New Catalan social network 'Xiuxiuejar' amases over 2,000 users in its first month

'Xiuxiuejar,' a new social network exclusively in Catalan, has attracted more than 2,000 active users in its first month after launching, and is registering nearly 100 new sign-ups each day, according to its creator. 

The platform was created by Metkhal Khalawi, a Syrian refugee who has been living in the region for the past 8 years.

His motivation behind launching the site was to promote the Catalan language and create a space with "control" over personal data and algorithms. 

Khalawi describes the current global landscape as increasingly complicated for users of major tech platforms. "The server is hosted at my house. This data doesn't leave here. It doesn't go to Google, X, or any American platform. It is made here, by and for Catalan speakers," Khalawi assures.

The website is similar to 'X,' featuring a vertical feed where users can scroll through posts of maximum 280 characters. 

Among its current features are 'Spaces,' which are themed groups where users discuss different topics ranging from astronomy and board games to historical heritage.

It also features a "word of the day," complete with a definition and interactive options. Khalawi says these features are part of a broader effort to promote the Catalan language. 

Looking ahead, he hopes to introduce language-exchange tools aimed at people learning Catalan.

For now, 'Xiuxiuejar' only exists on the web, but he plans to launch a mobile app in the coming weeks to make it easier to use and to boost its growth.

From an Islamic prison to Molins de Rei

The name of the platform, 'Xiuxiuejar,' is tied to Khalawi's experience as a refugee. 

In 2017, when he arrived in Catalonia and started a Catalan course in Molins de Rei, located about 12 km west of Barcelona, the teacher asked him what his favorite word was.

“I said 'Xiuxiuejar', (to whisper) it is very soft, very beautiful. It is very similar to an Arabic word, 'waswasa,' with a similar meaning." 

Khalawi managed to get out of Syria in 2015, escaping from an Islamic State prison where he was held for two weeks. 

"It took me three months of traveling just to get out of Syria, they almost killed me," he remembers. 

He then went to Turkey, where he worked in factories in Istanbul 16 hours a day, and later to Greece, on a very difficult journey where he nearly lost his life at sea several times.

There, he met a Catalan woman with whom he moved to Molins de Rei, where he began the asylum process in 2017.