Infiltrators among Us

Abstract

This article focuses on the word ‘Mundas’ (plural Mundasīn), which literally translates as ‘infiltrator’, and was one of the words most frequently used to describe those opposing the Syrian regime. The word was rarely used within the Syrian political repertoire before the outset of the revolution. However, it soon became a marker separating those who supported President Bashar al-Assad from those who did not. In the context of the Syrian war, the Mundasīn, according to the regime’s narrative, hide within the masses of al-Assad’s supporters, creating disorder, and do not reflect the demands of the ‘good’ Syrian people. As claimed by this official narrative and emphasized by its media, those infiltrators were radicalized terrorists invited from abroad to generate chaos in Syria. Consequently, the armed forces of the regime blamed these Mundasīn and allegedly had no choice but to repress protests in order to protect peaceful demonstrators from their brutality. The article explores the origin of Mundas and the ways it was used within Syrian media. It reflects on the divergent interpretations and uses of the word as a common expression identifying oneself and asserting membership in a certain group on the one hand and challenges the negative meaning of the word advocated by the government and its agencies on the other. It also researches the word’s evolution within social media platforms, in both texts and graphics, and discusses popular uses in caricature drawings, slogans and songs.