I WROTE more than once in this column that new media has become the mouthpiece of the voiceless people. If it is authentic, a message through social media can reach the concerned officials and the decision makers in a matter of few hours only. The Saudis launched a Twitter hashtag about the incident of a man attacking a woman vendor who had a stall on the street. The man slapped the woman hard on the face until she fell down. The incident was recorded by an onlooker. Makkah Emir Prince Khaled Al-Faisal immediately responded to appeals by citizens on social media to arrest and punish the aggressor. Due to his immediate and firm instructions, the police was able to arrest the culprit in less than 24 hours and he will face justice. However, the enlightenment role social media is playing is not less than the security role by any means, especially on Twitter. The social media is also practicing an important informative role by taking the public voice to the highest authorities in the country. This has been illustrated on many occasions in the past. However, many of us may have not taken notice. In the slap incident, angry reactions filled social media. The citizens stood up like one man denouncing the crime and asking for a harsh punishment against the criminal. The great interactions by the citizens have assured us that our people do have a strong sense of social responsibility. A weak point here is that no one present at the scene had intervened to stop the attacker or prevent him from humiliating the poor and helpless woman. They were content with filming the incident to put on social media. Though they may be criticized for their passivity, the onlookers have done a good job by documenting the incident on the Internet. This is, more or less, a positive attitude. It has helped move the concerned authorities to nab the attacker for his detestable action. What drew my attention were the foreign scenes of a candid camera show that were being played at the time. These videos staged the fake scenario of a man attacking a woman on the street. The nearest man intervened to stop the attacker and fight with him. This is a clear sign of support for the weak woman. I am just referring to her physical weakness compared to the physical strength of men. There will be no competition when the two fight against each other. It is only natural that the strong, responsible and respectful man will come to the help of a woman or a child in distress. The candid camera show reversed the scenario. They showed a strong woman attacking a man. She was hitting him hard with her fists and badmouthing him at the same time. Not one of the men who passed by came to the rescue of the poor man. The TV message delivered by the clip of the man slapping the woman is that men should not hesitate to help women or children who are being attacked by other men. They should also come to the rescue of poor animals when they are being tortured by young men or children.
