‘Like a dream’: AFP photographer’s return to Syria
‘Like a dream’: AFP photographer’s return to Syria/node/2584214/media
‘Like a dream’: AFP photographer’s return to Syria
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Syrian AFP photographer Sameer Al-Doumy talks with people from his old neighborhood in the city of Douma near Damascus on December 22, 2024. (AFP)
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Syrian AFP photographer Sameer al-Doumy meets with a friend from his old neighborhood in the city of Douma near Damascus on December 22, 2024. (AFP)
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Syrian AFP photographer Sameer Al-Doumy takes a selfie in the city of Douma near Damascus on December 22, 2024. (AFP)
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Syrian AFP photographer Sameer al-Doumy visits his house in the city of Douma near Damascus on December 22, 2024. (AFP)
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Updated 25 December 2024
AFP
‘Like a dream’: AFP photographer’s return to Syria
“We didn’t dare to imagine that Assad could fall because his presence was so anchored in us,” said Al-Doumy
Award-winning photographer has spent the last few years covering migrant crisis for AFP’s Lille bureau in northern France
Updated 25 December 2024
AFP
DOUMA: AFP photographer Sameer Al-Doumy never dreamed he would be able to return to the hometown in Syria that he escaped through a tunnel seven years ago after it was besieged by Bashar Assad’s forces.
Douma, once a militant stronghold near Damascus, suffered terribly for its defiance of the former regime, and was the victim of a particularly horrific chemical weapons attack in 2018.
“It is like a dream for me today to find myself back here,” he said.
“The revolution was a dream, getting out of a besieged town and of Syria was a dream, as it is now being able to go back.
“We didn’t dare to imagine that Assad could fall because his presence was so anchored in us,” said the 26-year-old.
“My biggest dream was to return to Syria at a moment like this after 13 years of war, just as it was my biggest dream in 2017 to leave for a new life,” said the award-winning photographer who has spent the last few years covering the migrant crisis for AFP’s Lille bureau in northern France.
“I left when I was 19,” said Sameer, all of whose immediate family are in exile, apart from his sister.
“This is my home, all my memories are here, my childhood, my adolescence. I spent my life in Douma in this house my family had to flee and where my cousin now lives.
“The house hasn’t changed, although the top floor was destroyed in the bombardments.
“The sitting room is still the same, my father’s beloved library hasn’t changed. He would settle down there every morning to read the books that he had collected over the years — it was more important to him than his children.
“I went looking for my childhood stuff that my mother kept for me but I could not find it. I don’t know if it exists anymore.
“I haven’t found any comfort here, perhaps because I haven’t found anyone from my family or people I was close to. Some have left the country and others were killed or have disappeared.
“People have been through so much over the last 13 years, from the peaceful protests of the revolution, to the war and the siege and then being forced into exile.
“My memories are here but they are associated with the war which started when I was 13. What I lived through was hard, and what got me through was my family and friends, and they are no longer here.
“The town has changed. I remember the bombed buildings, the rubble. Today life has gone back to a kind of normal as the town waits for people to return.”
Douma was besieged by Assad’s forces from the end of 2012, with Washington blaming his forces for a chemical attack in the region that left more than 1,400 people dead the following year.
Sameer’s career as a photojournalist began when he and his brothers began taking photos of what was happening around them.
“After the schools closed I started to go out filming the protests with my brothers here in front of the main mosque, where the first demonstration in Douma was held after Friday prayers, and where the first funerals of the victims were also held.
“I set up my camera on the first floor of a building which overlooks the mosque and then changed my clothes afterwards so I would not be recognized and arrested. Filming the protests was banned.
“When the security forces attacked, I would take the SIM card out of my phone and the memory card out of my camera and put them in my mouth.”
That way he could swallow them if he was caught.
In May 2017, Sameer fled through a tunnel dug by the militants and eventually found himself in Idlib with former fighters and their families.
“I took the name Sameer Al-Doumy (Sameer from Douma) to affirm that I belonged somewhere,” even though he was exiled, he said. “I stopped using my first name, Motassem, to protect my family living in Damascus.
“In France I have a happy and stable life. I have a family, friends and a job. But I am not rooted to any particular place. When I went back to Syria, I felt I had a country.
“When you are abroad, you get used to the word ‘refugee’ and you get on with your life and make a big effort to integrate in a new society. But your country remains the place that accepts you as you are. You don’t have to prove anything.
“When I left Syria, I never thought one day I would be able to return. When the news broke, I couldn’t believe it. It was impossible Assad could fall. Lots of people are still in shock and are afraid. It is hard to get your head around how a regime that filled people with so much fear could collapse.
“When I returned to the Al-Midan district of Damascus (which had long resisted the regime), I could not stop myself crying.
“I am sad not to be with my loved ones. But I know they will return, even if it takes a while.
“My dream now is that one day we will all come together again in Syria.”
How PR firms are whitewashing genocide in Gaza to rebrand Israel’s global image
PR firms and marketing agencies are under fire for promoting Israeli narratives amid ongoing war in Gaza
Israel is spending unprecedented millions on a large-scale, tech-savvy strategy to polish its global reputation
Updated 05 October 2025
SHEROUK ZAKARIA and ZAIRA LAKHPATWALA
DUBAI: Contracts filed under the US Foreign Agents Registration Act have revealed the reach of a sprawling, state-backed media campaign, funded by an additional $150 million approved last year, for Israel’s foreign ministry to polish the country’s tarnished reputation.
The campaign, known in Hebrew as Hasbara, comes as Israel’s military operation in Gaza, launched in retaliation for the Oct. 7, 2023, Hamas-led attack, has been widely branded an act of genocide against the Palestinian people.
Major public relations firms now face accusations of whitewashing Israel’s behavior.
Recent FARA disclosures uncovered a highly coordinated, tech-driven propaganda operation through the German division of Havas Media Group — one of the world’s largest advertising firms — and a network of politically connected American PR agencies.
Amid warnings of famine setting in Gaza (top), a pro-Israel PR group came up with the meme (lower frame) denying the existence of people starving in the Palestinian enclave. (AFP)
The strategy aims to flood the internet with content crafted to reshape global perception of Israel, particularly among US and European audiences, as images of civilian casualties and razed neighborhoods in Gaza continue to dominate headlines and social media.
The most advanced aspect of this propaganda machine involves manipulating AI-driven content.
Clock Tower X, a US firm led by President Donald Trump’s former campaign aide Brad Parscale, was hired by Havas to create websites designed to influence how AI models like ChatGPT respond to prompts about Israel and the war in Gaza.
This tactic, known as GPT framing, aims to embed pro-Israel narratives directly into the training data.
. on how Israeli-paid influencers making upwards of $7K per post remain anonymous. For now.
— Responsible Statecraft (@RStatecraft)
According to the $6 million contract, drafted on Aug. 27, Clock Tower X plans to produce targeted content for Generation Z audiences across TikTok, Instagram, YouTube, podcasts and other digital platforms in response to declining support for Israel among younger Americans.
The company said it would complete an “initial cultural, demographic and sentiment research report” for Israel within 30 days, according to a FARA filing.
To maximize reach, the firm is also using MarketBrew AI, a predictive search engine optimization tool, to “improve the visibility and ranking of relevant narratives” on search engines like Google and Bing.
On Tuesday, another FARA filing revealed a $900,000 influencer campaign, dubbed the “Esther Project,” which pays US-based TikTok and Instagram influencers up to $7,000 per post to promote pro-Israel content.
The campaign, involving 14 to 18 influencers, is managed by Bridges Partners LLC, a firm subcontracted by Havas to recruit and coordinate US-based influencers to “assist with promoting cultural interchange between the US and Israel.”
Another US-based firm, Stagwell Global, conducted polling and focus groups to advise the Israeli government on messaging strategies for international media.
On Sept. 5, independent outlet Drop Site News published leaked documents claiming that Stagwell Group had been commissioned by Israel’s foreign ministry to test campaign messages aimed at improving the country’s image in the US and Europe.
Sherry Adud, Elyse Slaine, Lacey Adud and Esther Michaels attend The Lawfare Project Hamptons 2025 Benefit To #EndJewHatred at Southampton Arts Center on August 07, 2025 in Southampton, New York. (AFP)
The PR firm, led by longtime Israeli ally and American political strategist Mark Penn, advised that the most effective strategy was to stoke fear of “radical Islam” and religious extremism.
The leaked report showed recommendations on using messages about terrorism, suggesting that framing these ideologies as threats to other religions was a tactic shown to be especially persuasive among conservative audiences.
SKDK, a subsidiary of Stagwell Group, is also responsible for running an AI-powered influence campaign aimed at flooding platforms like X, Instagram, TikTok, YouTube and LinkedIn with pro-Israel content, according to Sludge News.
The $600,000 contract, signed on April 28 and filed under FARA in August, outlined plans on how SKDK will “flood the zone” with pro-Israel messages using automated AI-powered bots to amplify the reach and visibility of the content.
SKDK was also tasked with training Israeli spokespeople for media appearances, coordinating outreach to global outlets including CNN, BBC and Fox News, and testing the use of, and potentially work with, influencers.
Pro-Israeli social media influencer Brooke Goldstein at a Gaza aid site.
However, SKDK ended its work with the Israeli government soon after and began deregistering on Aug. 31. Stagwell also confirmed it had concluded its involvement, according to a statement provided to Politico.
Both companies were reportedly subcontracted by Havas.
In a statement to Arab News, a Stagwell spokesperson said the company was hired as a subcontractor by Havas to “complete this work as part of a broader project” but it did not “know the nature of Havas’ broader contract with the (Israeli ministry).”
“Our agencies work across the political and issue spectrum and this project done by a small team working on a defined brief does not reflect a shift in that approach,” the spokesperson said. The polling project for Israel, they said, had been completed.
Xavier DuRousseau spouting Israel's lies that Israel was not blocking food entering Gaza, contrary to what international aid groups were saying. (X: XAVIAERD)
Havas did not immediately respond to Arab News’ request for comment.
The FARA revelations have sparked industry-wide outrage and a call for stronger ethics and regulation in the PR industry.
Industry bodies like the Public Relations and Communications Association and the Chartered Institute of Public Relations have a set of international guidelines that require agencies to uphold transparency and accuracy.
Abeer Al-Najjar, associate professor of media and journalism studies at the American University of Sharjah, said under the international PR codes of ethics, contracts between a state and a PR agency should be disclosed to allow the media and public to assess the context of information campaigns.
“This allows journalists to make informed judgments about materials, interviews or narratives promoted by the agency,” she told Arab News.
Abeer Al-Najjar, associate professor of media and journalism studies at the American University of Sharjah. (Supplied)
Al-Najjar said that ethical standards required PR professionals to “avoid spreading misinformation, unverifiable claims or selective framing that could distort public understanding” — principles that are critical during a time of conflict such as the one in Gaza to “protect the integrity of journalism, ensure accountability and prevent PR from becoming a tool of propaganda.”
In light of the recent FARA revelations, industry nonprofit, the Ethical Agency Alliance, said on Thursday that it was expanding its commitments to include the refusal of “all contracts that involve manipulating public opinion to obscure, justify or sanitize atrocities — including war crimes, crimes against humanity or other serious breaches of international law — through communications, branding or public relations.”
Despite the lack of strict regulations, Chris Doyle, director of the London-based Council for Arab-British Understanding, said PR professionals had a duty to “do no harm.”
“It is very hard to imagine a way in which a PR firm could work with a state (such as) Israel that is in the process of genocide, the crime of apartheid and other war crimes and not violate that cardinal principle,” he told Arab News.
In 2017, global PR firm Bell Pottinger was expelled from the Public Relations and Communications Association following an investigation into its campaign allegedly designed to spark racial tensions in South Africa.
Our industry is built on trust.
PRCA’s Codes of Conduct give members a clear framework to uphold the highest ethical and professional standards.
In 2015, another firm, Edelman, came under fire over its representation of ExxonMobil and Shell while it publicly promoted sustainability. Senior staff members and notable clients severed their relationship with the firm, criticizing it for its unethical greenwashing practices.
At a time when PR firms often get a bad rap, it would be prudent for them to stay away from political campaigns, Doyle said.
“For any firm to get into a situation where they are seen as participants in a war (or) assisting a party committing war crimes … it should be catastrophic for their reputations. The fact that it is not begs questions about how they’re held to account.”
He said Israel, with a record of spreading misinformation and disinformation, made it impossible for PR agencies to implement their duty to be honest and not spread falsehoods.
“It is very hard to imagine a way in which a PR firm could work with a state (such as) Israel that is in the process of genocide ... and not violate that cardinal principle,” Chris Doyle, he told Arab News. (AFP file photo)
Hasbara is not new. Israel is accused of running coordinated information warfare campaigns during every major assault on Gaza in 2012, 2014 and 2021.
Its propaganda apparatus has grown significantly in scale and technological sophistication, evolving into a fully digitized operation that spans search engine manipulation, influencer payments, AI model training and deepfake visuals.
Earlier reports, including a May 2024 investigation by Qatari media, documented the alleged use of AI-powered “superbots” designed to swarm social platforms, target pro-Palestinian posts and amplify Israeli talking points in real time.
The bots, said to be increasingly indistinguishable from human users, are part of a wider shift toward algorithmic propaganda.
According to Israeli media reports, the $150 million boost approved in December represented a more than twentyfold increase in its typical budget for international messaging — an urgent push to salvage Israel’s image as it faces mounting diplomatic pressure and global isolation.
Al-Najjar warned of the damage that state-funded campaigns can cause to public trust and discourse as well as meaningful journalism.
For example, they might include “reputation laundering, agenda-setting, and selective storytelling, all of which can suppress or marginalize critical reporting,” she said.
Israeli Foreign Ministry website had been posting misleading views about Israel's genocidal assault on Gaza.
The risks are exacerbated by technology, as governments “increasingly deploy superbots, paid influencers and AI-driven content to simulate grassroots opinion, misrepresent public sentiment and overwhelm critical voices.”
Al-Najjar said that over time, propaganda normalized as marketing eroded trust, desensitized audiences to atrocity, distorted history and silenced marginal voices.
It also resulted in “a distorted global understanding of conflict, where ethical debates, accountability and informed public discourse are compromised.”
Smoke rises following an Israeli military strike in Gaza City, as seen from the central Gaza Strip, on Sept. 26, 2025. (AP Photo/file)
When PR executive Richard Edelman warned brands in January 2024 to “stay out of politics” amid the Israeli-Palestinian conflict or risk long-term damage, his advice seems to have fallen on deaf ears among many in the industry.
Now, PR firms engaged in Israeli-backed campaigns are entangled in accusations of complicity in genocide, with their reputations on the line.
As Lameya Chaudhury, head of social impact at advertising firm Lucky Generals, said in a statement by the Ethical Agency Alliance: “Let’s be clear: If you take money to sanitize atrocities, you’re complicit.”
The PR and advertising industry “can’t keep pretending it’s neutral” because “every time you take a brief, you take a side,” she said.
Media watchdog urges Israel to release detained journalists from Global Sumud Flotilla
Committee to Protect Journalists said at least 32 journalists were on board flotilla vessels heading towards Gaza
‘Detaining members of the press while reporting on a humanitarian mission is a clear violation of international maritime law,’ organization says
Updated 02 October 2025
Arab News
LONDON: The Committee to Protect Journalists called on Israel to “immediately and unconditionally” release all journalists arrested on board the Global Sumud Flotilla, which was intercepted by Israeli forces while attempting to deliver humanitarian aid to Gaza.
The CPJ said at least 32 journalists were on 39 vessels heading toward the territory when they were stopped by Israeli authorities on Wednesday and Thursday.
“Detaining members of the press while reporting on a humanitarian mission is a clear violation of international maritime law and a dangerous escalation in Israel’s pattern of attacks against journalists,” said Sara Qudah, CPJ’s regional director.
“World leaders must act now to defend press freedom, protect journalists, and demand accountability.”
The flotilla, which set sail from Spain in late August, consists of more than 40 civilian vessels carrying medicine, food and other humanitarian supplies. About 500 parliamentarians, lawyers, activists and journalists from more than 40 countries are on board.
It represents the highest-profile attempt yet to challenge Israel’s naval blockade of Gaza, which has contributed to widespread famine and suffering in the territory.
In a message posted on social media platform X, the Israeli Foreign Ministry said all but one vessel was en route to Israel, and detained activists would be deported to Europe.
While the CPJ stated 32 journalists were on flotilla vessels, it remained unclear which of them were detained, aside from Yassine Al-Gaidi, Hayat Al-Yamani, Lotfi Hajji, and Anis Al-Abbassi.
Suhad Bishara, the director of the legal department at the Adalah Center, which is defending the activists, said her team was in the Israeli city of Ashdod following up on the detentions.
“Currently, the picture is not complete,” she said. “Regarding deportation or any legal proceedings, it could be this evening, after the immigration authority begins the process, and it could take several days.”
The interceptions and detentions sparked international condemnation. Amnesty International described Israel’s actions as a “brazen assault” designed to punish and silence critics of its blockade and military campaign in Gaza.
“The decades-long impunity for Israel’s violations of international law must end,” said Agnes Callamard, the organization’s secretary-general.
“Governments worldwide must demand the immediate release of all detainees and the lifting of the unlawful blockade to allow humanitarian aid to flow freely.”
Music platform MDLBEAST launches Newsroom for consolidated media access
Hub will host official press releases, fact sheets, and a media library covering all the company’s activities
Updated 02 October 2025
Arab News
LONDON: Saudi music and new media platform MDLBEAST has introduced “Newsroom,” a dedicated hub designed to centralize its press resources and media content in one place.
According to MDLBEAST, the new platform will provide easier access to updates and releases for journalists and the public alike.
The Newsroom will host official press releases, fact sheets, and a media library covering all the company’s activities, including live events, the annual Sandstorm Festival, and initiatives by the MDLBEAST Foundation.
By bringing its resources together, the company says it hopes to improve transparency, save time for media professionals, and strengthen its global visibility.
“This centralized hub ensures you can find everything you need about MDLBEAST all in one place,” the company said in a statement.
Newborn daughter of British MP subjected to online abuse hours after birth
Adnan Hussain says X account inundated with ‘vile’ comments after posting pixelated photo
‘Absolutely racist’ comments came as ‘no great shock,’ Hussain said, adding that society is being led ‘down a very dark abyss of hatred’
Updated 02 October 2025
Arab News
LONDON: The newborn daughter of British MP Adnan Hussain was targeted by a wave of sexist, Islamophobic, and racist abuse on social media just hours after her birth, Hussain told The Guardian on Thursday.
Hussain, who represents Blackburn as an Independent Alliance member and won his seat in 2024 after running a pro-Gaza campaign, said his X account was inundated with “vile” comments after posting a pixelated photo of his daughter.
“The atmosphere around us is darkening, both online and offline,” he said, describing the attacks as “a very dark abyss of hatred and despair.”
He called for concerted action to push back against growing hate speech in the UK.
Hussain said on Facebook the response was overwhelmingly supportive, including goodwill from people with different political views.
In contrast, the environment on X quickly shifted, with posts questioning his Britishness and demanding he and his daughter “be sent back to their ancestral homeland.”
I didn't move anywhere, I was born here, in Burnley, Lancashire, to be precise. Believe it or not, no one chooses where they're born, not me, nor you.
— Adnan Hussain MP (@AdnanHussainMP)
Many of the comments, he said, were “absolutely racist” and he added that, sadly, “they came as no great shock.”
As a first-time father, Hussain, who is of Pakistani descent, said the episode highlights how unchecked hate speech and online racism now have “very real, very dangerous, real-world consequences,” and called on those in leadership to do more to address the issue.
He also urged tech companies to do more to moderate content and questioned the motives of social media platforms that allow such comments to go unchecked.
Hussain left the Labour Party after Keir Starmer became leader, and has continued to campaign against online hatred and for greater representation of minorities in politics.
His experience comes as MPs across parties report a surge in online abuse.
In July, Conservative MP Ben Obese-Jecty said he had been “inundated with racist comments” after debating reforms to UK governance, while Labour MP Satvir Kaur described “extreme” and misogynistic online hate as “constant, almost on a daily basis.”
Hussain argued that there are determined forces seeking to “lead society down a very dark abyss of hatred,” but that “a force just as strong, just as determined, should hit back, and say enough, we will not allow this.”
Meet Ali Akbar, the last newspaper hawker in Paris
Akbar left Pakistan for France at the age of 20 and survived in Paris selling newspapers
French President Macron has vowed make Akbar a knight in the national order of merit
Updated 02 October 2025
AFP
PARIS: Ali Akbar knows everyone and everyone knows him. The last newspaper hawker in Paris zigzags each day from cafe to cafe, shouting humorous headlines in the heart of the French capital.
“France is getting better!” he cries, just one of the headlines he invents to sell his wares round the upmarket streets of Saint-German-des-Pres.
“(Eric) Zemmour has converted to Islam!” he shouts, referring to the far-right candidate at the 2022 presidential elections.
Locals and tourists on the Left Bank, the intellectual and cultural heart of Paris, look on amused.
“Even the walls could talk about Ali,” smiled Amina Qissi, a waitress at a restaurant opposite the Marche Saint-Germain, who has known Akbar for more than 20 years.
Now 73, Akbar, a slim, fine-featured “character” with newspapers tucked under his arm, is a neighborhood legend, she added.
“Even regular tourists ask where he is if they don’t see him,” she told AFP.
Pakistani born 73-year-old newspaper hawker Ali Akbar sells newspaper copies in the street of the Latin Quarter in Paris on September 16, 2025. (AFP)
Hard life
French President Emmanuel Macron has vowed to soon make Akbar a knight in the national order of merit in recognition of his “dedicated service to France.”
“At first I didn’t believe it. Friends must have asked him (Macron) or maybe he decided on his own. We often crossed paths when he was a student,” said Akbar.
“I believe it’s related to my courage, because I’ve worked hard,” he added.
Akbar, who wears round spectacles, a blue work jacket and a Gavroche cap, mainly sells copies of the French daily Le Monde.
When he arrived in France at the age of 20, hoping to escape poverty and send back money to his family in Pakistan, he worked as a sailor then a dishwasher in a restaurant in the northern city of Rouen.
Then in Paris he bumped into Georges Bernier, the humorist also known as Professeur Choron, who gave him the chance to sell his satirical newspapers Hara-Kiri and Charlie Hebdo.
Akbar has been homeless, experienced extreme poverty and had even been attacked — but despite the hardships, he said he has never given up.
“Emmanuel Macron is going to put a bit of antiseptic on my wounds,” he told his son Shahab, who at 30 is the youngest of his five children.
Shahab, who describes himself as “very proud” of his father, enjoys cataloguing the numerous profiles dedicated to his father in the foreign press.
When he started out as a hawker in the 1970s, Akbar focused on the Left Bank of the river Seine, which was a university area “where you could eat cheaply,” he said.
On the rue Saint-Guillaume in front of the prestigious Sciences Po university, he recalled learning French from interactions with students like former prime minister Edouard Philippe and “many others who became ministers or lawmakers.”
‘A good mood’
Paris used to have about 40 newspaper hawkers — street vendors without a fixed newsstand — who were posted at strategic locations such as the entrances to metro stations.
Pakistani born 73-year-old newspaper hawker Ali Akbar sells newspaper copies in the street of the Latin Quarter in Paris on September 16, 2025.
Akbar stood out by choosing to walk around, selecting the Latin Quarter. In the 1980s, he started inventing sensational headlines.
“I want people to live happily. I do it to create a good mood, that’s all,” he said.
But he admitted that he is finding it increasingly difficult to come up with good jokes.
“Everything is such a mess,” he added.
Akbar, who receives a pension of 1,000 euros ($1,175) a month, still works from 3 p.m. until 10 p.m. each day.
When AFP met him on a recent afternoon, clients were few and far between. On average, he sells about 30 newspapers every day, compared to between 150 and 200 when he started.
“As long as I’ve got the energy, I’ll keep going. I’ll work until I die,” he joked.
On the terrace of one cafe, Amel Ghali, 36, said Akbar was “inspiring.”
“It’s good to see it in the digital age,” he said. “Unfortunately, our children won’t experience the pleasure of reading a newspaper with a coffee.”
