Catfishing, Misandry & the Middle East

5/9/15


“Netflix, chilling, beheading Yazidis” reads the ‘interests’ section of Abu Bakhir’s Tinder profile, one man’s brave foray into the world of online matchmaking.  Bakhir, who works for Iraqi oil company ISIS, was looking for love. Instead what he found was new-feminism at its most militant. A relatively new phenomenon, catfishing is a form of cyber-jilting carried out by scorned women looking to take men down a peg or two, and is now the subject and title of a popular MTV show created by Nev Schulman. Posing as funny, intelligent and physically attractive singles, women set about targeting vulnerable men like Bakhir by forming online relationships only to suddenly cut off all contact. Now it must be said, men should be instantly wise to this, since no woman has successfully combined those 3 attributes, and I’m sure most men spot the ruse instantly, but feminists are essentially just hammers in search of a nail and are unfortunately bound to find one eventually. 

Creator Nev
 

Usually these online relationships are purely for the offending feminist's own enjoyment, but a group of Chechen women have seen an opportunity for monetary gain from the practice of breaking hearts. ISIS employees are some of the most hardworking in the region, Bakhir often has to moonlight as a neck surgeon to pay the rent, and therefore does not have the time for traditional dating practices. Instead, they turn to Tinder, offering to pay air fare to eligible young Muslim women willing to travel to areas where ISIS trade for arranged marriages.  However whilst the funds are immediately forthcoming, the companionship is not.  Once the money is received, ISIS members accounts are blocked by the supposed wives to be, leaving them to channel their heartbreak into other outlets,  namely violence, violence which was until now believed to be fuelled by religious sectarianism and overspill from western-backed uprisings.

Areas affected by feminism

To understand what was previously thought to be such a significant contributing factor to the crisis currently engulfing the Middle East, a quick lesson in religion is required. Islam is divided into two sects; Sunni and Shia. This schism came about as a result of the acrimonious split of popular musical duet Sonny and Cher, who achieved commercial success with the 1960’s hit “I got you, Babe”. Cher went on to pursue a vulgar but successful solo career, leaving bitter fans of Sonny to declare a war that rages until this day. Less reliable publications than The Truth Bar would have you believe that it is this rivalry, (along with the toppling of dictators, sustained western airstrikes and violent scripture) which is responsible for the current crisis in the Middle East when it is in fact a direct consequence of the Chechen feminists’ brazen misandry. 

Feminism has been given an extremely wide berth until now, but the disgusting exploitation of men occupying countries that literally roll out the red carpet for women, even going so far as removing menial tasks such as driving and voting from their lives will not stand. For men like Bakhir, it might already be too late after such harsh a rejection, but by raising awareness we can help others to find love whilst simultaneously bringing peace to the region.


Charles Worrall