Heard the one about the couple that divorced over a camel? How Al Jazira sports club fans turned to Twitter to keep from crying and the outpouring of hope – and tweets – in support of women on their day. It’s been an emotional week on social media. And one with very long hashtags.
Camel love
#Themanwhodivorcedhis wifeoveracamel had the twitterverse very divided. It was admittedly a bizarre story with the man reportedly divorcing his wife because of her stated love for a camel. The Saudi couple were visiting the woman’s family home in Riyadh and the man is said to have been” flirting” with his wife when she told him that she loved her father’s camel, Al Waleef, more than him. This infuriated the man and he proceeded to divorce her. Did he do right? Twitter wasn’t sure.
@dr_khalidalsaud tweeted: “This man is silly, he doesn’t want to handle his responsibilities. Does he think that women are a cheap product to trade which you can return and exchange.”
Said Abdullah @abdullah_alweet said he was right to end an “unworthy relationship”. And he added: “Thanks to the camel”.
Bushra @Rt_Besh1992 said she was utterly shocked: “Oh God, oh God, I hope these are only rumours, the world is becoming more shocking.
@i_brb, the Twitter handle of a Saudi Arabian man who calls himself Antonio, tweeted a jokey comment to the newly divorced wife: “You can snuggle with your camel at night.”
@MrAbdoon Othman commented on the absurdities of the reported sequence of events: “Ha Ha Ha the camel is the only sane one in this story.”
@Retwetkuwaity piously thanked God for the blessing of being born human and pointed out that “the best blessing is having a brain”.
It was not clear if this was a swipe at the main protagonists in the Saudi story.
Al Ain vs Al Jazira
Another long hashtag and very deeply felt. #Wewill bebackintheleadandAlAinwillcry was created by fans of Al Jazira Sports Club to defend their team – and console it and themselves – for losing the match with Al Ain 2-1 in the Arabian Gulf League.
Mohammed @HamOdElhammadi sarcastically tweeted a photo that highlighted some of the history of the emirates’ leagues. Al Ain have won 11 times and Al Jazira just once, he wrote.
He said: “They created such a long hash tag, they made me feel like they’ve been winning the league every two years. Check the difference between us and them.”
Said Ahmed @3inawy_AD tweeted: “Hahahaha such a funny hash tag, like its funny audience.”
Other Al Ain Club fans focused on the length of the hashtag as well.
@sho0o0_88 wrote: “Al Jazira hash tags are more than the number of its audience.”
@bujesm asked Al Jazira fans how they wound up with such a hashtag: “Which private tutor gave you this hash tag?”
Woman ... she’s life
In Arabic, just as much as in English, social media marked International Women’s Day, which fell on Sunday this year. Many highlighted the achievements of women around the world and many others called for gender equality.
@abeer_uae was one of many Twitter-users who congratulated “all women and mothers” on their special day.
@wadha909 tweeted a photo that showed the various stages of a woman’s life – girlhood through to marriage, motherhood and old age – and urged people to appreciate each phase and role: “ Your mother, sister, wife, daughter. She’s life.”
The diversity of women’s roles was quite a popular theme, with @MeeraAlajmani paying tribute to the sisterhood and the men who helped: “A tribute to each woman who excelled in her workplace, to every mother who made the effort to raise her kids and to every man who supported women.”
Dr Abdulsalam praised the UAE’s rulers for helping women achieve greater prominence than before: “We thank God and our rulers’ wisdom, that women in the UAE have gained their place and their rights.”
#arabictrending
Sarah Khamis is The National’s social media editor
salalawi@thenational.ae
On Twitter: @SarahKhamisUAE
