Yesterday, news outlets around the world reported that Syrian-American blogger and author of the blog “A Gay Girl in Damascus”, Amina Arraf, was arrested in Damascus by the Syrian Security Forces. Since then, some journalists in the West are beginning to question her identity. As I began to read the links that were being posted to my Facebook wall, e-mailed to me, and appearing on news sites, the doubt started to creep. I remembered a few years ago the questions surrounding the authenticity of the Riverbend Blog. However, in spite of the doubt, I refuse to be swayed because there are several important factors about Amina Arraf’s case that point to its authenticity:
1. It was pointed out on Jezebel, by one commenter, that her idiomatic expressions and the way in which her viewpoints “dovetailed” neatly with American liberals was a indicative to them that Amina Arraf is a fraud. Amina herself identifies as “Syrian-American” and makes her hybrid identity public, in the interest of full-disclosure. As she openly identifies as American and Syrian, I believe negates that particular argument. Further, if Amina is indeed possessing two citizenships, then she is probably part of the Syrian bourgeois. It is entirely possible that she was educated at an American international school either in Syria or in Egypt, Lebanon, or Jordan. Indeed, her parentage may signal significant time spent abroad. Finally, just because she is Syrian does not mean that her ideals may or may not align with those of the American left. Americans do not have the monopoly on liberalism.
2. One year ago, she supposedly stole a London woman’s identity. If Amina is blogging inside Syria, she no doubt stole someone else’s identity as a way to protect her own identity. I am not excusing her, but it may be a necessary evil in order for her to create a false identity to be able to create the authenticity that she needed to get the attention of the West. This quest for authenticity goes two ways, hopefully in this case Amina’s pilfered avatar will be the least of her crimes.
3. The internet provides youth around the world and not just the Middle East with a means of subversion. Internet cafes and access to the world wide web give youth a freedom that they cannot otherwise aspire to either because of familial structure, social pressures or government censorship.
*I never finished this entry, saved it as a draft and am now posting it in the interest of transparency.
