Facebook Post Claiming Rape by Ex-LAU Professor Goes Viral

In what’s turning into a bizarre case of “he said-she said,” on Tuesday afternoon Lebanese feminist NGO, Nasawiya shared a post on Facebook created by former Lebanese American University (LAU) student Alexandra Chreitah alleging she was raped by a former professor there.

The post featured a photograph of Rachid El-Daif and accused him of repeated rape over a four-year period. It also claimed that Daif held her in his home against her own will. Within a few hours, the image was shared several hundred times by Facebook users.

The only problem was, none of the information contained in the post had been confirmed as true, and no legal action had yet to be taken against Daif. Chreitah’s Facebook page has since been hidden or disabled, and Dr. El-Daif published a response on his profile by Tuesday evening denying the accusations.

Nasawiya went a step further and removed the post altogether from its Facebook page, though they assert they have spoken to Chreitah and believe her story.

Nasawiya’s support has not been met with unanimous praise. Many have criticized the NGO for sharing Chreitah’s post so readily, without proof or room for legal action.

@nmoawad it’s not about true or not. going public before the legal system finds him guilty won’t help her now. whats the purpose? @zrdsht

— Terry (@Terry_AM) May 21, 2013

As of yet, no proof remains to either support or counter either party, though according to Nasawiya’s latest statement, they remain firm in their support for Chreitah.