Emily Cousens in the Independent asks the question “Are Syrian men not innocent and vulnerable too?” —
If our humanitarian sympathies are only summoned in response to children and families, then we risk dehumanising Arab men. This only helps to reinforce a history of Western misrepresentation, in which Arab men are viewed as dangerous, uncivilized, barbaric, and incapable of reason. This might not seem immediately obvious from their absence in the media’s coverage. But the invisibility of the Arab men allows these ideas to insidiously fill the gaps, sometimes even subconsciously.
see also: Charli Carpenter, ‘Innocent Women and Children’: Gender, Norms and the Protection of Civilians
Amanda Cellini 