Monday, February 28, 2011

Is this finally the beginning for Lebanon?

I woke up yesterday and read article about a Lebanese protest against sectarianismand my heart just jumped with excitement. I ended up writing this piece.

I was born and raised in the middle of the Lebanese Civil war. A war that was started by the propagation of paranoia among the constituents of Lebanon’s various local lords pursuing the expansion of their sphere of influence, and of course, deepening their pockets along the way. It so happened that, just by the reality of Lebanon’s population distribution, these supposed lords used religious principles, ideologies, and events to convince their constituents of their elevated status and dominance over society. At first they where rivals against neighbouring communities, which more often than not used to be of the same sect but under a different local lords patronage. So Christians fought against Christians, Muslim against Muslim, Druze against Druze, in the old and tired and detested clock and dagger style, each vying for dominance. This was indeed the case across much of Lebanon and not in any form or shape restricted to a single one of its 18 confessions. Of course once the friction between the other sects began, the rhetoric got cranked up. All the leaders used the other sects as scapegoats to frighten the people in to backing them up and thus achieved even more control and dominion but this time giving it the face of fanaticism (Christian, Muslim and Druze). Not one single one of Lebanon’s 18 sects and their miniature warring tyrants is innocent of such an accusation, Christian, Muslim, Druze or Jew. And the more they gained the more they wanted to gain. In their unquenchable lust for power they planted the seeds of destruction. Greedily, they wanted more control, more shares of the country, more power, more money... always forgetting the needs of the people. Each leader provided their constituents with “protection” from the “threats” of the “different” sects and thus levied their own taxes, direct or otherwise, and the people willing followed for they were genuinely frightened, even if their better judgment told them differently, being branded a traitor carried its own dire consequences amidst a frightened mob.

I was born into a multi confessional family. Let’s just say I grew up confused, I identified with all the religious and agnostic aspects of my family, they where all compatible to me and therefore I could not understand why people where fighting... I’d here a Muslim speak of how evil the Christians where, and I would here Christians speak of how evil the Muslims where, each thinking me one of them, and candid they were. Every time I heard such repulsive talk I flinched. I’d tell them, quite dejected, that I knew someone of the other side and they were not in any way like that. People used to brush me off as a naive little 9 year old who did not know any better. But that did not mean that they knew any better, for the war raged on and on and all were to blame. Our movement restricted, living day to day in fear of the next. And the war raged on. 
Eventually the war ended but the old prejudices remained, the lords of war needed to keep those fears in place in order to insure their power base. The war ended but the old revelries remained and the lords vied for more power and more wealth threatening war all the time, or if not threatening it, illicitly implying it. And even though the violence ended and peace was declared and people reunited, the war still raged on. Hidden. But still raging. Peace gave a chance for the younger ones to see for themselves what the other side was all about. The mixing of the sects was inevitable in time of peace when one pursued a better education or the better career choice, where ever it took them. People traveled freely now from one part to the other. The younger generation made friends with people of the other sects. Long lasting friendships. Suddenly all the reasons given for the war became irrelevant. And we mixed even more with joy and free will. Leaders did not like this. Parents did not like this. Many were forced to give up their new friendships. The silent segregation was to be upheld at all costs. But still we mixed in spite of the old revelries. Soon we were suggesting civil marriage, and suddenly all the sects united against this simple proposal, it was incredible, I can’t remember which year this was but Muslims and Christens where united against this evil and satanic idea. Civil marriage? It’s of the devil, they said. The old revelries, which by now we had realized where falls rivalries, prevailed and we were denied a basic human right. 

At school we are thought that Lebanon is a democratic country. We learned the meaning of democracy and liked the idea. Many of us though had a hard time consolidating the definition with the reality. The definition in the book did not compare favorably with the reality. Yet we had just come out of civil war and had just been freed from the fears of that war, and we saw how oppressed the rest of the region was and fatally agreed that what we had was better than nothing. Plus we were always discouraged to dream of a utopian Lebanon; “heh! The Christians (or Muslims) will dominate us and oppress us if Lebanon was a real democracy” and we where brushed aside as though we were too naive, again. But were we?

Apathy soon hit us. We could not rise up as secular Lebanese because the first questions people ask are; what is your name? And then where are you from? Which part of that town? Loaded questions, beating around the bush and never asking the real question; “who do you follow?” which can be determined by where you live and what street and what your religion is. This is a form of bigoted discrimination, to be judged based on what family or religion I was born in to? As human beings we have the right to choose... to choose which religion, if any, we wish to follow. Some of us refuse to be categorised by blood inheritance, some of us do not believe that nobility or religion runs in ones blood. We have a choice. It is our human right. Our choice. We choose. No one chooses for us not by birth and not by force. At every turn we were told to stop dreaming. We lost hope. We became apathetic. We could not organise because, even though we wanted the same thing, the old rivalries prevailed. The old rivalries stood in the way of our progress, our evolution, our solidarity, our sovereignty as Lebanese. The old rivalries denied us our freedom of choice and our freedom of expression and much more. We became hopeless and apathetic.

Again and again we where lied to. Told that the opposite faction wants to destroy us. We were still divided across sectarian lines but now things were getting complicated. Lebanon is not only a country divided in its own sectarian identities, but it is also a country divided by the forces and ideologies of the east and of the west. Are we Arabs or are we not Arabs? Lebanon is at the crux of these opposing tidal forces. So the lies had to continued. And once again we were forced to take sides. Sides that have not proven themselves to be working for the greater good of all the Lebanese. Sides that still encourage the erosion of our Lebanese identity by continuing to push their own agenda, shrouded in the veil of religious ideology, be it as devoid of true faith as it is. And again we, the people where forced between a rock and a hard place. Squashed in the middle as the old rivalries and fears crept back to the surface. “The other side will oppress us and take away our religious rights” they said. And still the leaders vied for more power. Striking fear and terror in the hearts of Lebanon’s sons and daughters.

And now the Revolution, that we all hoped for since we were young enough to understand such things, has come. The Arab world is on fire, the people are demanding, not in the name of a religion, but in the name of the people, their rights and dignities back. The message is that we are no longer alone. The internet took care of that aspect. We are no longer afraid. We want our rights and dignity back. We the people demand our due rights.

But Lebanon is a complicated situation. Unlike, Tunisia, Egypt and Libya. We are not governed by a tyrannical or authoritarian dictator. Lebanon is ruled by a tyrannical pseudo democratic system that encourages us to be divided. The more we are divided the less likely we are to stand up together and demand from the so called delicate balance of powers in Lebanon the rights that they have denied us. Not any one specific, not against a party or faction or sect but rather a revolution against the entire system that we have deemed as corrupt. We demand the deconstruction of the very system that gives the old rivalries and lords their power. 

The time to say, enough, is now up on us. People have taken to the streets to make their voices and wishes heard. It should not stop there, we should continue to do this until more and more people are emboldened. We should keep on doing this so that more and more people would lose their fear and join us. We should not stop now. Now more than ever, we need to demand our rights back. Our dignity. Our identity. Stand up for secularism and put an end to the greatest obstacle that still stands in the way of our prosperity. Demand an end to this sectarian system that continues to ruin our lives and the lives of our children and theirs. Stand up for our sovereignty as Lebanese, not as members of sects, our loyalty to country and flag. Stand up for our civil liberties which include civil marriage, equal female rights, freedom of speech, freedom of association, freedom of religion, freedom from bigotry. Our infrastructure needs a proper upgrade; we need to start thinking of relying less and less on fossil fuels. We need to develop alternative energy sources, windmills, solar energy, tidal energy, geothermic energy, creating new jobs and new fields for the Lebanese youth. The cost of oil is high and it is putting the entire nation in further debt. Raise the minimum wage, people cannot survive in these dismal conditions and the lack of financial recourses and investments due to these dismally low salaries is another reason why we are not advancing. The lack of financial recourses is making us choose between food and access to information through technology, and most will choose food and lose their access to proper information that could make them live better. The healthcare system needs to be drastically improved. Insurance companies reined in. Public services need to be improved and upgraded. Our telecommunications infrastructure needs to be modernized and upgraded for the needs of the 21st century, not for the requirements of the last.

Invest heavily, very heavily, into education. Rein in the private schools and universities that are asking for ridiculously high tuitions. Invest heavily in public schools; make them better than private schools. Our public schools need a curriculum upgrade, the history of the civil war should be thought without bias and it should point out how guilty everyone was. And the schools need recourses. Lots and lots of recourses. Education is the key to our salvation, the more we invest in proper education, the more we improve our situation as a nation. Religious schools should be closed down, if any one wants to learn in the ways of a religion and its traditions and rituals then they should go to a mosque or church, but not at school. Education should be completely secular, educators should teach -about- religions and not preach –a- religion. There is a big difference there.

Censorship should be abolished completely. The current political parties should be dissolved and their leaders prohibited from participating in political life or power or pass it on to their children or next of kin. An inquiry has to be initiated in order to find out how much these lords have stolen from us and they must be made to pay it all back. All the political leaders in Lebanon deserve to have their assets frozen while this investigation takes place. There is no doubt in the minds of the Lebanese people that our leaders have siphoned off public funds. Whether it was the leaders or their minions or their subordinates who covered it up in so many ways, or even by virtue of giving off information that should have been given to all interested parties. We need equal opportunities, not nepotism or appointments by prejudice.
No one is going to bring about the change that we all want if we do not ask for it. We must stand our ground and demand our rights and dignity back from the hands of those who have humiliated us for so long and kept this god forsaken sectarian system in place. It is time to put it down.

For those of you who are marching on the street in protest of the sectarian system. Do not stop. Keep going. Know that the energy of your spark is carrying all our hopes and aspirations as a united Lebanese nation. Do not stop, even when the dark moments come. Do not stop. And always keep it peaceful. The minute our revolution instigates violence we are doomed. Be peaceful but head strong stubborn. Do not yield and do not relent. And if they bring aggression and violence to you, try to remain calm. Take pictures, document, and share publicly on the internet so that everyone may know who did this to you. But do not resort to violence yourselves. The minute you do, the revolution is doomed. It is one of the most difficult things to do, to be non violent, but it is a method that will win you more and more support and will eventually bring out enough people to bring this god forsaken system down. Just don’t stop till it is accomplished no matter how they threaten you and no matter how they try to bribe you. Do not betray your principles. We shall prevail, we have to prevail, because the alternative is unbearable.

Thoughts on Jumblat's endorsement of the secular movement

We should thank Jumblat for his endorsement but he should be notified that when the change happens, he, and the rest of the old gang, including those who inherited their position from the old gang, will have no place in the new secular system.

While I like Jumblat for some reasons, him being a hilarious figure and comic relief and a few other reasons, we cannot forget that he was one of the civil war’s war lords and thus is responsible, in part, to the current state of affairs.

Nor do I trust him because of his constantly shifting allegiances.

As for the resistance against foreign forces (be they Israeli or Syrian) we either stand together as one nation in the face of such aggression or we risk more strife.

Lebanon has a right to resist foreign aggression. Such a resistance however should be conducted by the legitimate Lebanese armed forces that represent all of Lebanon and not by a militant faction that represents but one faction of the Lebanese population.

The resistance should be a Lebanese resistance not an Islamic resistance (and certainly not a Christian resistance in lieu of Syrian aggression)

We say yes to a Lebanese resistance, but we say no to armed groups (be they Hezbollah or otherwise) and no to a single faction taking on this responsibility on its own.

We either resist together or we do not.

In any event, the best resistance against Israel is not with the employment of weapons or violence. The best resistance against Israel is through knowledge, economic development, information and mass communication.

We should deny Israel any excuse that they can use against us for war or otherwise so that the Israeli state can be exposed for what it is. Something we cannot achieve if we resort to violence.

Furthermore, the real people of Israel have had enough and also want peace. As long as the Israeli government uses the fear of Hezbollah to quell the voices of decent the Israelis who want peace cannot maneuver as much as they would like. Take away that fear and we will be left with an Israeli government that is weekend and thus we resist by giving support to the peace loving human rights movements in Israel.

Furthermore, Jumblat’s opinion that
“Lebanon should either side with the western Israeli front or the Arab Islamic one”
is in itself statement that further promotes the sectarian divide within Lebanon. How can he endorses the secular movement and call for resistance against foreign influence when he clearly states that we should either allow American/Saudi/Israeli foreign interference or allow for Syrian/Iranian interference. Some of you may not be old enough to remember but it is exactly this, allowing foreign forces to interfere in the politics of Lebanon, that originally caused the civil war of which Jumblat was a vicious participant along with the same people that call themselves our leaders, March 14 and March 8.


His support for the secular movement in Lebanon is appreciated but we should not be fooled into believing this kind of hypocrisy when other words and actions clearly indicate his position to be opposite of the support he gives. 


the real choices are that we either resist ALL foreign interference and fight against all those who threaten us militarily or otherwise and we do so united as Lebanese, or we allow our beloved country to continue falling in to the abyss that the sectarian system has pushed us into. We rise from the abyss together or not at all. Not to be swayed by March 8 and not to be swayed by March 14, both of which are guilty of bringing us to this point.

Thoughts on March 14th stance against the Mikati government.

Are these so called leaders really that clueless?

A part of me believes that they are boycotting the Mikati government to pave the way for a new confrontation between Israel and Hezbollah. or so the news remotely suggests as of late

mind you, I don't support the Mikati government or any other government for that mater as long as the sectarian system is still in place but we have to argue some of the false logic and fear stemming form these issues.

if march 14 really had any notion of creating a viable Lebanese state they should have proven it instead of proving that they care only for themselves.

yes the STL is an important issue, but the Lebanese should be weary because the misgivings of the March 8 camp may be legitimate and should be investigated. however, March 8 should back down and if it is found, without doubt, that members their camp where indeed involved in the 2005 assassination then the people responsible should be made to pay for their crimes against humanity, regardless of who they are. if Hezbollah is serious about the stability and future of Lebanon they should drop the demand to abolish the STL and comply rather than bring the whole country to its knees just because they can do so. However, as i said before, if the STL stands accused of being politically influenced then an oversight comity should be placed to investigate these allegations as transparently as possible with supervision by a March 8 and March 14 delegation.

As far as the accusations of a coupe déta go, the change in government was carried out legitimately and the sore losers of the march 14 camp should not say another word, especially when they rejected the invitation to join the government, where they could have had a better say in the mater. They can now stand as the official opposition in parliament, this is how democracy works, but they should stop their fear mongering and they should stop planting the seeds of strife.

furthermore, Hariri was not the only person to be assassinated and many of the March 14 group are guilty of assassinations, siphoning of public funds and crimes against humanity. if March 14 is that adamants about the STL then they should also endorse and promote justice for all the victims of their own wheeling and dealing. Or is it that Hariri is the only person entitled to have his violent death investigate and his murderers convicted? 

back in the 1990's I was opposed to the imprisonment of Samir Gaga, not because I supported him, god knows how I despise militant extremists, but I opposed his imprisonment because it was unfair for him alone to be punished for the crimes that he committed against the Lebanese people while all the other war lords, whom are guilty of the same and worse, should remain free. 

All our leaders are corrupt. Many of them are war criminals or the sons of war criminals. March 14 or March 8. they are both the same with the difference being which foreign force supports them, but ultimately, both camps stand accused of destroying the lives of the Lebanese people.

March 14 talks the talk of democracy and the safety and prosperity of the people, but in truth they only seek to impose their own hegemony (just like March 8 camp) on the Lebanese and continue with their corrupt ways to destroy the country. they are hypocrites (just like March 8 camp) and they do not walk the walk to back up their empty words.

Either these so called leaders are willing to work together, despite their differences, in order to improve the lives of the Lebanese people, or we allow them to continue to lie to us and seek their own personal interest while our beloved Lebanon falls apart due to their greed.

The Leaders of March 14 and March 8 do not have the interest of the Lebanese people in mind. they have their own interests in mind as is evident of them succumbing to foreign masters. these are the very people (March 14 and March 8) who continue to impose the undemocratic sectarian system that has robed us of our human rights.

Thursday, February 24, 2011

For the Future of Lebanon

Granted that Lebanon is probably the most liberal of Middle Eastern countries and that we are not ruled by a single dictator per say. Yet still, Lebanon has its share of problems when it comes to poverty levels, job availability, high costs of living, freedom of expression and civil liberties. Lebanon is a small country at the crux of the world’s crossroads. It is a meeting place of not just east and west but also north and south. A tiny overcrowded country with more corruption than can be imagined, and one will have to imagine because of the craftiness of the Lebanese political leaders in keeping such maters hidden from the public even when they conduct such business right before the people’s eyes. The Lebanese state is a system based on corruption it encourages corruption. It breeds corruption. It cements inherited power.

No! Lebanon does not have a single dictator. It does not need to with the makeup of the country. Lebanon is a country with 18 different confessions. Each obstinately closed in on itself from the others for fear of losing power. Power that is handled by old feudal ruling families. Many of which, within their own confession, are in rivalry for dominion over all constituents... or rather should I say sheep... that follow each of these “lords” without question... or rather no question other than ‘how much can I get out of this?’... people being bribed, people being bought, people that loose all sense integrity when shown the money ... not the Lebanese bank notes but rather the American green notes – the US Dollar is a semi recognized currency in Lebanon for very peculiar reasons... and if they cannot be bought then they are subjected to fear mongering... since Lebanon is a very ‘pious’ and religiously ‘practicing’ country by western standards... not so much by middle eastern standards though, but enough to allow for people to fear the Lebanese from the other confessions, lest they brake the fragile control of Lebanon’s sectarian structure. The leaders frighten the people with the threat of the other side planning on eliminating them or suppressing their sect.

Lebanon’s sectarian constitution.... and the Lebanese state is falsely labeled as a secular state despite of its sectarian... dictates ... or rather the French dictated the constitution before giving us our independence... that the president will be a Maronite, the prime minister a Suni, the speaker of parliament a Shia. Other positions are also divided between the remaining but these three sects get the most of it, creating ample room for minorities to exist.

Even the judicial system is divided. Most matters that should be civil matters, such as marriage and inheritance laws, are subject to be assigned to the body that represents the petitioners’ sect. There is no such thing as civil marriage in Lebanon for fear that the delicate demographic balance will not be toppled over in favor of one of the other sects. And I find this rather a strange and useless stubbornness because no one knows for sure what the demographics of Lebanon are any more since there has not been a census since 1932. When the French left Lebanon they made sure that their Christian allies were in charge of the country, proclaiming them to be fit as a majority. No one needs a census right now to tell us that that the Christians who ruled where no longer the majority in any shape during and after the civil war. The Arab leaders brokered the agreement between the different Lebanese warring parties of the 1975-1990 civil war and kept the system as it was but emaciated the power of the Christian president in favor of that of the Suni prime minister. And this continues today in the form of the Suni-Shia struggle. Or at least that is the big un-detailed picture.

There is also no lack of education in Lebanon. Which is why this situation is so surprising. One would think that by now, because of the corrupt nature of the Lebanese sectarian state system, the young would have risen up against the stupidity, calling for it to end once and for all. 

Surprisingly, in spite of the high spirited, strong headed, well educated youth facing economic, politico sectarian, and civil liberty issues, they have not yet risen together as one voice... as Lebanese. As long as they stick to supporting dinky lord of this side or flabby lord of that side, as blindly as they do, without question, or maybe not blindly but still without question, for fears that should be unfounded to begin with, there will never be a LEBANESE revolution. As long as people continue to identify themselves by their sect first, there can be no LEBANESE revolution. As long as people continue to exult the piety and honor of war criminals, which most Lebanese leaders are, there can be no LEBANESE revolution. As long as the majority of the inhabitants of Lebanon continue to identify themselves as one sect or another, then they are not identifying themselves as Lebanese. And if they are not identifying themselves as Lebanese then how can there be a Lebanese revolution?

Right now Lebanon is divided in to two main camps. The western backed march 14 alliance, mostly Maronites and Sunis, extremists (both Christian and Muslim), moderates of all sorts, and their general constituents , and the Syrio-Iranian backed March 8, consisting mostly of Shia Muslims, Maronites and other Christians loyal to Syria, extremists (both Christian and Muslim), moderates of all sorts, and their general constituents. Hezbollah is the main power behind the March 8 camp. They are a militia with legitimate concerns in the face of a new Israeli invasion, yet a militia none-the-less. The only openly armed group in Lebanon that is not part of the military or internal state security. Hezbollah should have handed in their weapons when the civil war ended but the foreign overlords of Lebanon allowed them to maintain them. Allied with Hezbollah is the other major Shia faction Amal, lead by the speaker of parliament, Nabih Berry. Unlike their Hezbollah counterparts, who are organized and disciplined and rather respectful even though they are a militia, and I am not making excuses I am just stating a fact; Amal has a reputation or hooliganism. Allied with them is a mad ex-general with a Napoleonic complex, Michel Aoun, a Maronit Christian who claims secularism, but I have a hard time believing him. Also allied with them are the Druz leaders, Walied Jumblat, who thinks alliance is a seesaw game, and Talal Arslan. Along with several other smaller feudal lords. The March 14 camp, although pro western does not fair that much better, consisting of the extremist Christian Maronite Lebanese Forces lead by Samir Gaagaa, a bigoted and ruthless fanatic, the Christian Phalanges, of the Sabra and Shatila massacre infamy, led by an ex-play boy ex-president who robbed the country blind during the civil war, the main Suni faction lead by ex-prime minister Saad Hariri, son of slain ex-prime minister Rafik Hariri, who stole Lebanon from the Lebanese and sold it to foreigners, it would have been alright if he had shared the wealth with all Lebanese rather than just his followers, even if they were of mixed confessions…. the point is he served his own interests and not those of the Lebanese, no matter how you look at it and in spite of all the charity work in his name.

A fine make up. Anyone with half a mind and a half nationalistic sense of dignity would have been better off not supporting either of these war criminal, mafia type infested groups. Anyone with a sense of Lebanese dignity would have said NO to both of them. 

I was talking to a friend a few days ago, and she, a person I consider to be politically aware and proud to be Lebanese, voiced her support for one faction and hate for the other in a manner that showed an uncharacteristic sectarian idealism not becoming of her. That frightened me! You see, there is a third but silent faction in Lebanon. Those of us whom have had enough. Those of us who gave up on religion because of the atrocities we witnessed being carried out in said religion’s name. We shunned religion because our churches and mosques where teaching us how to betray our country by preaching their sectarian propaganda. We shunned religion because with no civil marriage, it was difficult for lovers of different sects to marry one another... not impossible but difficult. We decried the sectarian divisions that denied us decent jobs within our chosen fields, because of sectarian preferences, blatant or masked. We decried the closure of independent media outlets that were not affiliated with one sectarian political leader or the other. We cried out against the price gouging, the electricity rationing, the water rationing, and the dismal infrastructure, that when not being bombed by the Israelis still falls apart. We screamed against the rising costs of education and the academic institutions that have transformed themselves in to commercial businesses peddling our education for more profits, all with the blessings of the feudal lords. Though we are technologically savvy, our technical abilities are a badly patched combination of obsolete third hand systems, slow and expensive internet access that hampers our advancement in to prosperity. We have wind corridors, lots of sun, rivers, and a coastline yet we depend on fusil fuels for our power needs and the energy department rations the electricity it gives out. We are the dreamers who keep getting crushed by the leaders of the March 14 and March 8 camps. We know that it is they and their politics that are destroying us as a nation. We should rise up and and revolt against them both, set up our own platform with a viable agenda that works for LEBANESE.... not for Maronit or Suni or Shia or Druze or Orthodox or Catholic or Alawi or whatever.... for the LEBANESE. Not for this warlord or that warlord or even the father or mother or sister or son or daughter of any warlord... For the LEBANESE. Not for the US, not for France, not for Syria, not for Saudi Arabia, not for Iran, not for Israel… but for LEBANON.

Many of us have left. We could no longer stand the appalling condition. Although by our own choice... we are exiled. But there are many who have stayed and yet remain silent. Each one of them not willing to engage in any political activity lest they be forcibly put down or swayed, or bribed, to join one or the other. We abstain so that we may not become like the secterianites. But for how long are we going to keep silent? For how long are we going to pretend that we do not care? For how long are we going to just sit there and allow these factions to keep on destroying our lives, our future, our dignity and our identity as Lebanese? For how long?

The time to break the silence is now. The time to seize the day and proclaim our real independence is now. It is time to take to the streets in great numbers. Let us join hands and walk peacefully in protest against this system that has robed us and our children of our collective dreams. It is time to make our voices heard. It is time that we demanded change. Let us march towards our objective with heads held high and ask for a referendum for change. Let us create a movement for change. Let us take to the streets and ask for new elections and let us raise our own independent and secular platform. We cannot wait around for the so called leaders to give us our dignity and destiny back. We must make it happen ourselves as peacefully and non-violently as possible. Do not allow them to brake you with fear or money. Stand your ground. Our tool is peaceful civil disobedience. Let us all join hands and put an end to this mockery and let us stand proud to be Lebanese and nothing else.