Writing by Abdul Hafiz al-Houlani; Translation by Yusra Ahmed
(Zaman Al Wasl)- Following the eruption of the Syrian revolution and the violent reaction and unprecedented suppression by the Syrian regime, people in Syria have become worried about their lives from saying even a word, as the history of the regime’s brutality is still in their memories, that pushed people in Syria to rely on coding to deliver what they mean without fearing of arrest or punishment.
As Homs has become the capital of the revolution, Homsi people as usual, are the pioneers in the funny and unexpectedly new issues, one of them their way in using “codes” in their calls and communication via “WhatsApp” application especially when someone from outside Syria wants to contact members of the family still in Syria, according to Abo Mustafa, a refugee in Lebanon came from Homs, Khaldiyah neighborhood.
Abo Mustafa’s sister is still in Syria and live in Tadamon neighborhood in Southern Damascus, which has been under opposition control since the beginning of the revolution. They use “coding” in their conversation via WhatsApp, for example, the code for the regime’s army is “Hardun” or she put a symbol of a chameleon.
She describes the Syrian army movements saying: “today I have seen a hardun getting out of the sewage and run away to our neighbour’s house, or to our neighbour who lives in Yarmouk, she suffers of too many Harduns in her house because she was late in throwing rubbish.
Abo Mustafa’s sister codes “Shabiha” as ants or she uses a symbol of an ant. For example she says: “ants are too many today in the kitchen, I have forgotten some sugar on floor, or she says that her neighbor in Harasta has huge number of ants in her kitchen because she has forgotten the jam dish on floor.
Iranians and their militia are coded as “our neighbor Om Hussein” and she details their activities like: today, sons of our neighbor Em Hussein gone to Yarmouk refugee camp to visit their relatives, all her sons went, it seems they have a party or a wedding”
In regard to explosions, Abo Mustafa’s sister mentions them as “balloons”, for example she says: “today I bought a balloon to my daughter Rama from Fahama neighborhood, but it exploded in her face and her brothers were scared” meaning that an explosion had happened in Fahamam and it killed many people.
Abo Mustafa has his own “codes’ as well, for example if he wanted to ask about air strikes and warplanes, he asks if his sister still hit her naughty son on his neck or he has become better, and according to the answer he understands the situation.
About prices, bread and fuel, they use different cods for them, and they communicate easily, but it took them time to reach to the meaning of different things they use.
Abu Mustafa added that every family has its own “codes”, even things are coded in different ways within the same family, for example, if his brother wants to ask his sister about shelling, he say: “where does my brother-in-law work these day?”, if she rely: “inn watering the trees” she means that shelling is heavy on Douma, Harasta and Ghouta district, but if she said: ‘at our cousins” she mean in loyal neighborhoods.
Abo Mustafa mentioned that he sometimes forget the meaning of “codes” or “symbol” which force him to ask directly, like what happened when he wanted to sk about the outcomes of the parliament election.
Although living outside Syria has freed Syrians from fear they have living under for decades and they can now express and say their attitude openly, but they still worried about their relatives who still in Syria and they take all precautions to protect them when they want to communicate with them .
(Zaman Al Wasl)- Following the eruption of the Syrian revolution and the violent reaction and unprecedented suppression by the Syrian regime, people in Syria have become worried about their lives from saying even a word, as the history of the regime’s brutality is still in their memories, that pushed people in Syria to rely on coding to deliver what they mean without fearing of arrest or punishment.
As Homs has become the capital of the revolution, Homsi people as usual, are the pioneers in the funny and unexpectedly new issues, one of them their way in using “codes” in their calls and communication via “WhatsApp” application especially when someone from outside Syria wants to contact members of the family still in Syria, according to Abo Mustafa, a refugee in Lebanon came from Homs, Khaldiyah neighborhood.
Abo Mustafa’s sister is still in Syria and live in Tadamon neighborhood in Southern Damascus, which has been under opposition control since the beginning of the revolution. They use “coding” in their conversation via WhatsApp, for example, the code for the regime’s army is “Hardun” or she put a symbol of a chameleon.
She describes the Syrian army movements saying: “today I have seen a hardun getting out of the sewage and run away to our neighbour’s house, or to our neighbour who lives in Yarmouk, she suffers of too many Harduns in her house because she was late in throwing rubbish.
Abo Mustafa’s sister codes “Shabiha” as ants or she uses a symbol of an ant. For example she says: “ants are too many today in the kitchen, I have forgotten some sugar on floor, or she says that her neighbor in Harasta has huge number of ants in her kitchen because she has forgotten the jam dish on floor.
Iranians and their militia are coded as “our neighbor Om Hussein” and she details their activities like: today, sons of our neighbor Em Hussein gone to Yarmouk refugee camp to visit their relatives, all her sons went, it seems they have a party or a wedding”
In regard to explosions, Abo Mustafa’s sister mentions them as “balloons”, for example she says: “today I bought a balloon to my daughter Rama from Fahama neighborhood, but it exploded in her face and her brothers were scared” meaning that an explosion had happened in Fahamam and it killed many people.
Abo Mustafa has his own “codes’ as well, for example if he wanted to ask about air strikes and warplanes, he asks if his sister still hit her naughty son on his neck or he has become better, and according to the answer he understands the situation.
About prices, bread and fuel, they use different cods for them, and they communicate easily, but it took them time to reach to the meaning of different things they use.
Abu Mustafa added that every family has its own “codes”, even things are coded in different ways within the same family, for example, if his brother wants to ask his sister about shelling, he say: “where does my brother-in-law work these day?”, if she rely: “inn watering the trees” she means that shelling is heavy on Douma, Harasta and Ghouta district, but if she said: ‘at our cousins” she mean in loyal neighborhoods.
Abo Mustafa mentioned that he sometimes forget the meaning of “codes” or “symbol” which force him to ask directly, like what happened when he wanted to sk about the outcomes of the parliament election.
Although living outside Syria has freed Syrians from fear they have living under for decades and they can now express and say their attitude openly, but they still worried about their relatives who still in Syria and they take all precautions to protect them when they want to communicate with them .
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