Social Media Monitor: Activists Refuse “Incitement” against Syrian Refugees in Egypt
During the recent events in Egypt that the led to the ousting of President Mohammad Morsi, Muslim Brotherhood opponents have accused Syrian refugees of endorsing Egypt’s Islamists and taking part in violent demonstrations. These accusations have been made on mainstream and social media.
Egypt’s new interim government has recently issued a decree requiring Syrians to obtain a visa prior to entering Egypt. The Syrian embassy in Cairo was reportedly reopened, annulling Morsi’s decision to shut down the embassy with the aim of severing ties with the Syrian regime.
Journalist Mustafa Alloush criticized what he described as the Egyptian media’s incitement against Syrian refugees in Egypt. In a comment he wrote on his Facebook page, Alloush described a commentary made by the anti-Morsi TV channel “OnTV” about the role of Syrian refugees in the current protests to reinstate Morsi as “depraved.”
Blogger Yassin Swehat hoped that Egyptians would stand against the alleged incitement against Syrians in Egypt. He tweeted:
“Could we hope that our Egyptian friends take [steps] to stop the incitement against Syrian refugees?”
!["Could we hope that our Egyptian friends take [steps] to stop the incitement against Syrian refugees?"](http://www.damascusbureau.org/wp-content/uploads/2013/07/22.png)
A gloomy Ramadan in Syria
Syrians spent the first week of Ramadan this year in an atmosphere of sadness, for the third time since the start of the uprising in March 2011. In addition to the ongoing destruction and bloodshed, soaring prices have also ruined the holiday mood for Syrians. The drastic drop in the exchange rate of the Syrian pound to nearly 300 pounds for a dollar has driven the surge of prices even higher.
Journalist Mustafa Alloush expressed his sadness because Ramadan rituals have been ruined by the current crisis. He wrote on his Facebook page:
!["The most beautiful Ramadan ritual ever is the entire family gathering for iftar [the meal to break fasting at sunset] and suhoor [a late-night meal]. This ritual requires a family that does not include any martyr, detainee, refugee, displaced or fugitive – a ritual that almost no one in Syria will enjoy."](http://www.damascusbureau.org/wp-content/uploads/2013/07/32.png)
Father Paulo Dall’Oglio, an Italian priest who was living in Syria and was expelled by the government in 2012 because of his support of the opposition, republished on Twitter a call for peace in Syria that he had originally written for the Lebanese daily Al-Joumhouria. He also expressed solidarity with those observing Ramadan in Syria.
Reactions to Islamic movements’ growth
The recent killing of senior Free Syrian Army commander Kamal Hamami by members of the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant, which is affiliated with Al-Qaeda, as well as reports that the Pakistani branch of Taliban is planning on setting up a base in Syria, have revived controversy among secular activists about the role of Islamist militants in Syria.
Al-Mundassa Al-Souriyya blog published a comment about the growing influence of Islamist groups.
“Every day, we see the rise of a new [Islamist] armed group…[such as] the Nusra Front and the Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant, in addition to [interventions] by [Al-Qaeda leader Ayman] al-Zawahiri and other Al-Qaeda leaders. Syria is a victim of international conspiracies and Islamists’ ambitions, as well as power-hungry people. Each is calling for his own state and project. If these were implemented, Syria or the Syrian people would not survive.”
Writer Mustafa Hadid wrote a comment on his Facebook page, saying that Islamists’ involvement in politics will inevitably lead to a situation like Afghanistan’s.
