SCP-1173
The Islamic Republic of Eastern Samothrace
Picture from cover of Time magazine, 02/11/11: "Impoverished citizen of the Islamic Republic of Eastern Samothrace, 2009."
Special Containment Procedures
Knowledge of the existence of the IDAS is to be promulgated into as many databases and reputable sources at earliest convenience. This spread of information is to include online and print sources; containment of SCP-1173 will be considered complete when information regarding the IDAS is present in as many scholarly databases, media outlets, and literature as is possible. Active attempts to contain SCP-1173 are suspended at this time; please consult Addendum SCP-1173-A for details. Three (3) D-class personnel infected with SCP-1173 are to be kept at Site 26 for limited testing purposes; any unauthorized use of the operative phrase for SCP-1173 treatment outside of testing protocols is to result in termination and replacement.
While the current need to contain SCP-1173 is still considered a vital one, under no circumstances are Foundation personnel to directly engage in hostile action against individuals attempting to spread SCP-1173. Efforts to contain SCP-1173 should focus on discovering the nature of SCP-1173 and researching methods of eliminating SCP-1173, regardless of whatever actions may be required to accomplish this. However, all Foundation units are to refrain from attacking one another for any reason, including as a part of an attempt to contain SCP-1173.
Document SCP-1173-1 is to be deleted at earliest opportunity and all affected personnel treated. As per Protocol 1173-Omicron: Until such a time as the nature of SCP-1173 can be more definitively determined and anti-memetic measures can be carried out, direct conflict between affected personnel and standard Foundation personnel is to be avoided. Discussion of SCP-1173 in an unofficial capacity is strictly forbidden to avoid interpersonal conflict among Foundation personnel.
Description
SCP-1173 is a memetic phenomenon associated with the political body known as the Islamic Republic of Eastern Samothrace (Ισλαμική Δημοκρατία της Ανατολικής Σαμοθράκης, or IDAS), currently the recognized government of the area traditionally known as Eastern Samothrace and Associated Island Territories. The Greek-speaking nation, centered on a small mainland enclave on the Anatolian peninsula and a series of islands in the northeastern Aegean Sea, is a resource-poor region previously known for its valuable port cities. The majority population practices Sunni Islam, with a limited number of Shi'a practitioners and a small group of Syriac Orthodox Christians, though the latter group has largely left the country due to religious conflict in the area. The nation is largely known for the semi-constant warfare taking place within its borders, typically centered around religious, ethnic, or political differences.
SCP-1173 has the effect of completely erasing all awareness of the existence of the IDAS from the memory or perception of infected individuals. Infected individuals will not recall the existence of Eastern Samothrace as a region, the IDAS as a government, or of the persistent conflict and privation of the country's populace as newsworthy pieces of information. The persistent spread of SCP-1173 throughout the human population has helped to minimize awareness of the country's difficulties and therefore reduce the amount of assistance its people have received, increasing suffering throughout the region.
The initial vector for infection is unknown; however, SCP-1173 can be countered through use of an operant sentence spoken aloud in the presence of infected individuals by an uninfected individual. Through research, the operant sentence has been determined to be "You hear about that thing down in Samothrace?" Individuals that have heard this sentence frequently express minor interest in the ensuing conversation, which invariably leads to a greater degree of interest in Samothracian affairs and appears to permit individuals to retain awareness and knowledge of the IDAS. This will rapidly lead to the restoration of an individual's memory of the country's present situation and classical contributions to Western culture. An individual able to retain such memories is considered "cured" of SCP-1173.
While most individuals infected with SCP-1173 are able to live otherwise normal lives, recent research has suggested a secondary effect from SCP-1173 infection. This effect has been observed specifically with individuals coming into close proximity with Syriac Christian refugees from Samothrace that have settled in the United States (at least 20,000 Syriac families have done so over the last fifteen years). In at least twenty-one separate instances, individuals with no commonalities other than SCP-1173 infection status have become extremely angry to the point of psychosis when in the presence of Samothracian refugees, leading to acts of violence. Many of these acts were unaccompanied by any explanation for their behavior, and attackers frequently expressed remorse and confusion at their own actions afterward. However, in eight documented instances, attackers were noted to shout "you can't be real" repeatedly and at great volume during the assault.