Syria Today | Changing Terms

Syrians employ a unique vocabulary to discuss the unrest.

By Rana Tamimi
Caricature Ala Rostom

The Syrian protests have not only shaped a new way of thinking. They have also created a newvocabulary. At first it seemed that this language was only used by activists who wanted to codify their speech in order to dodge scrutiny and censorship, but the new terms are now commonplace. Everyone from reporters to politicians has changed and expanded the way he speaks and this is shaping public debate around the uprising.

New definitions
Many words that existed outside public discourse before protests began in March are now ubiquitous in the news. Terms such as moondesseen, shabbiha, Aara'eer and bouk are a few examples. Moondesseen and shabbiha are the two most common words, now used in international news broadcasts, written in government press releases as well as spoken on the streets.

Shabbiha is a slang word for thugs or gangsters. The term first appeared during the 1990s when Mercedes Benz launched its S-class model of cars. Syrians called this type of car shabah (ghost), and therefore its riders were called shabbiha. This group of people, wealthy and well-connected, dominated social life in Syria and operated largely in the shadows of society. They also had impunity in the country. Analysts say that with the blessing of the leadership, the shabbiha carried out illegal activities such as smuggling.

Although Syrians whispered stories about them, the shabbiha were rarely mentioned in the media until the dissent broke out. Then, the group helped crack down on protests and it became a word to describe unofficial security forces.

"The first wave of [people who come to stop] the protests is the shabbiha who try to penetrate the demonstrators' lines to weaken their defence and unity," said Ruba, 27, a communications specialist who watches protests occurring in Kafar Sousseh near al-Rifaii mosque. "Then the official forces continue by detaining or dispersing the demonstrators."

The exchanges Ruba witnessed were brutal and frightening, she said.

"The shabbiha are always in casual clothes or tracksuit trousers," she said. "One minute they are participating in the march and suddenly they start chasing it."

Pointing fingers
Moondesseen is a popular term created by the pro-regime media to criticise anti-government activists.

"The word moondesseen portrays the protestors as foreigners tucked among the real people of Syria because of an international conspiracy against the most powerful country in the region," said Wael Marakbi, 68, a retired pharmacist who is wary of the revolution and believes the opposition is composed of infiltrators.

"I lived through the coups of the 1960s and would not want my grandchildren to bear the consequences of such revolutions," he said. "I believe the conspiracy theories and I am sure Syria and its leaders will pull us out of this crisis with the least possible damage."

Marakbi said the word moondesseen accurately describes the demonstrators.

"I am still not impressed by the ideology of the current movement," he said. "Those against the regime are scattered and mostly living abroad with no deep knowledge of our history and nature. Maybe it's only fair to name them moondesseen."

Another term commonly used by regime loyalists describe followers of a certain ideology. Adnan Aaro'ur, 63, is a Syrian cleric from Hama who is currently based in Riyadh in Saudi Arabia. Aaro'ur has appeared on several satellite channels where, since March, he has spoken out openly and aggressively against the regime. His followers are religious conservatives who, since the uprising began, people simply call Aara'eer.

Critical language
Bouk (trumpet) is one of the words employed by anti-government citizens in order to critique their pro-regime counterparts. It describes someone who repeats – or trumpets – the regime's stories and actions without questioning it. Bouks are unpopular participants in political discussions critical of the regime, since they are known for repeating the talking points issued in state media propaganda.

Social media networks have been the focal point for political discourse and therefore are the place where these newly popular words are most frequently used. Through the Internet, the younger generation publicises these words and gives them global audience. Some people even create Facebook groups and pages that support or mock these words.

A speaker's vocabulary choice is a telltale of his or her political orientation. If someone refers to the protestors as moondesseen, then he or she is usually a supporter of the regime who believes the current situation is a temporary ordeal caused by foreign countries. Those who refer to shabbiha generally support the demands of the demonstrators.

The popularity of many other words has skyrocketed since the uprising began. Terms and phrases such as eyewitness, armed groups, regime and 'revolutionary coordination committee' were rarely used before March. While by definition neutral, the way they are employed helps to signal the sympathies of the speaker.

"The 'armed gangs' are usually the alibi of the authorities and the official response when casualties occur," Randa, 39, a news analyst and freelance writer said. "These groups are still unknown to both sides, which gives the authorities more time and flexibility to handle the crackdown."

"The relationship between culture and language is an ongoing one," Radwan al-Malki, 54, a private Arabic language tutor in Damascus, said. "The daily use of colloquial words is important. They will make it into the dictionary after a certain amount of time of consistent usage."

"The Arabic language is not known for its flexibility, but new terms are making their way into local dialect dictionaries in each Arabic country. For example: shabbiha in Syria is equivalent to baltagi in Egypt and Tunisia with a minor spelling change in Yemen," Malki said.

The ambiguity of terms is in part due to the fact that the meaning of what is happening in Syria remains unclear. Is it a revolution or a riot? Are shabbiha or moondesseen responsible for the violence against protesters? Will the Aara'eer teachings prevail over secularism in Syria? Will the bouk be silenced? Whatever the answer to these questions, the protests have ushered in a whole new array of vocabulary.

First names were used for sources who requested anonymity.