SYRIA
A report released by the Syrian Center for Policy Research found that 11.5 percent of Syria’s population has been wounded or killed since 2011; 1.88 million have have been injured. A continuous war between Al Assad (the Syrian regime), the opposition (such as the rebels or Al Qaida Organization), and ISIS has generated the highest number of refugees since World War II. ISIS, an extremist group, has had a large hand in causing this destruction through multiple massacres in various countries.
PROBLEMS
EXPERT USE OF SOCIAL MEDIA AND NARRATIVE
Though not easily simplified, Syria’s current crisis has been exacerbated (perhaps even fueled) by populist tactics deployed by ISIS, a radical militant group that exploits religion to generate fear, prejudice, grievances, divisions, and violence.
ISIS’s expert use of media to recruit, publicize and mobilize is increasingly recognized as crucial to their strategy. Demonstrating this, President Obama said that ISIS are ‘’killers with good social media”. ISIS also has a strong social media presence and exploits the potentials of these platforms in various ways. For instance, ISIS regularly releases videos to publicize their cause and recruit members. Their message has generally been: “Syrian Muslims must join ISIS or fight in their own home country.” Moreover, ISIS uses other methods to spread its message and invite dispersed support, including hashtags such as #syria, #islam, and #war.
SOLUTIONS
Efforts to stop ISIS in social media spaces have had some, limited, effect. Twitter has deleted 125,000 accounts linked to ISIS since the middle of 2015. In a more grassroots effort, Twitter account @wik-baghdadi has published more than 800 tweets containing allegations against ISIS. On Facebook, various groups have also published a range of posts that ridicule ISIS’s extremist stance and undermine the group’s ideology.
- A key response to ISIS media might be to tell the story of those who have suffered and been victims of ISIS. These stories may inspire resistance and change.
The Story of Milad Shehabi:
Milad Shehabi is a Syrian journalist whose house was invaded by ISIS, but refuses to leave Aleppo.
Ahmad Primo's Story:
Tortured by ISIS, Ahmad Primo is committed to raising his children to feel safe. He dreams of returning to his home one day.
Stories of Survival in Aleppo:
Aleppo citizens still hope that the prejudice historical Aleppo will rise again.
