The Lebanese social media world was set ablaze after some Lebanese American University (LAU) students shared their views on rape and sexual assault.
In light of non-profit organization ABAAD's most recent campaign, which aims to raise awareness around the stigma surrounding female rape victims, an LAU student asked some of his peers to weigh in on the topic.
The responses stirred quite the controversy online, as some directed the blame on rape victims rather than their rapists.
On Wednesday, The Daily Question - an Instagram account run by a Lebanese master's student known as Abohashem Al Moussawi - posted a series of stories capturing some LAU students' thoughts on ABAAD's campaign and on rape in general.
The campaign, titled "Men El Felten?" which is Arabic for "Shame on Who?" aims to toughen sanctions against rapists in the country and change social perceptions that "stigmatize and shame female rape victims, pushing them to cover up the crime."
While Al Moussawi shared the responses of various students, a few notably stood out, but not for good reasons. These students raised eyebrows for demonstrating the prevalent rape culture in the country and feeding into the victim-blaming rhetoric.
When asked who is to blame for sexual assault, one female student said both the victim and the assaulter can be held accountable, "but the girl should be blamed more because she dictates her own value."
"With just one glare, a girl walking naked on the streets can make sure no one looks at her," she said, suggesting that a woman's behavior and the way she "glares" at men result in sexual assault.
On a similar note, a male student said that "a girl who wears overly revealing clothes should go to the zoo."
On the other hand, a few students emphasized that rapists should be held fully accountable for their actions.
"When a murder takes place, we do not ask whether the victim or the murderer is responsible. Of course, the criminal should always be blamed. The same goes for rape," Karma Sabbah, another student, said.
Sabbah added, "There's no need to have a sister or to imagine if it were your own sister for the act to be considered a crime. It's a crime against humanity."
Meanwhile, corespondent and television host Paula Nawfal said, "I'm shocked to see such ignorance and lack of conscience in the university I studied at for five years."
Here's how social media users reacted to the videos:
People are outraged
"Shameful"
Many are pointing out the flawed reasoning
"I lost brain cells"
A gentle reminder
Some students tried apologizing but tweeps aren't having it
"This campus needs a serious intervention"
The issue sparked some serious debates
"Going to a private uni doesn't make you morally superior"
"Men are trash" ... and even men agree
Al-Moussawi assured that these students don't fairly represent the university
More on ABAAD's campaign
The video campaign consists of a social experiment conducted in various areas across Lebanon. The experiment sought to observe the reactions of people upon learning a woman, introduced as Manal, was raped and left stranded in the streets. Manal played the role of a rape victim in the experiment, while the reactions filmed were not staged.
The experiment reflected the reality of rape culture in Lebanon, as most people in the video resorted to victim-blaming and shaming.
This comes as 1 in 4 women in Lebanon are subject to sexual assault, according to the organization.
However, a national survey conducted by ABAAD in 2017 revealed that 80 percent of women in Lebanon "believe that social and cultural beliefs justify sexual assault and violence against women and girls."