Syrians are facing an escalation in hate speech, with recurring instances of bullying, accusations of treason, calls for ostracism and destruction, and incitement to deride others and violate their rights. All of these practices reinforce contradictions and foster conflict within society, both at the individual and group levels. They threaten social peace and hinder future opportunities for reconciliation. Signs of this escalation are evident in the media and on social media platforms, through Syrians' posts and comments on Facebook and other platforms.
The rise of hate speech is not isolated from the legacy of the Syrian conflict over the past decade and a half, which has witnessed numerous changes, afflicting Syrians with disasters on various levels. The most prominent of these is the killing of hundreds of thousands of Syrians, while many more have been injured, sickened, and disappeared. The lives and property of most Syrians have been destroyed in some way. Of a total population of approximately 27 million, more than 10 million have become refugees in nearly 100 countries, and approximately 5 million others have been internally displaced. Most cities and villages have been completely or partially destroyed, some of which have been reduced to mountains of rubble.
The suffering and pain of Syrians resulting from the conflict have undermined the meaning of the slogans and chants of freedom, justice, equality, and Syrian unity that demonstrators chanted against the Assad regime and its war on the people. The policies of the regime and its allies have served to perpetuate religious, sectarian, and regional divisions and conflicts, alongside with political divisions.
Previous developments have led to further divisions and fragmentation along ethnic, religious, sectarian, regional, and other domains. These divisions have become increasingly evident in Syrian speech and behaviour in the media and on social media, as confirmed by Syrians' posts and comments in the media and online, where waves of mutual hatred and endless accusations are evident.
The scope and content of the discourse indicate that it is not limited to the efforts of its supporters from various groups. There are parties that support it and participate in transforming it into a broad movement aimed at achieving its maximum goals of inciting confusion and discord.
Various local and foreign parties, including security and political formations and militias, are working in secret under pseudonyms and fake accounts to incite hatred across thousands of social media pages and groups that spread and perpetuate division among Syrians. This has the potential to transform a simple comment into an online battleground between different Syrians, where the opposition is described as a "traitor" and the supporter as a "murderer" without any verification or evidence, and accusations are exchanged using terms that lack any credibility or common sense.
In truth, the media—particularly the Assad regime's media and its allies, and the social media platforms connected to them—have contributed to the escalation and dissemination of hate speech in all ways and at various levels, through biased coverage and campaigns. The results of these hate campaigns, both verbal and inciting, have included deepening societal rifts, entrenching divisions of every kind and level, fuelling violence and extremism in various circles. All of these developments make it difficult to reach just and acceptable political settlements at the national level, or at the level of specific components.
Amid the danger of increasing hatred, it is necessary to raise questions about the solution and the procedural steps required to confront hatred. This must be preceded by awareness campaigns through the media and community organizations, in order to enumerate and explain the dangers of hate speech, support and promote a discourse of reconciliation and social peace, especially between parties experiencing tension, and enhance the role of activists and influencers in breaking the cycle of hatred.
Hate speech is not just rhetoric and calls for certain behaviours; it is a weapon that harms citizens, especially its proponents, because it strips them of their humanity, destroys them, and, even more so, threatens what little hope Syrians have left to reform their devastated homeland. This means that it is the responsibility of Syrians today—both individuals and institutions—to reconsider their rhetoric and behaviour, to seek common ground, to make goodness their goal and objective, and to strive for a shared and better future, rather than being guardians of the past or prisoners of a legacy left behind by tyranny, dictatorship, and a system of exploitation and pillage under false slogans and objectives.