Egyptian sports broadcaster awarded doctorate for study into hate speech

Ayman Mostafa Ahmed Mohamed Ibrahim, an assistant lecturer in the Radio and Television Department at Al-Ahram Canadian University’s Faculty of Media and a presenter on ON Sport, has been awarded a doctorate in media with first-class honours.

The degree was granted by the discussion and examination committee at the Faculty of Arts, Ain Shams University, which also recommended that the thesis be printed and made available for circulation.

The thesis, entitled The Relationship Between Hate Speech on the Pages of Sports Clubs, Athletes and Sports News Pages and the Formation of Sports Image and Identity, examines the impact of hostile language across sports platforms.

Its focus is the way hate speech influences public attitudes, perceptions and sporting identity, at a time when social media plays an increasingly significant role in shaping fan interaction and sports-related opinions.

The study also highlights the need to raise awareness of the dangers posed by hate speech and to tackle its spread. It calls for educational institutions and media organisations to play a stronger part in promoting dialogue, acceptance of others and positive values in sport.

According to the research, those measures could help reduce fanaticism and improve the nature of interactions between fans on digital platforms.

The discussion was held in the conference hall at the Faculty of Arts, Ain Shams University.

The examining committee was chaired by El-Sayed Bahensy Hassan, a professor at the Faculty of Media, Ain Shams University. Ashraf Sobhy, a professor of sports business administration at Capital University and former Minister of Youth and Sports, served as the examiner.

Heba Shaheen, dean of the Faculty of Media at Ain Shams University, acted as the main supervisor, while Mai Ibrahim Hamza, an assistant professor at the same faculty, was co-supervisor.