Middle Eastern Twitter loves a good uprising—and the tribulations of Ferguson, Missouri set it alight with impassioned exchanges. Said one commentator, “If #Jesus were among us today he wouldn’t spare a second to fight the arrogants [sic] & support the oppressed. #Ferguson #Gaza,” The Tweeter? Ayatollah Khamenei.
Khamenei’s display of finger wagging was hardly unique—Egypt’s Foreign Ministry memorably called on Washington to show “restraint” in the face of protest—but social media showed a phenomenon far larger than authoritarians’ schadenfreude. For Middle Easterners of all stripes, Ferguson became a device through which they could reframe their own “stories.”
For some, Ferguson represented a bridge to build solidarity with protesting Americans. Open messages from Palestinian activists to U.S. protesters stressed the common ground between their struggles and offered practical advice on dealing with tear gas. Islamic State group affiliates tailored renewed recruitment appeals to U.S. minorities, likening their quest to that of Malcom X.
In other instances, Ferguson has expanded Arab citizens’ vocabulary for explaining local issues. Amid a security crackdown, the mayor of the provincial city of Ma’an told journalists that his city is “the Ferguson of Jordan,” in contrast to pro-Islamic State demonstrators who had previously proclaimed it “the Fallujah of Jordan.” And in the early days of Lebanon’s ongoing anti-corruption protests, some local activists have used the examples of Ferguson and Baltimore to explain the unfolding situation to Arabic and English-speaking followers.
Fiery Middle Eastern protests fill American screens, but fiery American protests are filling Middle Eastern screens, too. Sometimes, they are protesting the same thing.
This piece is a part of Mezze, a monthly short article series spotlighting societal trends across the region. It originally appeared in the Middle East Program's monthly newsletter, Middle East Notes and Comment. For more information and to receive our mailings, please contact the Middle East Program.
