Mohammed Ben Sulayem
President of the Fédération Internationale de l’Automobile (FIA)
The President of the Fédération Internationale de l’Automobile (FIA) received Peace and Sport in his office on the Place de la Concorde in Paris and shared his views on his fight against online abuse. Mohammed Ben Sulayem advocates unity, and hopes to unite as many people as possible around a cause that is very important to him.
Why was the fight against online abuse one of your immediate priorities as President of the Fédération Internationale de l’Automobile?
I experienced first-hand the criticism when I was competing in a sport (rallying) dominated by Europeans. In the beginning, it was very difficult for me not to be accepted. To start being accepted, I had to prove to myself, and not to others, that I could drive a car and win.
Depending on the person and their personality, the reaction can be different. For some people like me, if you attack them or try to intimidate them, they get stronger. But that’s not the case for everyone. Some weaken and disappear. They’re good at what they do, but they don’t know how to defend themselves against abuse.
When I ran for the presidency of the Fédération Internationale de l’Automobile (FIA), some Europeans told me that it was out of the question for someone like me, from a part of the world they didn’t even want to name, to become president. They said that to me even though there were other people around. And I started laughing, because they’re the problem, not me. My European friends, those who supported me, were very upset, but I told them to calm down.
Was it essential for you to fight against this form of bashing, which often takes place on social networks? …
