The false news that recently spread on social media, and whose publishers claimed that “a divorced Syrian woman with AIDS caused the injury of dozens of young single men in the German city of Essen ,” recalled that Syrian women suffer from all kinds of targeting, even after they left Syria, by men and young men who still consider women private property to do whatever they want.
Given that Germany is the host of the largest number of Syrians in Europe, dozens of pages, accounts, and groups that operate as news or service sources, far from that, are rife with offensive posts and hate speech toward women, along with a lot of offensive comments and discussions.
Publications abound, such as that Syrian women “rebelled” after arriving in Europe, that they began to crowd out men and refuse to be guardianized. Many of them exploit laws that stand in their favour, having been locked in the man’s influence or forcibly associated with him, whether because of minor laws or unjust social norms, according to the publication.
Some people who follow tens of thousands of people on social media even make direct threats and broadcast inflammatory clips on women who demand their rights, as well as warning men not to marry them or give in to their demands. They attach their threats and warnings to fabricated stories about women who occupied young Syrians to reach Europe or women who betrayed their husbands.
They make serious sums of money through what they post and broadcast on social media, with millions supporting their speech.
In light of the difficulty of confronting and silencing their speech through the platforms in which they are active, which contribute to the dissemination and promotion of what they publish instead of fighting it as it claims, the attempts to confront them are limited to individual initiatives of filing lawsuits against the authors of this speech on charges of inciting hatred and causing harm, as well as spreading false news and information that causes panic in society.
Why are Syrian women asking for a divorce?
In a study published by the British media network The Conversation under the title “Why do so many Syrian women ask for a divorce when they move to Western countries?” the author said that years ago, she saw a discussion on Facebook about the impact of migration on Arab families, and most male commentators believe that leaving Syria (asylum/migration…) has led to the deviation of Syrian women from the right path. She considered that the number of divorced women is increasing.
Contrary to the disregard of this phenomenon by Syrians, it has been celebrated by Western commentators and is considered part of the Western mission to save Arab/Muslim women from the persecution of their men. The author disagreed: “It is clear that this is nothing but a Western shorthand and orientalism for this issue.”
Many Syrian refugee women have benefited from their new lives in secular Western countries and have sought a divorce, often from mischievous men who had to marry them when they were young.
This is not so much a condemnation of refugee women as it is an indictment of Syrian society and Syrian laws that force women to accept abuse for fear of “ruining the family” and losing custody of children.
More than 90 % of violent crimes committed by Syrians were committed by men. This means that for every 100 violent crimes against partners committed by Syrians, 91 were committed by men and only nine by women.
This article was translated and edited by The Syrian Observer. The Syrian Observer has not verified the content of this story. Responsibility for the information and views set out in this article lies entirely with the author.
