Educational complex in Syria’s Palmyra named after Russian Officer upsets people
HOMS, Syria (North Press) – The inauguration of an educational complex in Homs Governorate on Tuesday, caused wide debate on social media.
Senior Lieutenant Martyr Alexander Alexandrovich Prokhorenko was the name of the educational complex in the city of Palmyra, east of Homs city, central Syria. Prokhorenko was killed in Syria in the year 2016.
The Russian military intervention in the Syrian crisis began in September 2015, after an official request by the Syrian government for military aid against Syrian opposition and jihadist groups. The intervention initially involved airstrikes by Russian aircrafts, deployed to the Khmeimim airbase, against targets primarily in northwestern Syria, and against Syrian opposition militant groups opposed to the Syrian government, including the Free Syrian Army (FSA), the Islamic State Organization (ISIS), al-Nusra Front, and the Army of Conquest.
The inauguration was attended by a Russian educational delegation headed by the Russian Deputy Minister of Education Denis Gribov, the assistants of the Syrian Minister of Education Abdul Hakim al-Hammad, Mahmoud Bani al-Marjah, the deputy of the Executive Office of the Homs Governorate Elias Khoury, and the Director of Homs Education Walid Marei.
Al-Hammad said that the inauguration of the complex “is a good step for the Russian martyr and to honor those who helped and sacrificed themselves for the victory of justice.”
He added that the renovation of the complex reflects the importance of the Russian-Syrian deep ties regarding Russian language tutorial for the sake of finding a lingua franca among the “the two friendly peoples,” and teaching students Russian language which will contribute in understanding the nature and culture of the Russian people.
Social media comments poured on the fact that the educational complex was named after a Russian officer. Most of these comments were enveloped in resenting statements due to ignoring the “thousands of Syrian martyrs” who lost their lives in the Syrian war.
Yara Abu Dib commented, surprising, “Is it possible that we have very few martyrs in Syria so they borrowed a name of a Russian one?!!”
Reem Qardab lament the archaeologist Khaled al-Asaad, who was publicly beheaded in Palmyra at the hands of ISIS after help evacuating the city museum prior to ISIS’s takeover, and refusing to show them the caches.
Reem commented by saying, “May your soul rest in peace Khaled al-Asaad, your head was hung over the ancient pillars, and the appreciation flew overseas!!”
Issa Ahmad on the other hand, said, “Thousands of martyrs kept unremembered but this ‘Pokhreno’ to name the complex after him?!!”
Abdulrahman Abo Ahmed was surprised by the controversy on social media by commenting, “What is the problem, did not you hear of Khomeini Hospital?!!” referring to the Iranian spread in Syria.
Hassan Samer Husson mocked the incident by commenting, “The Prokhorenko is a distinguished family in Palmyra.”