-Analysis-
BERLIN — Shocking videos have recently circulated on social media, documenting humiliating scenes of transgender individuals in Syria being subjected to threats and abuse. In one video, a transgender person is seen detained inside a vehicle belonging to one of the controlling militias, being beaten, kicked and threatened with a blade to have their genitals cut off amid a barrage of verbal abuse and insults.
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What raises concern is not only the brutality of these scenes but also the public’s reactions, which ranged from indifference to outright encouragement. Furthermore, these horrifying acts of violence have failed to trigger any real response from society or human rights organizations. Persecuting LGBTQ+ individuals in Syria is normalized and justified in public discourse — whether before or after the regime’s fall — turning violence against them into a systematic practice backed by both official and popular hate speech.
Videos and images documenting abuses against civilians in Syria are often dismissed as isolated incidents that do not reflect the nature of the emerging state. Yet when it comes to homosexuality and transgender individuals, it becomes evident that the violence against them is not merely individual transgressions. Rather, it is part of a broader repressive system spanning the various ruling authorities.
This repression is not new; it is a continuation of systematic practices that include arbitrary arrests, public defamation and physical assaults carried out by security forces under the previous regime. As control shifted to Islamist factions (which, in theory, fall under Syria’s new Ministry of Defense), the repression did not subside but intensified. Hate speech evolved from political and security-based justifications to a broader religious framework with perceived divine legitimacy.
The ultimate sin
In this context, homosexuality is not merely seen as “moral decadence”; it is an ultimate sin deserving of “divine punishment,” reinforcing perpetrators’ belief that they are executing a higher will. Some even rely on religious interpretations that grant them the authority to administer punishment in the name of God, as if they were enacting divine justice on Earth. This religious framing not only provides social legitimacy to oppression, but also transforms it into an ideological tool used to consolidate power and silence any calls for justice or equality.
On multiple occasions, cities like the capital Damascus and Jaramana in the south have witnessed arbitrary arrest campaigns targeting dozens of individuals under vague charges such as “moral corruption,” “promoting decadence,” or even “drug trafficking.” As usual, these abuses are publicly framed as “victories” for society against “depravity,” while any serious discussion of these individuals’ fundamental rights remains absent.
These individuals are robbed not only of their freedom but also their dignity.
These arrests are presented on social media as national achievements worth celebrating. Those who spread them believe they are performing a “moral duty” worthy of recognition, as they see themselves as contributing to the “purification” of society from those they perceive as a “threat.”
To reinforce this humiliating narrative, detainees are deliberately portrayed in degrading images — depicted as mentally ill, shown as men wearing women’s clothing, and forced to remove their wigs — all aimed at stripping them of their humanity and humiliating them before the public.
At such moments, these individuals are robbed not only of their freedom but also their dignity and their right to defend themselves, with no legal refuge or community to protect them. Only a handful of voices and underground organizations attempt to highlight these violations in an environment that is increasingly hostile to anyone advocating for marginalized groups.
Morality as a tool
Repressive regimes have long used the pretext of “moral values” to justify their persecution of marginalized communities. In Syria’s case, the LGBTQ+ community has been framed not just as a persecuted minority but as a social threat. “Morality” has become a tool for political authority as well as for the masses, who are fueled by hate speech that portrays LGBTQ+ individuals as a “danger” to societal stability rather than as a minority seeking fundamental rights.
This characterization is far from innocent, serving as an effective distraction from real crises such as political repression, poverty and corruption, redirecting public anger toward the most vulnerable groups and creating an artificial “moral war” for society to engage in.
Justifying oppression is not limited to political authorities; it extends to religious institutions, whose discourse is used to lend moral legitimacy to these violations. In Syria, as in other authoritarian states, religious texts are selectively exploited to reinforce hate speech against the LGBTQ+ community, framing violence against them as a moral duty to protect “authentic values.” This manipulation of religion deepens social divisions and makes it difficult for individuals to stand against injustice, as they fear being labeled as complicit in “deviance.”
In recent years, official and pro-regime media have increasingly engaged in inciting campaigns against homosexual and transgender individuals. These range from television reports linking homosexuality to foreign conspiracies to digital content portraying them as a source of social corruption. The strategy aims to depict LGBTQ+ identities as part of a “foreign agenda” spreading immorality, making their persecution appear acceptable, even necessary, in the eyes of the public.
The normalization of brutality
This tactic is not new — various authoritarian regimes have employed it to justify repression. President Vladimir Putin’s government in Russia has passed laws against “LGBTQ+ propaganda” under the pretense of protecting children. In Egypt, media campaigns have painted LGBTQ+ individuals as “foreign agents” or “social disruptors.”
In Syria, severe violations against LGBTQ+ individuals occur without any official investigation or accountability. Syrian law explicitly criminalizes homosexuality, reinforcing a culture of impunity. Under these conditions, perpetrators feel legally and socially protected, giving them a green light to continue their violence unchecked. This hostile environment extends beyond security forces and militias to public discourse, which further strips victims of their fundamental rights and subjects them to constant threats and persecution.
The fundamental concept that is being crushed is human dignity.
Amid all these atrocities, the fundamental concept that is being crushed is human dignity. It is not a privilege granted to some and denied to others; it is an inherent right of every human being, regardless of identity or orientation. The torture, humiliation, and public defamation of LGBTQ+ individuals are not just violations of their rights but an assault on the very principles that should govern any civilized society.
What we are witnessing today is a deliberate devaluation of human life and the systematic normalization of brutality under the pretext of “defending morality.”
In Syria, shared hate
Despite the deep divisions fracturing Syrian society — where factions stand on opposite ends politically and militarily — one issue that appears to unite them is hatred toward the LGBTQ+ community. Whether they are followers of Al-Jolani in Idlib, supporters of the Syrian regime, or its opponents, all seem to agree that LGBTQ+ individuals are legitimate targets for persecution.
This strange paradox reveals a fundamental flaw in collective consciousness, where oppressed groups themselves become instruments of oppression against those even more vulnerable.
When societies fragment and the values that once governed them collapse, individuals search for any common denominator to restore their sense of collective identity. In Syria, where the country has become a mosaic of political and armed factions, collective identity is confused and defined in opposition to “the other” rather than through shared principles.
Hatred becomes a false substitute for belonging.
Hatred toward LGBTQ+ individuals provides an easy “other,” requiring neither complex political discourse nor critical thinking, and instead relying on primal emotions of disgust and fear of difference. In this way, hatred becomes a false substitute for belonging, uniting everyone against an imaginary common enemy while the true oppressors continue their unchecked repression.
Social media has become a space for open incitement against the LGBTQ+ community. The recent videos documenting torture did not spark sympathy as much as they fueled hate speech. Many comments celebrated the footage, even calling for more violence. Some users have begun posting information about suspected LGBTQ+ individuals, citing U.S. President Donald Trump’s inauguration speech, in which he stated, “In America, there are only two genders, male and female,” falsely legitimizing their hostile actions.
Despite the gravity of the situation, there is no legal response. The Syrian judiciary remains indifferent, with many legal professionals themselves opposing the very existence of LGBTQ+ individuals. Yet the challenge here is not just legal. It is also cultural, religious and social, making even public advocacy for LGBTQ+ rights a stigma that could damage anyone’s reputation.
