Musa Al-Halool
Taif University, Saudi Arabia
Abstract
The Syrian version of the Arab Spring is
arguably unique in that it has generated right from the start a concurrent
sexual rhetoric not so conspicuously noted in the Tunisian, Egyptian, Libyan,
or Yemeni revolutions. This idiosyncrasy has to do with a number of reasons,
the most seminal of which is the multi-sectarian mosaic of Syrian society. With
Syria lacking attractive oil reserves, the international community has been
scandalously divided between a huffing-and-puffing anti-Assad West and a
veto-toting, pro-Assad Russian-Chinese alliance. This deep division over the
Assad regime allowed the Syrian crisis to be so drawn-out that the good old
inter-sectarian mudslinging, disguised in sexual terms, began to resurface as a
noticeable phenomenon. Because this phenomenon is not peculiar to the current
conflict in Syria, this study starts by giving a historical overview of the
sexualization of conflicts both among Arabs and internationally. Then the paper
moves to examine samples of the mutual sexual defamation by the Syrian regime
and the opposition in order to shed light on a neglected byproduct/aspect of
the still raging war in and about Syria.
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