Search Results (37)

This study explores the impact of DW’s news coverage on the perceptions, knowledge, and behavioural changes of the Syrian diaspora in Germany regarding the Syrian crisis. Grounded in the Uses and Gratifications theory, data were collected from 207 Syrian immigrants residing in Germany between September and November 2023 using a convenience sampling approach. The findings reveal that DW is perceived as a credible and objective news source that provides comprehensive and balanced coverage of the Syrian crisis. Exposure to DW’s reporting significantly enhanced respondents’ understanding of the crisis, enabling them to engage in informed discussions. DW’s coverage motivated behavioural changes, encouraging participation in social media discussions and humanitarian initiatives. This study highlights the critical role of trusted international media in shaping diaspora communities’ perceptions, knowledge, and actions during crises. These findings also highlight DW’s influence as a key information source for the Syrian diaspora, fostering both awareness and proactive engagement with the ongoing crisis. Full article

Cases of new COVID-19 infection, which manifested in 2019 and caused a global socioeconomic crisis, still continue to be registered worldwide. The high mutational activity of SARS-CoV-2 leads to the emergence of new antigenic variants of the virus, which significantly reduces the effectiveness of COVID-19 vaccines, as well as the sensitivity of diagnostic test systems based on variable viral antigens. These problems may be solved by focusing on highly conserved coronavirus antigens, for example nucleocapsid (N) protein, which is actively expressed by coronavirus-infected cells and serves as a target for the production of virus-specific antibodies and T cell responses. It is known that anti-N antibodies are non-neutralizing, but their protective potential and functional activity are not sufficiently studied. Here, the protective effect of anti-N antibodies was studied in Syrian hamsters passively immunized with polyclonal sera raised to N(B.1) recombinant protein. The animals were infected with 10⁵ or 10⁴ TCID₅₀ of SARS-CoV-2 (B.1, Wuhan or BA.2.86.1.1.18, Omicron) 6 h after serum passive transfer, and protection was assessed by weight loss, clinical manifestation of disease, viral titers in the respiratory tract, as well as by the histopathological evaluation of lung tissues. The functional activity of anti-N(B.1) antibodies was evaluated by complement-dependent cytotoxicity (CDC) and antibody-dependent cytotoxicity (ADCC) assays. The protection of anti-N antibodies was evident only against a lower dose of SARS-CoV-2 (B.1) challenge, whereas almost no protection was revealed against BA.2.86.1.1.18 variant. Anti-N(B.1) monoclonal antibodies were able to stimulate both CDC and ADCC. Thus, anti-N(B.1) antibodies possess protective activity against homologous challenge infection, which is possibly mediated by innate Fc-mediated immune reactions. These data may be informative for the development of N-based broadly protective COVID-19 vaccines. Full article

This article analyses the spread of unbelief among conservative Egyptian and Syrian Muslims in the post-Arab Spring period. In this period, social media gave an unprecedented visibility to transgressive expressions of fiducial doubt, creating the impression of a ‘wave of atheism’ within the conservative milieu. Based on original sources and interviews, the article argues that what the participants called ‘atheism’ (ilḥād) must not be read from the perspective of preconceived notions of atheism, but examined inductively as an emergent phenomenon of nonreligion in a specific social context, the conservative Muslim and Islamist milieu. Its appearance can be traced to a multifaceted overlay of different developments and factors, including cultural and media globalisation, the unsettling social effects of the Arab Spring, and the severe doubts and disappointments suffered by sympathisers of political Islam in the post-2013 period. It is conceivable that a significant number of people defected from conservative Islam to other shapes of religion and nonreligion, but their personal trajectories await further research. More manifestly, the crisis provided an opportunity for a new generation of conservative religious guides and thinkers who have been leading an updating of religious socialisation and propagation methods among conservative Muslims. Full article

The Zaatari Camp in Jordan exemplifies how Syrian refugees transform a planned grid settlement into an organic urban environment through socio-spatial adaptation, reflecting their cultural identity and territorial practices. This study investigates the camp’s morphological evolution, analyzing how refugees reconfigure public and private spaces to prioritize privacy, security, and community cohesion. Using qualitative methods—including archival maps, photographs, and field observations—the research reveals how formal public areas are repurposed into private shelter extensions, creating zones of influence that mirror traditional Arab-Islamic urban patterns. Key elements such as mosques, markets, and hierarchical street networks emerge as cultural anchors, shaped by refugees’ prior urban experiences. However, this organic growth introduces challenges, such as blocked streets and undefined spaces, which hinder safety and service delivery, underscoring tensions between informal urbanization and structured planning. The findings advocate urban resilience and participatory planning frameworks that integrate socio-cultural values, emphasizing defensible boundaries, interdependence, and adaptable design. Refugees’ territorial behaviors—such as creating diagonal streets and expanding shelters—highlight their agency in reshaping urban systems, challenging conventional top-down approaches. This research focuses on land-use dynamics, sustainable cities, and adaptive urban systems in crisis contexts. By bridging gaps between displacement studies and urban theory, the study offers insights into fostering social inclusion and equitable infrastructure in transient settlements. Future research directions, including comparative analyses of refugee camps and cognitive mapping, aim to deepen understanding of socio-spatial resilience. Ultimately, this work contributes to global dialogues on informal urbanization and culturally responsive design, advocating for policies that align with the Sustainable Development Goals to rebuild cohesive, resilient urban environments in displacement settings. Full article

Background and Objectives: Acute gastroenteritis (AGE) is a major contributor to pediatric morbidity and mortality worldwide. There is a scarcity of data on AGE in North Lebanon, a region profoundly affected by the Syrian refugee crisis and water sanitation issues. This study examines the prevalence, risk factors, and seasonal variations in adenovirus and rotavirus infections in children with AGE in North Lebanon. Materials and Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted from September 2022 to August 2023 on 400 children (1 month to 5 years old) with AGE that were admitted to pediatric departments of three private hospitals in North Lebanon. Stool samples were collected and tested using chromatographic immunoassays. Comprehensive demographic and clinical data were collected and analyzed. Results: Rotavirus was the most frequent viral agent (28%), followed by adenovirus (12.3%) and mixed infections (5.5%). Rotavirus vaccination demonstrated a significant protective effect, and lower infection rates were associated with breastfeeding and consumption of bottled water (p < 0.001). Higher infection rates correlated with lower levels of maternal education and household incomes (p < 0.001). Malnutrition significantly increased susceptibility to rotavirus infections (p < 0.001). Conclusions: This study emphasized the urgent need for targeted public health interventions in North Lebanon to mitigate the burden of rotavirus and adenovirus-induced acute gastroenteritis among children. Full article

Though refugee camps are by definition “temporary”, many camps endure for decades, where individuals live full lives through childhood, marriage, children, grandchildren, and death. These settlements function no differently than cities in their social life, density, zoning, and operation, yet are “planned” through UNHCR (United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees) templates for camps. The Zaatari camp in Jordan for Syrian asylum seekers, for example, holds a population of 80,000. Rather than viewing refugee camps as temporary human warehouses, this article demonstrates that camps are spaces where individuals build social networks and economic activities flourish. As such, the camp planning templates should include adaptive Construction 4.0 technologies for more socially flexible settlements, even if the camps are considered “temporary”. This case study research on the Zaatari camp illustrates how refugees adapt their built environment, identifying adaptation patterns that enhance both livability and sustainability. The work illustrates social and environmental changes that require adaptive housing configurations. The conclusion suggests linking modern tools in the construction industry to empirically derived planning objectives to be efficiently executed in moments of crisis. Full article

Turkey has been a hub for migrants since the Syrian crisis and has been home to 3.7 million refugees. The literature on migration focusses largely on Turkey’s response to refugees from Syria, host country citizens’ attitudes towards Syrians and their integration challenges, the EU–Turkey refugee deal, and its political implications for the EU and Turkey. Nonetheless, there has been a sharp rise in the number of Afghan migrants to Turkey since the complete withdrawal of US military forces from Afghanistan in 2020. Both scholarly and grey literature highlights that Turkey has recently been an attractive hub for Afghan migrants and other ethnic minorities, following Pakistan and Iran. Nonetheless, this literature has not substantially explored the Turkish government’s attitude towards the new influx of migrants. For this purpose, the article draws upon qualitative research based on secondary and grey literature (including semi-structured interviews with representatives from migration-related NGOs in Turkey). The article underpins its findings from the public policy framework of NATO (nodality, authority, treasure, organisation) by demonstrating how Turkey’s ambivalent response to the refugee inflow is shaped by limited information (nodality), weak legal mechanisms (authority), exploitation of new inflow as cheap labour (treasure), and migration system restructuring (organisation, treasure) after the withdrawal of external actors like the EU and UNHCR. Full article

Armed conflicts and resulting displacement disrupt people’s sense of place, leading to an imbalance in the people–place relationship, exaggerated by rehabilitation efforts that overlook the sense of place among conflict- and displacement-impacted communities. A continuous landscape narrative that extends from pre- to post-conflict times contributes to recreating the essence of lost landscapes and therefore reconnecting their sense of place. Focusing on a Syrian city that hosted internally displaced persons (IDPs) in the aftermath of the Syrian conflict, this study aims to structure a virtual landscape and narrative depiction of conflict-impacted landscapes. This study proposes a storytelling approach for narrative construction and an AI-powered visualisation approach to revive the image of the elusive landscapes. This study utilised qualitative research methods through in-depth, semi-structured interviews for data collection and an online survey for exploring the perception of virtual landscape images generated with AI text-to-image models (DALL.E 2 and Bing Image Creator). This study indicates that narratives, supported by AI visualisation, are reliable for comprehending landscape transformation and changes in the sense of place. The two approaches can serve as rehabilitation initiatives in post-crisis settings to recall images of elusive landscapes to save them from being lost forever. Full article

Citrus is one of the most valuable crops in Syria, with the largest production areas being in the coastal provinces of Tartus and Latakia, where this study was performed. A companion paper reported on the basal crop coefficients derived from the field water balance and on the performance assessment of various irrigation methods used in a citrus orchard located in the same region. That study evidenced the need for the improved management of irrigation water, mainly reducing water applications and increasing productivity, thus leading to the current research. The main objectives consisted of (i) providing a set of reliable basal (K_cb) and average (K_c) crop coefficients to be used in practice in the citrus orchards of the Syrian coastal area, while accounting for the diversity of characteristics observed; (ii) to estimate the seasonal consumptive use of typical orchards under different climate-demand and deficit-irrigation scenarios; and (iii) to assess possible water savings and related yield reductions. The previously calibrated water balance model SIMDualKc was used for these purposes. The computed K_cb values for the mid-season and average demand for water ranged from 0.52, when the plant density was low, to 0.84, when plant density was very high. The corresponding K_c values, which further reflected the impact of drip irrigation on controlling soil evaporation, were 0.72 and 0.97, respectively. Overall, the consumptive use of water was estimated to range from 867 to 1573 mm. The assessed water-saving scenarios consisted of adopting increased management-allowed depletion (MAD) thresholds relative to the p depletion fraction for no stress: MAD = 1.05, 1.10, 1.20, and 1.30 p. For trees under a very high climatic demand, water savings ranged from 12 to 34%, but the yield losses induced by the water deficits ranged from 8 to 48%. Although the selection of optimal strategies should be based upon economic terms, these may only be used when the Syrian economy recovers from civil war and the current crisis. The present results show the feasibility of adopting such MAD thresholds for building an irrigation management platform. The data provided by the current study are valuable because they can be efficiently used to support of the irrigation management of Syrian citrus production systems. Full article

Lebanon has been one of the most affected countries by the Syrian humanitarian crisis. The national communicable disease surveillance was enhanced to detect outbreaks among Syrians. In this study, we aim to describe the findings of the communicable disease surveillance among Syrians in Lebanon, compare it to residents’ data, and describe the implemented surveillance activities between 2013 and 2019. During the study period, data on communicable diseases was mainly collected through the routine national surveillance system and an enhanced syndromic surveillance system. Predefined case definitions and standard operating procedures were in place. Data collection included both case-based and disease-specific reporting forms. Descriptive data and incidence rates were generated. Information was disseminated through weekly reports. Activities were conducted in close collaboration with different partners. The most commonly reported diseases were: viral hepatitis A, cutaneous leishmaniasis, mumps, and measles. Hepatitis A incidence increased in 2013 and 2014 among Syrians as well as residents. For leishmaniasis, the incidence increased only among Syrians in 2013 and decreased after that. An outbreak of mumps was reported among Syrians between 2014 and 2016, with a peak in 2015 concomitant with a national outbreak. Outbreaks of measles were reported among Syrians and residents in 2013, 2018, and 2019. The infrastructure of the well-implemented surveillance system in Lebanon has been utilized to monitor the health status of Syrians in Lebanon, early detect communicable diseases among this population, and guide needed preventive and control measures. This highlights the importance of having a flexible surveillance system that can be adapted to emergencies and the importance of sharing results with involved partners. Full article

Through the theoretical frameworks of the media system dependency model and uses and gratifications theory, this study examined the uses of social media by Syrian refugees in Jordan and Turkey. A mixed-methods approach was used to increase the credibility and validity of the study’s findings by combining a qualitative method with quantitative data. The findings show that there were some factors that affected the Syrian refugees’ use of social media before seeking refuge in Jordan and Turkey, which were mainly its ban due to the regime’s censorship and a bad Internet connection due to the bad infrastructure. The absence of these two factors led to an increase in their social media dependency after seeking refuge. There are variances in which social media sites Syrian refugees use the most and why. The majority relied on Facebook for various reasons, and this dependency had varying repercussions on individuals. Furthermore, many immigrants were acquainted with new platforms, implying that refugees became social-media-literate and participated in the updates of the new platforms, even if such sites were not well known to the general public. The Syrian refugees’ dependency on social media varies from person to person due to differences in personal goals, social status, locations, living characteristics, and easy access to the Internet. Furthermore, this dependency on social media has different effects on them according to the media system dependency model. The refugees become increasingly dependent on social media to satisfy their needs and, because of that, social media dependency will become more important in their lives and will increase its influence and effects on them. Furthermore, the study found that the Syrian refugees depended on social media for various gratifications, such as educational, work, and business; information access; cultural and social aspects; connecting with networks and families; establishing friendships; learning new skills; self-expression; making business; and finding work, in addition to reaching routes and contacting smugglers to help them leave the country. Full article

This study aims to recognize the possible role of social media in forming xenophobia and hate speech against Syrian refugees and to understand the reinforcing causes and negative effects of that speech on the refugees, as well as the refugees’ response mechanisms against that speech. A mixed approach was used in this study. In addition to a questionnaire tool that was used to collect data, focus group discussions were conducted to support the obtained data. The study used a statistically representative sample of Syrian refugees who live in Turkey and Jordan. The participants see the negative representation of their image via social media as leading to hatred towards them. The findings showed that there are some causes that reinforce xenophobic speech, such as otherization and demonization of refugees, by the negative representation and spreading of fake news on social media, which are published continuously. Moreover, gatekeepers have a role in promoting negative representation by approving xenophobic speech transmission without filtering or ethical control. The results also showed that the negative representation containing hate speech contributes to more negative effects on the refugees, such as psychological effects, as a sense of hatred towards refugees is created in the host country, and the effect of changing the feelings of the public from empathy to compassion fatigue concluding to hatred towards those refugees. Furthermore, the results showed that the Syrian refugees follow different defense mechanisms against xenophobia and hate speech against them published and circulated through social media platforms. The participants were divided into two main categories; the first one is those who prefer replying, not being silent, and defending the refugees, and the second category is those who prefer keeping silent. The first category of refugees stated that they do not accept keeping silent and they prefer to reply using logical, emotional, or defensive and offensive ways to bad comments against Syrian refugees in general. While the second category claimed that either they do not have time to reply or they sometimes agree that it was only a reaction to the behavior of some individual refugees. Some of them explained that they are afraid of being subjected to more bad comments and negative reactions against them. When they encounter aggressive comments and see that such views represent the majority, they prefer to keep silent to avoid being attacked. This is understood within the framework of the spiral of silence theory, where refugees hide their opinions, views, and preferences when they think that they fall within a minority group. They fear social isolation through social media. Full article

This study examined the lived experiences of Syrian refugee child brides to understand their needs as they navigate new social roles after marriage. A cross-sectional study was conducted in Lebanon using SenseMaker^® to collect narratives from married Syrian girls age 13 and older and from their parents. Thematic analysis using inductive coding was performed. Identified themes were organized according to an adaptation of Bronfenbrenner’s socioecological theory of human development to present experiences across all levels of the girls’ interactions and potential influences. Themes at the microsystem level included overwhelming domestic expectations and worry about their own children in the girls’ roles as young mothers. Experiences of intimate partner violence and family conflict were common. At the exosystem level, participants described safety concerns and financial and legal system challenges. The macrosystem level highlighted social expectations around married girls discontinuing education and around separation or divorce. As efforts continue to prevent child marriage within the Syrian crisis and globally, understanding experiences of already married girls is critical to providing support for mitigating harm to child brides. Programs might consider safety planning, parenting supports, access to skills training and education, peer-to-peer social networking, and engaging husbands or families of child brides. Full article

With the increasing refugee crisis worldwide, a great promise lies in the 2030 agenda to help ‘leave no one behind.’ This article aims to take stock of implementing the 2030 Agenda in the refugee camps of the Arab Middle East based on empirical data from Syrian refugees and Iraqi IDPs collected using a questionnaire distributed in Iraq, Jordan, and Lebanon. SDGs’ indices were calculated using arithmetic mean and principal component analysis methods. Our study finds that the progress toward achieving the SDGs is diverse in three locations, mainly due to the policy applied in the host country. The respondents in Iraq ranked the best at social and economic sustainability, Jordan ranked the best at environmental sustainability, and Lebanon was the furthest left behind in the three dimensions. SDG7 has a high performance, but accelerating the progress toward achieving the remaining SDGs is essential. Without the substantial efforts of all stakeholders, the 2030 agenda will not be accomplished. Full article

Negative, tragic, traumatic and suffering representations continue to dominate the discussions and content on social media in the stories and content related to Syrian refugees. The public, while browsing social media, finds that this representation is the dominant one that dominates the image of refugees. Thus, there is a potential risk that the public’s compassion will be negatively affected after repeated exposure to the dominant representation in light of the inability to put an end to that situation. This study discusses the perspectives of Syrian refugees living in Jordan and Turkey on whether they feel such repeated negative and tragic content about their stories and news on social media could affect the empathy of the audience in hosting communities with them, especially since social media is an open-source platform that all people at any time and from any place can post, re-share, comment and create content by adding texts, photos and videos, not like traditional media, which are controlled more than social media platforms for open participatory content. This study aims to explore how a vulnerable population, such as Syrian refugees in Istanbul and Amman, sees the effect of negative representation on themselves and their image in the hosting communities and does not aim to examine or offer any conclusion as to whether the public in Jordan and Turkey have experienced compassion fatigue. This study provides and extracts some useful insights, but proves no hypotheses or conclusive evidence regarding the occurrence of compassion fatigue in the public; thus, the study opens the door for the debate on the role that social media plays as a source of compassion fatigue among citizens towards refugees, mainly when they are repeatedly exposed to such negative stories and content, as well as calls for an in-depth and extensive study on the topic from the point of view of the public and citizens in the hosting countries, after examining, understanding and analyzing the opinions and their dimensions of the sample of refugees in this study. Full article