DUBAI — Affectionately embracing a young girl, serving soup at a mobile kitchen, proffering a doll, Syria's first lady Asma Al-Assad is giving it her all representing a contrasting image of the war-torn country. Syria is in the grip of an unrelenting conflict, yet the image portrayed by Assad's wife in her Instagram account shows an atmosphere of peace and love, reported the Daily Mail Thursday. The presidential account on the social media platform is seemingly being used as a propaganda tool to try and mask the horrific atrocities carried out by the regime. More than 110,000 people have died in Syria since March 2011, the Syrian Observatory of human Rights said this week. The PR stunt is doing little to mask pictures, videos and reports leaving Syria. Asma's lifestyle has been under intense scrutiny over the last two years, with stories of her outrageous spending and extravagant wardrobe circling. Syria's first lady has repeatedly been portrayed as a modern-day Marie Antoinette, completely out of touch with the reality of her country on social media platforms. “I love ur designer clothes and shoes... paid for by the blood of your people! Seriously, u make Marie Antoinette look like an angel compared to you!,” wrote one Instagram user. However, reactions to the pictures on other social media sites varied with many criticizing her efforts as “fake.” “Look at the devil in disguise” wrote an anti-Assad user on Twitter. Another tweeted saying “nothing Bashar or Asma can do will wash the bloods covering their hands” As millions have fled Syria for neighboring Jordan, Lebanon and Turkey, the regime has stepped up its attempts to show life-as-normal for the president and his family. The Instagram account displaying the images of Asma was opened in July this year. — Al Arabiya
