its readers or references a controversial topic. Every day people post controversial questions on Quora without getting banned.
Jan 26 · 5 upvotes including Rima Kapitan
No only controversial, but I’ve seen both questions and answers that are racist, leading, sexist, and as regarding Palestine, often imply that all Palestinians, even the young children, are terrorists. Since there is so much Islamophobia and anti-Arab sentiment floating around these days, one would think that these types of comments would be problematic because words often lead to violence. To be honest I do not believe that its possible to craft a totally neutral question or answer. We all view the world through our histories and lens that we have chosen to adopt. Censoring writers like Rima, who as one of the most read writers on Palestine has proven to be an asset to Quora, is , well, censoring.
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What are rules for mentioning a name in a question?
Is it against Quora policy to mention someone’s name in a question? Is there no way to discuss someone’s block on Quora with the rest of the community?
61 views · 1 upvote · Posted Jan 26
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Could someone suggest a better phrasing of this question please? It already has three answers. I took quite a bit of time answering it, and to have it withdrawn means that I might have spent a lot of time on an answer that no one will ever see ? Will Michelle Alexander’s New York Times op-ed piece “Time to Break the Silence on Palestine” make a difference to the current discourse on Palestine/Israel in Western mainstream media?
https://www.nytimes.com/2019/01/...
This question may need editing
This question may need editing to correct phrasing or other mistakes, including:
· Spelling and grammar mistakes
· Not phrased as a complete question
· Too reliant on the question source
145 views · 2 upvotes · Posted Jan 24
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Do bots on Quora formulate and ask questions?
This is a first for me, so I hope someone here can shed light. The question concerned is “Was there ever a country called Palestine that was run by and belonged to the Palestinian Arabs?”
This question can no longer be edited. That’s fine; what is surprising, though, is that a bot claims to own the question! Does this question belong to a bot? Do bots ask questions on Quora and then argue about them? Someone here told me that questions belong to the community (as opposed to answers). So I am just wondering what it all means?
Please can you all stop editing this question. This is the question I wanted to ask, please either answer or leave it alone. I want to know whether or not, prior to 1948, the Palestinian Arabs had their own country, that only they lived in, that they controlled etc. Just like the Americans have their own country with defined borders, did the Palestinian Arabs have the same and therefore is it valid to say ‘free Palestine’ as opposed to ‘free the Palestinians’.
When I asked a related question: Do Palestinians have a right to self-determination as a people in Israel/Palestine? Several attempts were made to change “Palestinian people” to “Palestinian Arab”. This may or may not be relevant here except in what seems to be an attempt to control the vocabulary of the conflict; I am just curious about “a bot” being so intrusive — asking questions and arguing about them.
91 views · 6 upvotes · Posted Jan 24
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Help with why the following question has been flagged.
I’m writing to ask for ideas about why the following question was flagged: What does the expression “Feminists except Palestine” mean in the context of Women’s March 2019?
This question should be phrased with neutral and sincere language. This question’s wording makes it seem like a joke, or intended rhetorically to make a statement, rather than looking for helpful answers. It should be rewritten to be a neutral, non-leading question. See Quora’s policies on questions.
It seems to me a perfectly credible question which I was just about to answer, and already has a good answer by Raef Gritly. This issue is covered in several credible news sources. The expression is being used in the media and many don’t understand it so the question is a genuine one asking for information.
I’m curious how questions like Jack Sigman’s that was asked of me recently (Is it true that the Palestinians’ plan is to invade not just Israel but half of the Middle East?) are allowed to stand, when there is clearly no documentation for this question, but the question above that I am asking about, and would really like to answer, gets flagged.
190 views · 12 upvotes · Posted Jan 19
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This is the second time I receive the following notice from Quora Moderation. Can you help me understand why I am being sent such notices when I have never been notified that any of my “recent questions and answers have been found to violate Quora’s Policies and Guidelines”? Once or twice, a question has been flagged as needing clarification or as “may be” in violation of BNBR. These I have shared here and tried to remedy as soon as I knew about them. None of my recent answers has been collapsed or deleted. So it is not clear to me why I am getting such a notice for the second time in a short period.
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Some of your recent questions and answers have been found to violate Quora’s Policies and Guidelines. In order to keep Quora a safe and rewarding platform for everyone, Quora may remove content that doesn’t comply with these rules.
In your future contributions to Quora, please remember:
· Questions should be neutrally phrased. Try to avoid question phrasings that state an assumption, or are likely to be taken as trolling.
· Quora works best as a knowledge-building community when its users are respectful to one another. Insults, harassment, and personal attacks are not allowed on Quora.
· Changes to questions that alter the original meaning aren’t permitted.
· Make sure to use quotes and cite the original source if you’re citing someone else’s content on Quora.
Please note that repeated policy violations may lead to being temporarily blocked from contributing to Quora, or to a permanent ban.
[Click on I understand]
204 views · 18 upvotes · Posted Jan 15
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To clarify the following statement directed at me in a collapsed comment:
“You stated that you received notifications from Quora. As such notifications are automated, it looks like your ‘policy violation’ stats demonstrate an increasing trend, hence the notifications.”
What I actually stated is that I received two notifications reminding me not to be in violations (automated or not, I don’t know), when in fact, I had not received prior notifications of any violations, nor were any of my answers collapsed and no question of mine currently has a notice attached to it, as I was quick to correct the couple of notices I got with help from this group. My question to this group is: “Why have I recently received two notices (“reminders”), when, in fact, there is no such “trend” as the one described in the statement.
Altuğ Gür is advising me to “Again, go speak to the Quora moderation to settle the issue, since this notice is an automated system response and no one will know better other than the admins.” Since I don’t know how the system works, and since appealing to Quora Moderation never sheds light on anything to allow one to engage with facts, I am afraid I would simply get a canned response (my experience with Moderation so far) and end up not being heard in a manner similar to that illustrated by Altug’s first comment (now collapsed) to the post above.
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How can this question be made “easier to understand”?
Please help me figure out why this question remains flagged as may be needing editing “to be easier to understand”. I have run out of ideas:
A link to the article written by the students/faculty opposing the course is attached.
Update I: At Greg Burns ‘s suggestion, I added a rephrased question and attempted to merge it with the first. Now there are two identical questions in content, one that’s flagged and one that isn’t, and one person has added his answer to both questions!
Do you think it is a good idea that some students and faculty at the University of Chicago are objecting to the following course being offered: “Security, Counter Terrorism and Resilience: The Israeli Case”?
Update II: The flag on the first question is now gone (my heartfelt thanks to whomever managed it). I have merged the second question with the first.
Update III: Oops! Spoke too soon! Notice is back on — now, it’s “This question should be phrased with neutral and sincere language” :Some students and faculty at the University of Chicago are objecting to the following course being offered: “Security, Counter Terrorism and Resilience: The Israeli Case”. Do you think they have good reasons for doing so? The same notice is also attached to the second question.
Update IV: Aditya Simha kindly edited it and the edits “took” for a couple of hours with the notice removed. Her version was: “What is your opinion about the University of Chicago students who are objecting to “this course, ‘Security, Counter Te…ce: The Israeli Case”. ’? Do you believe their objections have any merit?” However, about two hours later, Quora Moderation Content Review reverted it to the previous iteration. So far, no notice. Wondering if this is over now or what.
211 views · 13 upvotes · Posted Jan 11
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I posted the following question (How many Palestinian homes did Israel demolish in Jerusalem in 2018 and under what policy? How many in total since 1967?) and immediately got an answer from Kupferman Judy that the question is “clearly combative”. As I was politely trying to understand why she feels that way, my conversation (found here: https://www.quora.com/How-many-P...) with her was suddenly interrupted by a notice:
“A reminder from Quora Moderation: Some of your recent questions and answers have been found to violate Quora’s Policies and Guidelines. In order to keep Quora a safe and rewarding platform for everyone, Quora may remove content that doesn’t comply with these rules. In your future contributions to Quora, please remember: Questions should be neutrally phrased…” I had to click on “I understand” before continuing.
My question is: Since none of my “recent questions and answers have been found to violate Quora’s Policies and Guidelines” (if that’s the case, I certainly don’t know about them. In fact, only yesterday I received a notice that one of my recent answers was distributed to 13,000+ reader) — why would Quora Moderation direct such a notice at me?
At the same time, I am getting questions such as (this one by Jack Sigman): “Students for Justice in Palestine support Palestinian Arab terrorism. Should they be banned from college campuses?” which I report.
Update: My question “How many Palestinian homes did Israel demolish in Jerusalem in 2018 and under what policy? How many in total since 1967?” now has the following notice: This question should be phrased with neutral and sincere language
“This question’s wording makes it seem like a joke, or intended rhetorically to make a statement, rather than looking for helpful answers. It should be rewritten to be a neutral, non-leading question. See Quora’s policies on questions.”
239 views · 19 upvotes · Posted Jan 3
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UPDATE: My question “How many Palestinian homes did Israel demolish in Jerusalem in 2018 and under what policy? How many in total since 1967?” now has the following notice: This question should be phrased with neutral and sincere language. That means your well-researched answer and all your effort, Benay Blend , will go to waste, as the question will not be distributed.
Jan 3 · 3 upvotes including Rima Najjar
I upvoted this, but really, this does not make sense. And yes, of course good answers should always include interpretations. Just the choice of what statistics to use, what question to ask, all of that is subjective.
Jan 4 · 2 upvotes including Rima Najjar
I really don’t find the question itself combative. Some people might find bringing the issue up to be combative. And perhaps there’s some room for interpretation of the terms “Palestinian,” “homes,” “demolish,” and even “Jerusalem.” Such interpretation, it seems to me based on my understanding of how Quora works (granted, this was the old Quora that was a writer’s culture, not the new Quora where Google clickbait reigns supreme), would be for answerers to provide.
However, since I can’t point to any specific Quora policy that is being violated, I’m afraid I also have no particular suggestions.
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My answer: At least 25 states have some type of anti-BDS law. How many, other than in Texas, mention “allegiance” to Israel specifically? has been deleted. My profile Benay Blend It was deleted soon after I wrote it with no notification, no reason given for the deletion. I am wondering if there is an idea why this is happening not just to me but to other people, and also any ideas what is wrong with my answer. There are two answers still standing. Help appreciated!
134 views · 8 upvotes · Posted Dec 20
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I posted twice on Quora today and both answers were automatically deleted by Quora Moderation
UPDATE: One of my answers suddenly reappeared. I knew about it when someone upvoted it.
— — — — — — — —
What is going on?
Just now, I tried to post an answer to a question and my answer (link below) was instantly deleted. In the morning, the same thing had happened with another answer I posted, which I thought was deleted for technical reasons. Now, though, I am wondering if I am on a “black list” that tells the bot to automatically delete my answers. I have appealed both deletions.
Now I see that the question itself was deleted.
My answer below will obviously not show up. But if you would like a look at the content, I have published most of what I said there on my Medium blog here. The first one deleted I also posted on my Medium blog here. Both medium blog posts are edited from the versions I had posted on Quora, but they make the same points essentially.
________________
164 views · 14 upvotes · Posted Dec 19
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I welcome suggestions on how I should deal with these Moderation notices
I have received a warning reflecting what I suspect to be a result of unfounded reporting. What worries me is that this warning was accompanied by a general warning I had “to agree to” before proceeding on Quora: “Some of your recent answers and questions have been found to violate Quora Policies and Guidelines. In order to keep Quora a safe place and rewarding platform for everyone, Quora may remove content that doesn’t comply with these rules…. Please note that repeated violations may lead to being temporarily blocked from contributing to Quora, or to a permanent ban.”
What constituted “unsuitable recent answers and questions” so far are the following two instances: As I posted a couple of days ago on Collapse Detectives, one of my questions was flagged. John Gragson helped me rephrase it, although both the question and my answer appear not to be circulating (and the rephrasing keeps being reverted to the original):
How is the language in the following question not “neutral and sincere language”?
Do the documented challenges to human rights and international law that Zionism and Israel pose extend beyond Palestine and Palestinians?
If other questions I wrote on Quora have been flagged, I don’t know about them. I have only recently joined the program that allows me to ask questions and answer them on Quora and my goal is to increase the accurate knowledge base here on the topic of Palestine and the Palestinian Nakba.
I also object strongly to the idea that anti-Israel or anti-Zionist political speech is hate speech. I received the second notice yesterday: “Quora Moderation collapsed your answer to Are Israelis satisfied their strategies towards Gaza and the West Bank will yield long term security for Israel? for violating a policy on Quora. Your answer may need improvement”. This answer does NOT violate any Quora policy as far as I can see.
I welcome any suggestions on how I should handle the above short of being silent.
207 views · 13 upvotes · Posted Dec 16
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Why was my post on Collapse Detectives deleted?
“We recently found some of your content (Please help with what I believe is another censorship campaign on my writing on Quora by Rima Najjar on Collapse Detectives Please help with what I believe is another censorship campaign on my writing on Quora) that violates Quora’s Be Nice, Be Respectful policy (See What is Quora’s “Be Nice, Be Respectful” policy?).”
What’s going on?
124 views · 1 upvote · Posted Dec 16
________________________________
How is the language in the following question not “neutral and sincere language”?
How is the language in the following question not “neutral and sincere language”?
Does the debate over Zionism have wider implications for international law and standards of human rights that extend beyond this specific conflict?
If so, would you kindly suggest edits that will stick?
In a quick answer to this question, Ronald Weinger wrote:
It is hard to tell with so little information. List all those “documented challenges” and we’ll get back to you.
Is this a valid criticism of the question vis-à-vis Quora policy?
141 views · 6 upvotes · Posted Dec 13
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A question [Is anti-Semitism a special kind of bigotry? What is the history of the term?] I asked (and answered) was merged with another [What are the differences between anti-Semitism and plain racism? Why isn’t anti-Semitism racism against Jews?] and then unmerged by Quora Content Review.
I have a concern:
A saved draft of my answer appears on the latter question and there are two options on the menu “clear draft” and “attach disclaimer”. What do these menu items mean? What is best to do with the “saved draft” of my answer? Why is it even there?
121 views · 8 upvotes · Posted Dec 7
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Collapsed answers and Quora’s revised Terms of Service
Do the Quora platform and users have “certain rights and license” to use a collapsed answer? Does a writer still need to mention Quora when publishing a collapsed answer elsewhere?
169 views · 6 upvotes · Posted Oct 27, 2018
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Answer collapsed for not being written in English
“Quora Moderation collapsed your answer to Benay Blend’s answer to Where can I find a list of images of Palestinians taken from demonstrations against Israel that are juxtaposed against various works of art? for violating a policy on Quora.
Your answer needs to be in English
Answers that are not in English will be collapsed.”
I am not sure why this happened because my answer is in English. Can you tell me please what steps to take from here? Thank you.
157 views · 9 upvotes · Posted Oct 27, 2018
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Quora Moderation Content Review … is it a bot? Why does it revert clearly good edits to a question?
Quora Moderation Content Review keeps reverting edits I have made to the following question:
Is the occupation of the land of Israel by Ibrahim Pasha in 1831 and settling tens of thousands of Egyptian peasants there at the expense of the native Jews considered to be the beginning of the anti-Zionist colonialism of the land of Israel? Was the occupation of the land of Israel by Ibrahim Pasha in 1831 considered to be the beginning of anti-Zionist colonialism?
The question as phrased above is clearly argumentative and includes false and unsubstantiated statistics.
My edit: What is the significance of the 1831 Egyptian Occupation of Palestine to the population of the land at the time and to Israel today?
My edits revert to the original on the grounds that the edits “change the meaning of the content”. Is it a bot at work? What’s the solution to this problem?
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This answer is getting views/This answer is collapsed
UPDATE: Uncollapsed by Quora moderation after appeal (Oct. 29)
I received two Quora Moderation messages back to back. One said the following answer is getting views and urged me to upgrade my credentials. The other informed me the answer has been collapsed.
Are these two messages connected? Why was the answer collapsed and how should I appeal?
Rima Najjar’s answer to Do Jews control the US?
183 views · 6 upvotes · Posted Oct 17, 2018
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Altuğ Gür and Mohammad Hamad , when one is in the dark as to the policy not being complied with, it is hard to make improvements. I have edited my answer blindly, but am wondering what I may be missing. Can you help?
Oct 22, 2018 · 1 upvote from Rima Najjar
It’s a difficult subject, and you do try and do this carefully. It may be worth adding an extra paragraph to critique the question, which has a troupe like character and add something to very explicitly distinguish between religion and politics, like the example of Christian Zionism would. A good example of doing this really well is Dr. Mearsheimer at the University of Chicago and Dr. Walt at Harvard who published their paper on the impact of the Israeli Lobby many years ago:
http://mearsheimer.uchicago.edu/...
Or Brian Klug at Oxford, who also does a great job at distinguishing the religious from the political:
The Myth of the New Anti-Semitism
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Please can someone help me edit the question which has been flagged as “may need editing”?
Please can someone help me edit the question which has been flagged as “may need editing”? I have edited it, but the flag remains?
135 views · 3 upvotes · Posted Sep 4, 2018
_________________
RESPONSE TO APPEAL:
“Amelia (Quora)
Aug 27, 2:50 PM PDT
Hi Rima,
Thank you for writing in. We are very sorry for this experience. Your content was mistakenly flagged to be in violation of our policies, but is now reinstated.
We apologize for any inconvenience that this may have caused you.
Sincerely,
Amelia
User Operations
Quora
— -
The following answer was deleted by Quora Moderation because of spam.
Question #1: Can my reference to Kindle be “directing traffic to an external commercial site”? In quoting from the book, I refer to the Kindle “location” of the quotation in the citation, rather than to a “page” number, as I was using my e-version of the book (I had bought the e-version). NOTE: I do not link to Kindle.
Or could it possibly be my link to Masalha’s biographical information on his publisher’s site?
Question #2: Once the offending material is identified, can I repost my answer without it?
“… appears to violate Quora’s policy on Spam:
On Quora, spam is defined as one or more questions, answers or posts whose purpose appears to be to direct traffic to external commercial sites while providing little to no value back to the Quora Community.
Note that even if you didn’t intend to ask a spam question, questions that attract primarily spam content may also be deleted because of the spam answers they receive.”
UPDATE: Here is a copy of my answer (links indicated in square brackets).
Here is the content of my answer: Nur Masalha [linked to biographical info on his publisher’s site] is a Palestinian historian who, like Ilan Pappé [linked to his bio on his official site], challenges Israeli versions of the history of Palestine and Israel, arguing that history must be read through the eyes of its indigenous people.
As he says in the introduction of his latest book,
Palestine: A Four Thousand Year History, London: Zed Books Limited, 2018This book challenges colonial approach to Palestine and the pernicious myth of a land without a people (Masalha 1992, 1997) and argues for reading the history of Palestine with the eyes of the indigenous people of Palestine. The Palestinians are the indigenous people of Palestine; their local roots are deeply embedded in the soil of Palestine and their autochthonous identity and historical heritage long preceded the emergence of a local Palestinian nascent national movement in the late Ottoman period and the advent of Zionist settler-colonialism before the First World War. [Location 57 on Kindle]
The Table of Contents is as follows:Palestine: A Four Thousand Year History, London: Zed Books Limited, 2018
Acknowledgements
Introduction
1. The Philistines and Philistia as a Distinct Geo-political Entity: Late Bronze Age to 500 BC
2. The Conception of Palestine in Classical Antiquity and During the Hellenistic Empires (500‒135 BC)
3. From Philistia to Provincia ‘Syria Palaestina’ (135 AD‒390 AD): The Administrative Province of Roman Palestine
4. The (Three in One) Provincia Palaestina: The Three Administrative Provinces of Byzantine Palestine (4th‒Early 7th Centuries AD)
5. Arab Christian Palestine: The Pre-Islamic Arab Kings, Bishops and Poets and Tribes of Provincia Palaestina (3rd‒Early 7th Centuries AD)
6. The Arab Province of Jund Filastin (638‒1099 AD): Continuities, Adaption and Transformation of Palestine under Islam
7. Between Egypt and al-Sham: Palestine during the Ayyubid, Mamluk and Early Ottoman Periods
8. Palestinian Statehood in the 18th Century: Early Modernities and Practical Sovereignty in Palestine
9. Being Palestine, Becoming Palestine: Rediscovery and New Representations of Modern Palestine and their Impact on Palestinian National Identity
10. Settler-colonialism and Disinheriting the Palestinians: The Appropriation of Palestinian Place Names by the Israeli State
To me, the most valuable contribution of this timely book is its clarification of a central issue long obfuscatedby Israeli propaganda, namely that
Palestine: A Four Thousand Year History, London: Zed Books Limited, 2018
… countries existed long before nationalism or the creation of metanarratives for the nation-state. The conception of Palestine as a geo-political unit and a country (Arabic: bilad or qutr), with evolving boundaries has developed historically and continues to do so. The identity and cultures of Palestine are living organisms: they change, evolve and develop…. the indigenous people of historic Palestine and the indigenized immigrants in Palestine … have a multifaith and multicultural heritage and a multi-layered identity deeply rooted in the ancient past.” [Introduction; Kindle Location 81]
In other words, Palestine was never and should never be exclusively Jewish, in part or in whole. (See Israel Passes Controversial Law Reserving National Self-Determination For Jews [LINK]).[1]
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Image: Devon Libraries Catalogue Record Details (New arrivals/Bideford Library) Palestine : a four thousand year history / Nur Masalha.
https://www.devonlibraries.org.u...
461 Views ·
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174 views · 13 upvotes · Posted Aug 24, 2018
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Why is my editing of a flagged question not “taking”?
The following question has been flagged, correctly I believe, as needing to be rephrased in “neutral and sincere language”
“Have Zionists ever been looking sincerely for the common Arab Jewish state before the proclamation of Israel?” Have Zionists ever been looking sincerely for the common Arab Jewish state before the proclamation of Israel?
I rephrased it like this: “Prior to the establishment of Israel, did Zionist plans include a shared Arab-Jewish state?”
I have a record from “Quora Content Review” saying they edited the title accordingly (and I sent thanks), but now I see that the question is still in its original form and is still flagged as needing to be phrased in neutral and sincere language. That means the seven answers there, including my own (requested by Alexander Malinowski), are not circulating.
What could be the problem?
138 views · 4 upvotes · Posted Aug 20, 2018
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Hahaha Leah Earl. Just received a message from “Quora Content Review”, saying it edited the title back to the title. So your edit did not hold for long. :(
FYI: But the question is no longer flagged …
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Another answer collapsed, another warning
UPDATE: I am happy to inform you that, on appeal, my answer to the question on Hamas funding was un-collapsed and my temporary block removed. As you may know, the deleted comment I wrote in response to Joyce Fetteroll has also been restored. Many thanks to all who participated in the discussion here.
________________
Can you help shed light as to why this answer has been collapsed? How does it need improvement?
“Your answer has been collapsed
You can improve your answer to uncollapse it.”
Rima Najjar’s answer to Who puts up the money for the arms and training of the Hamas militants?
I also received yet another warning, a harbinger of my being temporarily blocked again soon. :(
A reminder from Quora Moderation
Some of your recent answers have been found to violate Quora’s Policies and Guidelines. In order to keep Quora a safe and rewarding platform for everyone, Quora may remove content that doesn’t comply with these rules.
In your future contributions to Quora, please remember:
Quora works best as a knowledge-building community when its users are respectful to one another. Insults, harassment, and personal attacks are not allowed on Quora.
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306 views · 17 upvotes · Posted Aug 13, 2018
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I used my own picture to illustrate my answer. How is that in violation of Quora’s image policy?
Update: Thanks for all the comments. I have removed the offending image, even though, as John Gragson points out, “the memes aren’t actually part of the answer but the screen shot is”. The paragraph now reads:
In 2013, during Israel Apartheid Week, journalist and researcher Ben White posted a panel of posters in an album with the caption “Get the facts on Israeli apartheid http://aje.me/SrYgfj” that highlights the fact that Israel’s Apartheid and democracy are incompatible.
I hope this resolves the issue. If you spot anything that trespasses on any Quora policy, kindly point that out here.
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This answer was collapsed “for violating Quora’s image policy”. The image is of protestors in Chicago in front of the Israeli embassy that I took myself and is credited. It is relevant to the answer. What policy is it violating?
183 views · 13 upvotes · Posted Aug 9, 2018
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I feel I am being censored and silenced as a writer on Quora
UPDATE: HELP! Just received another notice!
Quora Moderation collapsed your answer to In your opinion, how can Palestinians change the opinions of Western publics in their favor? for violating a policy on Quora.
Your answer may need improvement
Violation of Quora’s Be Nice, Be Respectful policy.
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Today, I received two notices from Quora regarding two of my answers.
1) The first was re: an answer I wrote yesterday. The notice says my answer needs improvement. I believe I have not violated the BNBR policy and that the collapse amounts to censorship. I would very much appreciate your point of view on this. Here is the answer:
Rima Najjar’s answer to How do Israelis feel about Haneen Zoabi’s comments saying the Jews do not have a right to self-determination?
2) The second notice was about an answer I had written back in May. This one is flagged as “plagiarism”. I cannot see any and would welcome feedback on that one as well.
Rima Najjar’s answer to Why is Israel’s siege of Gaza not covered much in the media as an explanation for Gaza motivations to protest? Isn’t the siege illegal?
I really feel targeted and on my way to be silenced here, as an answer I wrote a couple of days ago has also been collapsed and I improved it with feedback from this forum.
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588 views · 40 upvotes · Posted Jun 23, 2018
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Mike Kauffmann and all,
Regarding the use of images on Quora and attribution, how would I attribute a photo from a site (example, MEMO) that posts the following:
“This work by Middle East Monitor is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License. If the image(s) bear our credit, this license also applies to them.”
“From file” means the image “bears” their credit — correct?
What exactly do I have to say, on Quora, as a citation for the image other than supplying the link to the article?
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How can I improve this to fit in with Quora policy?
And here I thought I had turned the corner with collapsed answers. :(
Can you please help me figure out how to edit this?
A friend has highlighted the following statements as needing substantiation or elaboration:
1. “The Israeli Jewish public is thoroughly brainwashed”
2. “Zionism is and has been a Jewish enterprise”
What do you think? Also, when I edit to improve the answer, do I also appeal or simply edit?
Your answer has been collapsed
You can improve your answer to uncollapse it.
202 views · 9 upvotes · Posted Jun 21, 2018
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346 views · 9 upvotes · Posted May 11, 2018
What’s wrong with the wording of this question?
Does anyone know why this question is marked as needing editing? How can it be fixed?
Update: Got a notice from Quora saying this question has been marked as needing editing, and will be restricted until then. Is this standard practice, I wonder?
Does this mean a person has now evaluated it and the…
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Does anyone know why this question is marked as needing editing? How can it be fixed?
Update: Got a notice from Quora saying this question has been marked as needing editing, and will be restricted until then. Is this standard practice, I wonder?
Does this mean a person has now evaluated it and the “ may be” has been judged “definitely” in agreement with Altuğ Gür ‘s analysis below?
— — -
To clarify my question, I am copying here a comment I made below:
To help me understand why the question was flagged, could you explain a little John Gragson, why you think 1) omitting the word “Palestine” from the question as you do above is preferable? I think it is a disadvantage to omit it because the bot then would not list Palestine as a topic and the question might not attract Palestinian writers. In my answer to the question as phrased, I addressed the idea of the possible creation of Israel elsewhere (in other regions in the world), which I wouldn’t have thought to do had the question not been phrased that way.
2) Why is singling a “most important factor” as opposed to “major factor” preferable? The “major factor” can throw light on the issue in a way that a listing of all the factors wouldn’t.
3) If the problem here is “Palestine” as opposed to “Mandate Palestine”, in my view, that’s a manufactured issue, as “Palestine” and not “Mandate Palestine” was most commonly used to describe the area, as is well documented, including in a post card that Golda Meir received in “Tel Aviv, Palestine”.
283 views · 11 upvotes · Posted May 6, 2018
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Update: Got a notice from Quora saying this question has been marked as needing editing, and will be restricted until then. Is this standard practice, I wonder?
Does this mean a person has now evaluated it and the “ may be” has been judged “definitely” in agreement with Altuğ Gür ‘s analysis?
May 7, 2018 · 1 upvote from
I don’t think so. The question was already marked as needing editing yesterday when I checked it and shared my take on it. It’s just the notification that’s new. Nothing changed on the question itself. Question edit log demonstrates this.
On principle, I am finding it hard to accept that the mention of “Palestine” in the context of this question is “debatable” as a name of a place. It is heartbreaking to me, that 70 years after our Nakba, people find it necessary to post “testimonial” videos such as the one below, to “prove” that …
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On principle, I am finding it hard to accept that the mention of “Palestine” in the context of this question is “debatable” as a name of a place. It is heartbreaking to me, that 70 years after our Nakba, people find it necessary to post “testimonial” videos such as the one below, to “prove” that Palestine “existed”.
The International Palestine Network — Gaza
Rima Najjarcomes from Lifta, Jerusalem and Ijzim, Haifa; lives in US
Joyce Fetteroll and Altuğ Gür , apropos of our discussion threads below regarding Quora policy of flagging and restricting questions that are not neutral and that include assumptions or that may elicit negative perceptions (provoke, I believe the term we used was) from the reader, I’d like to sha…
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Joyce Fetteroll and Altuğ Gür , apropos of our discussion threads below regarding Quora policy of flagging and restricting questions that are not neutral and that include assumptions or that may elicit negative perceptions (provoke, I believe the term we used was) from the reader, I’d like to share with you, if you would care to comment, the following questions I have just received on e-mail in the Quora Digest:
1. Why does Quora allow a topic named “Palestine” to exist when there’s no such a thing as “Palestine”?
2. Why does the Quran say that the Sun revolves around the Earth?
3. Is Gaza really suffering?
4. Is America a Fascist country?
5. Why do Israeli soldiers who kill Palestinian protesters get such light sentences?
6. Many pro-Palestinians want Israel to tear down the wall between Israel and Gaza. Why don’t they ask the same of Egypt?
May 7, 2018 · 1 upvote from
My answers under each respective question:
1. Why does Quora allow a topic named “Palestine” to exist when there’s no such a thing as “Palestine”?
Because it can, perhaps? There are questions on Quora about Valhalla and god(s) as well.
…
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My answers under each respective question:
1. Why does Quora allow a topic named “Palestine” to exist when there’s no such a thing as “Palestine”?
Because it can, perhaps? There are questions on Quora about Valhalla and god(s) as well.
2. Why does the Quran say that the Sun revolves around the Earth?
It would be best to ask the author about such a grave mistake, whoever it may be.
3. Is Gaza really suffering?
I don’t think so. As far as I know, Gaza refers to a piece of land and again, as far as I know our scientific knowledge says that soil does not have feeling nor consciousness. Therefore, it is impossible for Gaza to suffer, ever.
4. Is America a Fascist country?
Depends on how one defines fascism, yes and/or no.
5. Why do Israeli soldiers who kill Palestinian protesters get such light sentences?
Define “light sentence” please. Ambiguous statements cannot be evaluated.
6. Many pro-Palestinians want Israel to tear down the wall between Israel and Gaza. Why don’t they ask the same of Egypt?
Because they don’t have to. People choose what is important for them and what is not. Nobody has to do this or that because somebody else thinks that doing it is important. For example, I’m not emptying the ashtray of my neighbor while emptying mine. Would it be nice? Yes! Do I care? Not the least bit. Thinking of it now, I don’t even know if my neighbor smokes or if he even has an ashtray. That’s how much I care.
Hope this helps, though I have no idea why you sent my way a question list but here goes, for whatever it’s worth.
May 8, 2018 · 2 upvotes including
Life professional 2015-present
M.Sc. Chemical Engineering, Hacettepe UniversityGraduated 1998
Lives in Ankara
1.5m answer views39k this month
Knows Turkish
Sorry for not being clear Altuğ Gür , but I really enjoyed your stab at “answers” :). I was trying to point out, vis-a-vis the discussion about questions (not possible answers), that these questions strike me as being loaded with assumptions, and ought, in accordance with the policy you and Joyce…
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Sorry for not being clear Altuğ Gür , but I really enjoyed your stab at “answers” :). I was trying to point out, vis-a-vis the discussion about questions (not possible answers), that these questions strike me as being loaded with assumptions, and ought, in accordance with the policy you and Joyce were trying to explain to me, to be flagged. I meant for you to analyze the questions … :)
At any rate, fyi, I blogged about the discussion we had here and tweeted the link to Quora. I have no idea how policy is set on Quora. My blog post expresses the point of view of a large section of the community, I believe, and I hope it gets heard in the policy-making discussions and meetings, if these occur.
Palestine, the place where Israel is — Rima Najjar — Medium
Nathan AliAtheist, ex-scientist and a geek
52.2k answer views559 this month
May 8, 2018 · 1 upvote from
Can’t really deny that the P word is the new n word. Would love to know if Shakespeare’s use of the P word would also be banned?
Attorney2005-present
JD from DePaul UniversityGraduated 2005
Lives in San Marcos, TX
May 8, 2018 · 2 upvotes including
Others in Quora’s Palestine community are similarly bewildered by their heritage being deemed not “neutral” enough.
Nathan AliAtheist, ex-scientist and a geek
52.2k answer views559 this month
“The smart way to keep people passive and obedient is to strictly limit the spectrum of acceptable opinion, but allow very lively debate within that spectrum — even encourage the more critical and dissident views. That gives people the sense that there’s free thinking going on, while all the time t…
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“The smart way to keep people passive and obedient is to strictly limit the spectrum of acceptable opinion, but allow very lively debate within that spectrum — even encourage the more critical and dissident views. That gives people the sense that there’s free thinking going on, while all the time the presuppositions of the system are being reinforced by the limits put on the range of the debate. “
Altuğ Gür: My answers under each respective question:…
Altuğ Gür, the following question containing the word Palestine has just come my way. It isn’t flagged and already has four answers. Should I bother to answer or will it be flagged by the by in accordance with the policy we discussed here?
What is the impact of the Israel-Palestine conflict on Pal…
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Altuğ Gür, the following question containing the word Palestine has just come my way. It isn’t flagged and already has four answers. Should I bother to answer or will it be flagged by the by in accordance with the policy we discussed here?
What is the impact of the Israel-Palestine conflict on Palestinians?
… AND I have just reported the following as insincere:
Why is a squat in Palestine called a state?
Why is a squat in Palestine called a state?
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Is this a glitch in the system or something more sinister? Please help
Update: Since the second deletion, I have identified the offending link (to Encyclopedia Britannica — thanks to Altuğ Gür’s diagnostic skills. The site must have a hidden ad in the link or something). I am puzzled why I had to go to such great lengths and angst, just to find out how the medium works! Had I gotten a clearer answer from Moderation, I wouldn’t have had to waste my time and the content on both questions on Quora would be more diverse and informative.
But Collapse Detectives worked, and I am grateful for that. Thank you!
For anyone interested in the topic, here’s the link to the (now successfully) published answer:
Rima Najjar’s answer to When and why was Israel founded?
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I am not sure what is going on. I have written an answer and shared it successfully on FB here: Rima Najjar’s answer to Why doesn’t Hamas accept the reality that Israel, the strongest country in the Middle East, isn’t going anywhere and that it would be more sensible to negotiate for peaceful coexistence?
But when I go to the Question url [Why doesn’t Hamas accept the reality that Israel, the strongest country in the Middle East, isn’t going anywhere and that it would be more sensible to negotiate for peaceful coexistence?] I find this message: “Your answer has been deleted by Quora Moderation
If you think this is an error on our part, please contact us with a link to this question.”
and another that says I “have a draft”. When I click on the draft, nothing happens.
Please help. This all happened immediately on my submitting my answer.
254 views · 18 upvotes · Posted Apr 19, 2018
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TWO answers collapsed for “lack of attribution”!
Incredible censorship! What do you you think I should do?
“Your answer needs attribution”
Why do some Palestinians teach their children to hate and or kill Jews?
Rima Najjar’s answer to Why do some Palestinians teach their children to hate and or kill Jews?
In your experience, is speech that delegitimises Zionism allowed on Facebook?
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“Your answer to How can Palestinians be sure that a one-state solution would not end up with a sharia-based entity? was collapsed for violating Quora’s plagiarism policy.”
180 views · 7 upvotes · Posted Mar 21, 2018
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Quora Moderation Here For Me Again
Before I appeal, I would like to see what people here think:
Here is the collapsed answer: Rima Najjar’s answer to What arguments or tactics have you personally used (not seen used or heard of) that have changed someone’s mind about the Israel-Palestine conflict? I’m looking for real life examples of things that have worked, not things you think should work.
Quora Moderation
Hello,
We recently found some of your content (Rima Najjar’s answer to What arguments or tactics have you personally used (not seen used or heard of) that have changed someone’s mind about the Israel-Palestine conflict? I’m looking for real life examples of things that have worked, not things you think should work.) that violates Quora’s Be Nice, Be Respectful policy (See What is Quora’s “Be Nice, Be Respectful” policy?).
Please keep this policy in mind when interacting with other people on Quora. If you continue posting content that violates this policy, you may be banned from using Quora. For more information, see: How do I appeal a Quora Moderation decision?.
If you think this is an error on our part, please submit a moderation appeal at https://www.quora.com/contact with a link to your content.
Thank you,
Quora Moderation
142 views · 6 upvotes · Posted Jan 31, 2018
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Following Joyce Fetteroll’s observation, I “improved” the answer by rewording the paragraph where I describe Quora trolls as ”mob” to read as follows:
“But then, people on Quora who likely did not believe the question or answer was asked and answered in good faith — (as also, for example, when collapsing my answer here: BDS and Writing while Palestinian by Rima Najjar on Collapse Detectives) collapsed the question itself, and so I did not get the chance to gauge its effectiveness on other readers.”
Will keep you posted.
Personally, if it were my answer, I’d cut out that whole section. Or say really briefly that it was collapsed so you couldn’t judge how it affected others. There’s only one chance to appeal so I’d be as cautious as possible.
It would be a bit dishonest but you could cut the paragraph, then if the appeal is approved, paste it back in. I’m not sure how moderation would handle it if it was then tagged for BNBR again.
Thanks, Joyce. I see your point, but I really want to keep my thought (which is not offensive). It’s an idea I wish to convey in my answer to the person requesting the answer from me. I am willing to change the language but not the thought itself, which does not break any Quora rules.
Joyce Fetteroll and all, my rewording apparently did not go over very well, and is considered by Quora Moderation as “hate speech”. Oh well. Thanks for your help.
Here is my reworded paragraph: “But then, people on Quora who likely did not believe the question or answer was asked and answered in good faith — (as also, for example, when collapsing my answer here: https://collapsedetectives.quora...) collapsed the question itself, and so I did not get the chance to gauge its effectiveness on other readers.”
Amelia (Quora)
Feb 2, 3:04 PM PST
Hello Rima,
Your content was in violation of our Be Nice, Be Respectful policy. This core Quora principle requires that people treat other people on the site with civility, respect, and consideration. To learn more about this policy, please visit: https://www.quora.com/What-is-
More specifically, your content contained what we consider to be hate speech:
Users are not allowed to post content or adopt a tone that would be interpreted by a reasonable observer as a form of hate speech, particularly toward a race, gender, religion, nationality, ethnicity, political group, sexual orientation or another similar characteristic. Questions and question details about generalizations in these topics should be phrased as neutrally and respectfully as possible.
Our decision is final, and your content will not be reinstated.
If you see content that is objectionable, we suggest you either report or downvote it. You can report questions, answers, comments, and messages by clicking on the “Report” link which is located underneath the content.
We appreciate your understanding.
Sincerely,
Amelia
User Operations
Quora
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BDS and Writing while Palestinian
Was this answer to the question of BDS and Palestinian demands for self-determination collapsed because of writing while Palestinian? Or what do you think?
Here is the url: Rima Najjar’s answer to What kind of solution can BDS lead to in the occupied territory and Israel?
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Post script: GOOD NEWS: MY ANSWER HAS JUST BEEN UNCOLLAPSED. THANKS TO ALL THOSE HERE WHO MADE A DIFFERENCE.
Amelia (Quora)
Jan 25, 1:32 PM PST
Hello Rima,
Thank you for writing in. We are very sorry for this experience. Your content was mistakenly marked as violating our BNBR policy, but has now been reinstated and is visible to the community.
We apologize for any inconvenience that this may have caused you and thank you for your understanding.
Sincerely,
Amelia
User Operations
Quora
338 views · 14 upvotes · Posted Jan 25, 2018
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Here is what I wrote in appeal: “This answer was clearly collapsed, not because of any violations of Quora rules, but for political reasons. Is it against the rules on Quora to express the Palestinian political aspirations and struggle for liberation in clear language? My answer has been picked u…
“A “solution” to the problem of the Jewish state” sounds eerily familiar to “the final solution to the Jewish problem.” Coupled with language about “ending the Zionist project,” and the claim that Israel is illegitimate, that probably explains the BNBR ding.
So what do you call the commonly used phrases “One State Solution” or “Two State Solution” — also eerily familiar of Nazi language? It’ s a fact of history that the establishment of the Zionist Jewish state of Israel by force on a territory of 1948 or historic Palestine has been achieved through …
If the Israelis were or are trying to ethnically cleanse the Palestinians, they’re doing a terrible job, as the local Palestinian population has been growing for quite some time. That claim just doesn’t pass historical muster.
René Alix and William E Donges III, thank you for such thoughtful and well-considered answers.
GOOD NEWS: MY ANSWER HAS JUST BEEN UNCOLLAPSED. THANKS TO ALL THOSE HERE WHO MADE A DIFFERENCE
Amelia (Quora)
Jan 25, 1:32 PM PST
Hello Rima,
Thank you for writing in. We are very sorry for this experience. Your content was mistakenly marked as violating our BNBR policy, but has now been reinstated and is visible to the community.
We apologize for any inconvenience that this may have caused you and thank you for your understanding.
Sincerely,
Amelia
User Operations
Quora
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