A new social media platform, launched exclusively for the Catalan language, has attracted over 2,000 active users and gains nearly one hundred new registrations daily in its first month. Metkhal Khalawi, an electronic engineer who fled the war in Syria and settled in Catalonia eight years ago, created the platform, named ‘Xiuxiuejar’.
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The initiative taps into a growing desire for digital spaces that prioritise linguistic preservation and data sovereignty. In a global landscape dominated by American-owned platforms, Xiuxiuejar aims to create a secure online environment for Catalan speakers. Its unique promise: all user data and powering algorithms are managed locally from the founder’s home in Molins de Rei.
A Catalan Alternative to X
Xiuxiuejar is currently a web-only platform. Khalawi describes its user experience as similar to X (formerly Twitter), where users can post short messages, called ‘Xius’, limited to 280 characters. The platform also features ‘Espais’ (Spaces), which are thematic groups dedicated to diverse topics, including astronomy, board games, architecture, and historical heritage.
To promote the language, the platform proposes a new Catalan word with its definition each day, encouraging users to incorporate it into their posts. According to reports in VilaWeb, Khalawi developed the platform alone after a positive response on LinkedIn. He commented, “People shared and commented on it; they said it was a very good initiative. I was very surprised, I didn’t think it would be so popular.”
Mobile applications for both Android and iPhone are expected in the coming weeks, following minor Apple Store delays. Khalawi anticipates this will make the platform more accessible and further accelerate its growth.
From Damascus to Molins de Rei
Khalawi’s journey to Catalonia was fraught with peril, making the project deeply personal. He fled Syria in 2015 after being held for two weeks in an Islamic State prison. He recounted, “It took me three months just to get out of Syria, I was almost killed.”
His path took him through Turkey, where he worked 16-hour days in Istanbul factories, and then to Greece, where he had several near-fatal experiences at sea. There he met a Catalan woman; they eventually settled in Molins de Rei, where he began the asylum process in 2017. In Catalonia, he finally completed the electronic engineering degree that the war had interrupted in Syria.
The platform’s name, Xiuxiuejar (to whisper), holds special significance for Khalawi. He recalls a teacher in his Catalan class asking for his favourite word. He explained, “I said ‘xiuxiuejar’. It’s very soft, very beautiful. It resembles an Arabic word, ‘waswasa’, with a similar meaning.”
Privacy and Future Plans
Khalawi created Xiuxiuejar primarily to offer an alternative to major technology firms’ data practices. He is resolute that his platform will operate on a different model, built on local trust and transparency.
“The server is in my home. This data doesn’t leave; it doesn’t go to Google, to X, or to any platform in the United States. It’s made here, by and for Catalan speakers,” Khalawi stated in an interview with Diari Catalunya.
This focus on local digital infrastructure echoes other recent initiatives, such as Barcelona’s new platform unifying its 60+ museums. This highlights a regional push for cultural and technological self-reliance.
Looking ahead, Khalawi plans to integrate more services into Xiuxiuejar. These include tools for language exchange to help Catalan learners, as well as features like news readers and online shopping. This will further establish Xiuxiuejar as a multifaceted hub for the Catalan-speaking community.
