Syria President Bashar Al-Assad Joins Instagram

By Anne Cohen July 31, 2013

In an attempt to show that dictators too, can bask in the glow of the Earlybird filter, Syrian President Bashar Al-Assad has joined Instagram.

The account, which goes under the name “syrianpresidency” shows Assad’s softer, friendlier side — smiling, waving and shaking hands with laughing children. Syrian First Lady Asma al-Assad, who grew up in Britain before marrying the president in 2000, features prominently in the photos.

A week old and with 69 posts as of this morning, the account that welcomes visitors to “the official Instagram account for the Presidency of the Syrian Arab Republic” already has over 4000 followers.

Meanwhile, the Syrian conflict has claimed over 100,000 lives so far, which as The Telegraph pointed out, averages to 7,000 casualties a month.

Anne Cohen was the Forward’s deputy digital media editor. When she’s not looking for the secret Jewish history of Voodoo in New Orleans, or making lists about Ruth Bader Ginsburg, she writes for The Assimilator. She graduated from the Columbia Graduate School of Journalism with an M.S. magazine concentration in 2012.

A message from our CEO & publisher Rachel Fishman Feddersen

I hope you appreciated this article. Before you go, I’d like to ask you to please support the Forward’s award-winning, nonprofit journalism during this critical time.

The coming year promises to be filled with more complex and historic developments. We are entering an era where independent, fact-based Jewish journalism will be more important than ever. We need to be ready for whatever 2025 will bring, and with your help, we can be.

We’ve set a goal to raise $260,000 by December 31. That’s an ambitious goal, but one that will give us the resources we need to invest in the high quality news, opinion, analysis and cultural coverage that isn’t available anywhere else.

If you feel inspired to make an impact, now is the time to give something back. Join us as a member at your most generous level.

— Rachel Fishman Feddersen, Publisher and CEO