Syrians space for grief, comfort is Facebook

By Lama Shammas; Translation by Yusra Ahmed

As death toll soars, Syrian Facebookers have made of their walls a space to mourn and comfort each other.

Intensity of mortar shells hitting some areas of Damascus has increased, resulting in many deaths. Unfortunately, announcements for those deaths has become dangerous, as distributing and hanging mourning posters on walls in different areas of the city as before, has become risky, not to forget the risk on by-passers who tend to avoid stopping for a long anywhere fear of a shell.

Facebook’s walls have started to become an alternative to distribute mourning announcement according to many people. Claudia is one of them, as she put her father’s mourning announcement on her Facebook page, but she was worried that many of her father’s acquaintance may not be able to see it because they are more likely to not use Facebook. “we used to hang mourning posters near church’s doors to let as many people as possible to see them, however people these day are in hurry and do not stop for long to read” Claudia adds.

Nabil agrees with Claudia’s point of view and explains that mourning posters are no longer attracting to pedestrians as they are in hurry, because of that he published his brother’s mourning announcement on his Facebook page. “Another reason to publish the death announcement of my brother who died under torture in prison was the need to explain the reason of death, which was not allowed by the Syrian regime for the hard-copy poster”

Manar, an activist adds that number of mourning posters has increased in areas under shelling, therefore people have become reluctant to stop and read them all, besides fear of being hit by shells.

The activist adds that mourning gatherings have become too limited, usually only relatives attend, because of regime’s barriers which prevent people from moving easily besides the cost of those gathering which are not affordable for many.