ALBAWABA - Following the unexplained abduction and return of Syrian teenager Mira Jalal Thabet, a case that has polarized public opinion and stoked conjecture in Syria and abroad, a wave of controversy has flooded social media.
The tale started when a video of Mira, who is from Talkalakh in the countryside of Homs, coming home after being missing for a few days went viral. Concerns were raised when she was shown in the video wearing strange clothing and with a young male.
At first, many thought Mira had been abducted and coerced into marriage. This version became popular, particularly when an audio clip of Mira's father saying he had sent her off to the institution for her examinations and she never came back went viral.
Some even made terrifying comparisons between the case and the ISIS kidnappings of women in Syria and Iraq.
New information soon surfaced. According to reports, Mira had fled willingly out of dread of her family's displeasure and had returned home with a young guy called Ahmed, who said that they were lawfully married.
Even though Mira and Ahmed's interviews supported this story, many people still thought Mira was speaking under duress because of her tense demeanor and modest attire, which stood in contrast to previous pictures of her.
Ahmed's account was corroborated by an Ikhbariya TV broadcast that said Mira had been married voluntarily and returned to her home with reporters and security guards.
After first expressing astonishment and alarm over the incident, well-known Syrian actress Yara Sabri revealed letters from Mira's instructor confirming that Mira had voluntarily eloped with a young guy her family had rejected because of sectarian disagreements.
Television Syria corroborated this story, describing the incident as a case of forbidden love between two individuals from different religions. The journalist said that such a circumstance is common in Syria and often results in family strife.
The tale of Mira, which represents the profound socioeconomic, cultural, and sectarian divisions in Syrian society, is still a popular subject on social media.
