The Syrian President Is Being Made in Lebanon? 9
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8 Psychological Warfare: Rumours in the Times of the Lebanese Civil War The Syrian President is being Made in Lebanon? 9 other sides. out that this was a lie. How can I believe my In a deeply religious society like Lebanon, parents ever again?’ rumours with a spiritual connotation could be What to believe and whom to believe, The Syrian President is being Made in Lebanon? particularly powerful. ‘The statue at Harissa that’s the central question. By the way, the turned twice during the civil war,’ says Chaftari, article on the new armed group to fight IS Rumours and the Syrian Presidential Election in laughing. Christian leaders would spread wasn’t published in the well-known Lebanese the rumour that this statue made out of pure newspaper at all. This was just another concrete had turned towards a certain direction rumour. Apparently it appeared in an online Lebanon ‘to protect Jounieh, or to protect the Christians magazine. I guess I should have sat down and in general’ remembers Chaftari. do some proper research in order to confirm my Haid Haid ‘“Miracles” of this kind were often spread information, too! among the population when we were passing through a difficult military situation’, the ex-combatant explains, in order to raise the Note morals of the population and to tell them, ‘that God will help us’. The social scientist Frayha As I am finishing this article, someone translated a has a similar opinion, ‘You need miracles in paragraph that appeared in the online magazine, situations of weakness, you need hope, and Lebanon Files, for me. The article was talking this comes from superstitious beliefs.’ Those about an article that in turn appeared in the The Syrian presidential elections were an event his supporters were involved in a plan to beliefs weren’t limited to the Christian sect only, Al Akhbar newspaper entitled ’A training of the of special significance for Syrians and Lebanese partition Syria into a number of different states. and were equally used by Muslims. The Shiites, Socialist Party under the cover of a scout camp’: alike, since holding these elections entailed Though these claims were never verified, they for example, used Zeinab (a grandchild of the ‘On 20/09/2014, Al Akhbar mentioned that under prolonging the humanitarian and political caused a large number of Syrian refugees to prophet Mohamad). ‘Important Shiite figures the cover of a scout camp, the Socialist Party, crisis suffered by Syrians and the societies and feel that the regime was secretly plotting to would say that “Sitt” Zeinab had appeared together with the fundamentalist Druze group states that play host to them. It was the first revoke their Syrian nationality – for their lack of in their dreams, saying that “the road ahead "Sheikh Ammar’", organized a training camp for time that Syrian elections had allowed for out- loyalty – by creating the state it desired, having is long and difficult, but at the end, you will more than 60 people in the hills of Shwaifat city. of-country voting, and the Syrian embassy in accepted that it was unable to take control of be rewarded”’, recalls Amashi. This would There were some sheikhs from Deir Qoubel village Lebanon prided itself on having had more than all Syrian territory. Such concerns on the part strengthen the moral of combatants and as well. It wasn’t the first time that such training 80,000 voters on the first day alone.1 Given the of many refugees created a fertile soil for the civilians alike to endure difficult times, and keep camps including military performances, as well time and space available for voting, it is more unquestioning acceptance and circulation of on fighting. as the firing of weapons had been seen in these realistic to suggest that between 20 and 30,000 any rumour which confirmed their fears that The preconceptions that had existed in hills. This time, however, the training for the cast their vote. However, the images of crowded they would be unable to return to their homes. people’s minds, and the traumas experienced participants of the camp were theoretical lessons streets and the whole event being perceived as Against this backdrop, claims concerning during fifteen years of civil war couldn’t be only; about using heavy automatic weapons, more of a happening than an election, led to various draft laws gave added impetus to immediately lifted when the civil war officially especially those that you can carry on 4x4vehicles, controversial discussions, ‘How could citizens rumours urging participation in the presidential came to an end in 1990. and they were told how to use these heavy guns.’ who had to flee their country participate in election. The most important of these draft law A Christian couple got married after the Often, rumours carry a little grain of truth. this dog-and-pony show?’ And even more so, rumours were: end of the civil war and decided to celebrate It is true that in the past, parties from different ‘How could they vote for the President who in their honeymoon in Amir Amine palace, a affiliations abused scout camps for military the worst case had them persecuted, in the i) 'I’m not Syrian' beautiful hotel located in a mountain area training. It is true that currently, Lebanese civilians best case did not protect them?’ In fact, some In late 2013 there were widely disseminated which is inhabited by Druze and Christians. A are pulling out their hidden guns again, and some of those participating in the elections were rumours of a draft law that would revoke the relative to the couple told them, ‘The Druze will are even forming civilian protection forces in their motivated by genuine desire. Others, however, nationality of all Syrians who had participated come at night and cut your throats!’ The couple communities. feared the consequences if they did not take in activities against the Assad regime within left the hotel in panic; their war traumas were so I happen to work for an NGO called part, with a number of rumours circulating, Syria or abroad, by bearing arms, funding, strong that their honeymoon was ruined. ‘Permanent Peace Movement’. The director of urging people to get involved, and threatening incitement, organisation or facilitation.2 This Also, in the mid-1990s, the Ministry of this NGO, Fadi Abi Allam, gave training sessions them with dire consequences if they did not. particular claim spread because some refugees Displaced People organized a summer camp during this particular scout camp – about conflict This was the result of a number of factors believed that the law governing the entry of in the Lebanese mountains, with the aim of resolution and peace building, and definitely that this article will attempt to address by non-Syrians into Syria and their residence there contributing to reconciliation efforts among not about heavy guns. A war starts in the minds shedding light on the circumstances in which also covered Syrian citizens abroad. In other Lebanese youth from all the different religious of the people, and such articles poison the civil such rumours gain currency and how people words, they would be treated like foreigners in sects. The trainers used specific activities to peace in Lebanon. Peace also starts in the minds respond to them. their own country. Despite being untrue, some deconstruct the preconceptions that had of people. Let us not be deceived by political or Syrians abroad still believe in and circulate this existed between the different religious groups military leaders and their media outlets, let us not The fear of having one’s rumour, convinced that the regime will use this Haid Haid is program manager at during the war. At the end of the camp, a girl let them manipulate our minds for war. Let us take nationality revoked draft law as a way of disposing of its political the Heinrich Böll Stiftung’s Middle came up, crying, and told one of the camp’s up responsibility and create a space in our minds, enemies and applying pressure to those states East office in Beirut. Prior to this, he worked as a senior community organizers, that she couldn’t go home now and free of rumours and misinformation, for peace. As the armed conflict in Syria grew fiercer hosting them (since stripping Syrian refugees of services-protection assistant at face her parents. When the trainers asked for (itself the product of the regime’s excessive their nationality would mean they would have UNHCR- Damascus office. He the reason, she said, ‘My parents taught me that use of force against citizens who peacefully to stay in their host nations). The fear of losing has an MA in social policy and development, a postgraduate the people from the other side were bad, that demonstrated for political change), reports one’s nationality is also not entirely abstract as diploma in counselling and a BA in they even looked differently from us. I found began to circulate that Bashar al-Assad and an increasing number of Syrians are stranded sociology. 10 The Syrian President is being Made in Lebanon? The Syrian President is being Made in Lebanon? 11 abroad because the Syrian regime will no the proposal and the fact it coincided with the longer issue extensions for their passports. presidential elections helped raise suspicions that there was some plot afoot against the ii) New IDs, for whom? opponents of the Assad regime. For instance, During a parliamentary session in March the proposal made no mention of whether 2014 the Syrian Interior Minister announced the consent of the property owners would be that his ministry was in the process of creating obtained, whether their relatives or agents new identity cards and that the project would within Syria or abroad would be contacted, begin to roll out in the second half of that the percentage of rent monies that the state year, as soon as the necessary funds had been agencies would keep, how the leases would collected.3 Even though officials pointed out be organised, nor anything of the fate of the that the idea of the project was first mooted contents of these homes and buildings used before the start of the crisis, and that it had in this way.