Home Featured How did the Syrians interact with the new visual identity of the state? | policy

How did the Syrians interact with the new visual identity of the state? | policy

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Damascus- After decades of the Baath Party rule, the Syrian government announced, yesterday, Thursday, the change of the visual identity of the state, in a move that carried symbolic and political connotations aimed at consolidating the presence of “new Syria”, at a time when the Syrians suffer from the effects of a war that lasted more than a decade and produced radical changes in the population structure, national identity and relations between the state and society.

This transformation, according to observers, represents an attempt to break with the legacy of the security state and the establishment of a new social contract, even if the change is currently confined to the symbolic side. The new announcement sparked widespread controversy in the Syrian circles, between those who see it as a necessary step to overcome the past, and who considers it a superficial attempt to distract attention from more urgent crises such as the return of refugees and reconstruction.

In this report, Al -Jazeera Net reviews the opinions of Syrian figures on the implications of the new visual identity, their political and social contexts, and the challenges of the transitional period.

Clutch

Syrian writer and journalist Qahtan Al Sharqi believes that the change in visual identity goes beyond the form to the content. He told Al -Jazeera Net that the change is not limited to the form, but rather represents a symbolic and moral break with 6 decades of repression and the systematic destruction of the Syrian identity.

He explained that the new design, which is centered on the symbol of the punishment, reflects a trend to rebuild the Syrian person, “as President Muhammad al -Shara indicated.” The punishment, which was a symbol of force in the Islamic and post -independence conquests, embodies the unity of Syria through its wings that symbolize the country’s 14 provinces, and its lower elements that refer to its five regions.

According to Al -Sharqi, the new identity holds 5 messages:

  • Historical continuity.
  • Representing the new state.
  • The people are liberated.
  • Land unit.
  • A national contract that preserves the dignity of the citizen.

He stressed that change is an opportunity to rebuild a university national narrative.

It is noteworthy that visual identities are not just design elements, but symbolic tools that express the identity and directions of countries, and affect the formation of collective awareness, especially in societies outside conflicts.

Priority

Regarding the priorities of the transitional phase, Zakaria Mudafji, Secretary -General of the Syrian National Movement, called for a focus on the content of the new state “instead of formalities.” He told Al -Jazeera Net: “Attention to the visual identity remains formally compared to what is deeper. We need content that reflects effective performance, comprehensive development, and real coexistence between the components of society.”

Malabafji pointed out that the rebuilding of state institutions in accordance with the principles of transparency, competence and political pluralism must be the maximum priority, adding that “the Syrian identity is not only built with a new slogan, but through a comprehensive national project that absorbs everyone.”

According to him, any new identity must include constitutional guarantees for minority rights, and a legal framework that preserves freedom of expression and transitional justice, while ensuring the return of refugees as part of national understanding.

For his part, Bassam Al -Emadi, the former Syrian ambassador to Sweden, stressed the need to modernize the institutions in proportion to the symbolic change. He told Al -Jazeera Net: “The step is excellent and we hope that it will follow similar steps, because it reflects a tendency to build a new country that seeks to restructure its institutions.”

He added that the Syrian state, despite the continuation of some of its institutions during the war years, still needs a functional and administrative reorganization that guarantees effectiveness and accountability, noting the need to open up to Syrian competencies at home and abroad.

Historically, since independence, Syria has not witnessed a comprehensive institutional shift until after military coups, and each had an identity and slogan that reflect the nature of the new system, which makes this symbolic change a rare opportunity to reformulate the relationship between the state and society.

New orientation

For his part, the displaced, Yahya Al -Salem, from the Syrian camps, expressed his frustration with the focus on the symbols in light of the suffering of the displaced. “The visual identity does not concern us as long as we are far from our homes. The government does not pay enough attention to our return, while we are witnessing attacks from the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF),” he told Al -Jazeera Net.

He demanded the achievement of stability and unification of the country as a priority “before talking about an identity that represents everyone,” noting that “a child and arrests on the Syrian island – the area between the Tigris and the Euphrates rivers – were killed as indicators on the continuation of security challenges.”

This voice is drawn to a “existing gap” between what is presented at the level of official discourse, and what millions of Syrians live in the displacement areas, which reopens the debate on the essence of the concept of “national identity”.

Syrians have seen that the new visual identity expresses a new political orientation of the (French) state

As for the writer and journalist Ibrahim Al -Jabin, he considered that the new visual identity expresses a new political orientation for the state. He told Al -Jazeera Net: “Syria is the state and society needs to develop its presence, its discourse, and its concepts. The visual identity is an essential part of the features of the state that the Baath regime has been acquired since 1963 to serve its ideological project, controlling the political, economic and social life through tools such as Vanguard, Youth and Baath Party.”

The forehead added, “The regime has surrounded the lives of individuals since childhood, from the state’s slogan to currency, passport and school uniforms,” ​​and considered that the last change, which was approved by Sharia, is a decision in the right direction because it reflects a new political identity far from party ideology, and reaffirms Arab affiliation through the symbol of the punishment and a third line.

In his opinion, the controversy raised is normal and reflects the vitality of the Syrian revolution, but it raised constitutional questions about the legitimacy of change without a parliamentary vote, adding, “The state is expected to respond to the slogan and has not changed it, and may refer it to the People’s Assembly.”



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