Today’s International Day of Peace, but not everyone in the Middle East is feeling it

Published September 21st, 2016 - 02:05 GMT
An anti-war protest in London. (AFP/File)
An anti-war protest in London. (AFP/File)

September 21st is known globally as the International Day of Peace, commemorated by the United Nations and various organizations all around the world.

The date is also being commemorated on social media, where Twitter users are using the hashtag #PeaceDay2016 in English and #اليوم_العالمي_للسلام (International Day of Peace) in Arabic. Hyperlink to hashtag

With the conflict and violence witnessed in Syria, Yemen, Iraq, and other locales throughout the Middle East - much of Arabic Twitter tweeted in favor of spreading peace around the world.

"Peace to all the weak, to all the oppressed, peace to the whole world - no fighting, no killing."

Others took the opportunity to advocate for various causes in the Arab world. One user tweeted about former Bahraini opposition party leader Fadel Abbas, following the announcement of his prison sentence last week: hyperlink to article on this

"On the International Day of Peace we remember the Bahraini opposition member Fadel Abbas who was sentenced to five years in prison merely for a statement posted online condemning the war in Yemen."

Others set their sights on Israel - even suggesting that the International Day of Peace merely seeks normalization with the Israeli state.

"It’s said that today is the International Day of Peace. What peace are they talking about? Sorry, I forgot that they mean the International Day of Peace with Zionism. So we are in a war against ourselves?"

"An invitation to the free world: Join us on the International Day of Peace with the hashtag #The_Zionist_Entity_Is_the_enemy_of_peace." 

As for others, some appear to have missed the message entirely.

JC

Tags:TwitterUnited NationsRohit SharmaFadel Abbas
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