Alaa Mohammed – Syrian Journalist and Member of the Syrian Feminist Lobby
Trend! A significant term in social media where everyone wants to “ride the trend,” whether knowingly or unknowingly. This was precisely the case in the story of actor Johnny Depp and actress Amber Heard after the former was acquitted of the abuse allegations she made against him and provided evidence of him being a victim of abuse by her.
One of the trends that emerged during the previous period is the story of the elderly Syrian woman whom a Turkish man assaulted, and the Syrians interacted significantly with this racist incident on social media platforms.
I will not discuss these two events in this article. Still, I will instead focus on some of the comments and posts that linked the trends to the feminist movement, either by attacking it, speaking ill of it, or targeting individual feminist figures.
Investing in any global or local issue or event to demean feminism or mock feminists has become consistent among some Syrian intellectuals. One of the most ridiculous comments circulated was, “Johnny Depp has triumphed over feminists!”
In the case of Leila, one of the activists wrote a lengthy and comprehensive post, calling on feminist organizations to intervene without questioning herself or even reaching out to the relevant organizations to inquire about their opinion on what happened or to ask about their stance towards the issue. Instead, she accused the feminists of selectivity in their defense of causes.
Perhaps we, as Syrians, tend to adopt a collective offensive stance without realization or awareness. I believe that this tendency aims at evading responsibility or escaping from self-awareness. We find ourselves trapped in the cycle of hurling insults, unjust accountability, or circumventing the issue by blaming someone else.
The man has triumphed.
In recent years, there has been an increasing attack on the Syrian feminist movement, with its principles being trivialized and those advocating feminist perspectives sometimes subjected to personal attacks. It is understood that the principles embraced by the feminist movement inevitably clash with specific social and religious norms and customs.
However, I believe that the reason behind this major attack and the invocation of the term “feminism” in every issue within the context of criticism and mockery is not about engaging with specific issues or clashing with norms and traditions. It is instead the fear of fundamental changes that have occurred for women due to the conditions of war, refuge, displacement, exposure to new and unfamiliar experiences, or the interaction with new societies. It’s also about raising awareness of their rights and acquainting them with new laws they have not heard of before.
Our societies cannot tolerate women stepping out of the submissive role, as their relationships are built on the principle of “power and submission.” This has caused genuine panic for many men who couldn’t comprehend that a woman might ask for a divorce, reject abuse, or decide independently without seeking their approval. They seized upon Johnny Depp’s victory in his case and considered it a triumph for men, ignoring that this man was a “victim of domestic violence as confirmed by the court.”
Sharing Misconceptions About Feminism
Many men and women in our societies believe that feminism carries strange ideas, aiming to destroy the community and dismantle the family. Some have even made it their main concern to share rumors or false information about feminist concepts and spread them on social media.
One of the rumors spread by some is “male hatred,” where many incitements against feminists claim that they hate men, refuse marriage, childbirth, and form a family. They ignore that feminism is based on equality with the opposite sex, not rejection, and on liberating from male constraints and paternal authority, not the existence of men.
As some intellectuals circulate, there is an idea that feminism seeks to give women superiority over men. At the same time, they overlook the efforts of feminist movements that aim to break the stereotypical molds that have oppressed women and created discrimination, in contrast to providing advantages to males.
I’ve been asking myself for a while what men and women who participate in spreading these rumors know about feminism. I decided to write a post on my personal page and directed a question to males only: “What do you know about Syrian feminist movements?” Out of 90 answers, four were good but random pieces of information, while the rest were either common misconceptions or a lack of interest in knowing.
