Muhammad Najem (born 2002) is a Syrian war reporter and activist who has been documenting the Syrian civil war since the age of 15.[1][2][3] In December 2017, his home of Ghouta, a suburb of Damascus, was besieged by the Syrian Army, and Najem told his family he wanted to tell their story. They decided to release English-language videos on YouTube featuring Najem, assisted by his older brother Fira, a photojournalist, and their sister Hiba, a teacher, who helped translate.[4] His videos attained a wide audience in February 2018, when CNN producer Nora Neus picked up his story.[5][4] Shortly after, RT ran a story accusing him of being a "crisis actor".[4]

Muhammad Najem
Born (2002-09-09) September 9, 2002 (age 22)
Eastern Ghouta in Syria

In March 2019, Najem's family was forcibly evacuated to Idlib, and later became refugees in Istanbul Turkey.[4] He continues to report on the Syrian conflict including conflicts in other Middle Eastern countries such as Palestine.[6]

He was featured in Know Your Rights and Claim Them, by Angelina Jolie.[7] With Nora Neus and Julie Robine, he created a graphical autobiography entitled Muhammad Najem, War Reporter.[8][9][10]

See also

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References

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  1. ^ "Meet the inspiring teenagers shaping the future they want to see". Huck. 2018-06-01. Archived from the original on 2023-05-04. Retrieved 2023-05-18.
  2. ^ "Eastern Ghouta: Children tell of life under bombs through social media". Middle East Eye. Archived from the original on 2023-05-04. Retrieved 2023-05-18.
  3. ^ Brown, Daniel. "A 15-year-old Syrian boy is tweeting heartbreaking videos of Eastern Ghouta under attack from furious Russian and government airstrikes". Business Insider. Archived from the original on 2023-04-30. Retrieved 2023-05-18.
  4. ^ a b c d Naddaff, A. J. "Syria's teen documentarian". Columbia Journalism Review. Archived from the original on 2023-05-01. Retrieved 2023-05-18.
  5. ^ Neus, Nora (2018-02-21). "The 15-year-old documenting Eastern Ghouta massacre with selfie videos". CNN. Archived from the original on 2023-04-30. Retrieved 2023-05-18.
  6. ^ Pita, Xabier (2020-08-11). "El adolescente sirio que quiere contar toda la verdad sobre la guerra al mundo entero". El País (in Spanish). ISSN 1134-6582. Archived from the original on 2023-05-18. Retrieved 2023-05-18.
  7. ^ Fane (9 September 2019). "FANE | Know Your Rights and Claim Them". www.fane.co.uk. Archived from the original on 2023-05-04. Retrieved 2023-05-18.
  8. ^ Labris, Elisabeth. "Muhammad Najem, War Reporter: How One Boy Put the Spotlight on Syria". School Library Journal. Archived from the original on 2023-05-18. Retrieved 2023-05-18.
  9. ^ MUHAMMAD NAJEM, WAR REPORTER | Kirkus Reviews. Archived from the original on 2023-06-03. Retrieved 2023-07-10.
  10. ^ Rearick, Lauren (2022-09-27). "Meet the Young Syrian Journalist Who Went Viral For Revolution Coverage". Teen Vogue. Archived from the original on 2023-04-01. Retrieved 2023-07-10.
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