GAZA CITY, Gaza Strip — The colors of the rainbow have always been exhilarating, connoting optimism and hope. Thus, large numbers of Palestinians on Facebook applied a rainbow filter to their profile photos within 24 hours of it being offered as an option. Many of them, however — unfamiliar with the rainbow flag as a symbol of gay pride — did not know that the rainbow feature came in recognition of the June 26 ruling by the US Supreme Court declaring same-sex marriage a constitutional right.

“What happened was an act of deception. The symbols familiar in America and the West are not necessarily commonplace in the whole world,” Mohammed Abu al-Qomboz, and independent social media trainer, told Al-Monitor. “A large proportion of [Palestinian] Facebook users automatically rainbowed their profile picture, but few of them were aware of the meaning of these colors.” 

According to Qomboz, Facebook offering the rainbow filter was a trick, since applying such icons represents approval of something, in this case support of gay marriage.

Some young Palestinian activists took to Facebook to explain what the rainbow colors meant. A day after the Supreme Court ruling, journalist Isra al-Modallal posted a message on her Facebook page, stating, “Whoever uses the rainbow-colored filter feature approves of the new law allowing homosexual or gay marriage passed by the United States.”