Faced with the escalating controversy and the widespread circulation of the image, Safaa Sultan broke her silence and published a lengthy explanation revealing the circumstances of what happened, stressing that the matter resulted from an unintentional mistake and misunderstanding, and that she did not notice the flag in the design before republishing it.
Sultan explained that the image was not created by her, but was sent by one of her fans, who designed it using artificial intelligence techniques. She noted that she used to share designs sent by her fans as an expression of her love and appreciation for them.
She confirmed that she quickly deleted the post as soon as she noticed the mistake, and also asked the designer to delete it as well, and contacted one of the websites that covered the topic to clarify what happened.
The artist did not hide her annoyance at the speed with which the post spread and was interpreted without verifying its background, stressing that her positions towards Syria and its people have never changed, and that she has always stood by the Syrians and expressed her love and belonging to them.
In her message, she said: “I have always been with the people of Syria, to whom I am a daughter, and I have never abandoned them,” stressing that what she offered to the Syrians was a duty stemming from her belonging and love, and not a search for appreciation or praise.
She also addressed a message to the pages and people who shared the image, calling for verification of the truth of the posts before passing judgment, and stressing that she found herself compelled to clarify what happened out of respect for the Syrian people.
Safaa Sultan concluded her explanation by emphasizing her connection to Syria and Jordan, and her keenness on the unity of love among the Arab peoples, in an attempt to put an end to the controversy that accompanied the post.
Interestingly, the artist accompanied her explanation with a brief comment on her Instagram account, in which she wrote: “The Damascene woman,” in reference to her pride in her identity and her connection to both Jordan and Syria.
Thus, Safaa Sultan tried to resolve the controversy sparked by the picture, stressing that sharing the design did not carry any intentional political message, but rather came as a result of a mistake in republishing a work prepared by one of her fans.