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.