A viral video showing Sheikh Marhej Shahine, an 80-year-old Syrian Druze cleric, being publicly humiliated by armed men who forcibly shaved his mustache has drawn widespread condemnation on social media.
Druze cleric Sheikh Marhej Shahine (in second video) being publicly humiliated by armed men who forcibly shaved his mustache
On Tuesday, reports circulated that Shahine had been killed in a massacre targeting the Druze population. But on Thursday, in a surprising Facebook post, his granddaughter Christine Shahine announced that he was still alive.
The disturbing video, which quickly spread across social media, sparked outrage. In an interview with Sky News Arabia earlier this week, Christine detailed the events surrounding the incident. “We are from a village in Sweida called al-Taala,” she said.
“On Monday, the youth of the village mobilized to prevent further deterioration in the security situation. As tensions rose in neighboring villages, our young men chose to leave in hopes of preventing bloodshed. However, some villagers refused to leave their homes. My grandfather was one of them. He stayed behind because he was determined to bury his grandson, Younes Shahine, who was killed in an attack on the village.”
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Druze cleric Sheikh Marhej Shahine being publicly humiliated by armed men who forcibly shaved his mustache
“Like everyone else, we watched the video circulating online showing armed men violently attacking my grandfather and cutting his mustache, even though he’s an 80-year-old man known throughout the region for his kindness and humanity,” Christine added.
According to her, after the video was filmed, the attackers abducted her grandfather along with two other relatives. Hours later, the family received a call from Shahine’s phone, during which the captors claimed he had died.
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Christine had initially posted on Facebook that her grandfather was “taken by the dogs,” and some Arabic-language media outlets suggested he died from heartbreak and humiliation rather than physical assault. “They tried to claim he died of a heart attack,” Christine said. “But what’s the difference? My grandfather is gone.” At the time, she also said that the family did not know where his body was.
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Shahine's granddaughter announces he's alive after reports of his demise
(Photo: from Facebook)
However, following days of uncertainty, Christine later updated her Facebook with a surprising turn: her grandfather was still alive.
The video of Shahine’s forced mustache shaving was not the only such footage to emerge. Since unrest began in Sweida, several similar videos have been shared showing Druze men being publicly humiliated in the same fashion. Reports of such attacks have surfaced from other Druze villages across Syria in recent months, underscoring a troubling pattern of targeted abuse.