Say The Truce
The Beirut riots over the “satanic” cartoons have caused strong feelings in many Lebanese. Most of us are angry, afraid, and utterly shameful. People like Johnny, however, are trying to see what we, and the world, can learn from these tragic events. In his contribution to The Beirut Spring, Johnny suggests that the world can learn from how Beirut managed to be a Muslim/Christian melting pot.
As Eastern Christians living in an Islamic environment, we are all aware of the sanctity of some basic Islamic values and beliefs. Among those are the one concerning the drawing of the Prophet: Not only portraying him is prohibited, the thought of putting him in a cartoon is certainly an offense that no one would even dare think of doing.
We are aware of it, because we are surrounded by Muslims. We had our hard times dealing with each other and we also had our good times.
Although the image that the world is getting from us today - an image of a divided people - is bad, Lebanon’s unity, ever since Prime Minister Hariri’s assassination, has never been as consolidated as it is today.
A bunch of non-believers have insulted Islamic believers by waging their barbaric acts against the Danish Consulate in Beirut as well as casting stones at a Maronite church, all that under Islamic flags.
The nobility and righteousness of any cause becomes void when it exceeds peaceful demonstration and becomes violent and extreme.
However, the Lebanese people are united today to condemn these acts. They are also united in condemning the cartoons.
Here’s how Lebanon can become a source of truce for the whole world.
Lebanon has been a good example to prove that there is a clash of civilisations. Today Lebanon can be a counter example to prove that there can be a harmony of civilisations.
Danish embassies and consulates are being attacked in Islamic countries. Danish products are being boycotted in these countries as well. Meanwhile Christian churches have been burnt, attacked and bombed in Kosovo and Iraq during the past year. And today, Lebanon is added to the list.
Since the barbaric acts in Beirut have been condemned unanimously, Lebanon can now offer this sign of hope to the world and be a source of truce between Western leaders and Islamic leaders.
This truce shall be based on a compromise: Western leaders should apologize for hurting the Islamic Umma’s religious feelings while Arab and Islamic countries should condemn any violent act against churches in the Middle East or Central Europe.
They shall agree on the respect of holiness and tolerate everyone’s religion. The Western countries will have to concede part of their freedom of expression and set its limits. The Islamic countries will have to treat all religious minorities equally and protect them.
Johnny Kairouz
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Hello, my name is Mustapha and I blog in The Beirut Spring about Lebanese society and politics. I started in February 2005 after the killing of P.M. Rafik Hariri.
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It should be clear by now that Lebanese Prime minister Fuad Saniura and majority leader MP Saad Al-Hariri are Wahhabi wolfes in pseudo-modernist clothes: they wear clean-cut ties and suits but, deep inside, they’re just like the Taleban- or even worse for that matter.
Hariri and Saniura were actually both seen several times (on Saudi Arabia’s Channel 1 TV) attending Friday prayer services at Jeddah’s Central Mosque, where the residing Hambali preacher regularly calls for the “extermination of idolatrous Shiite and Christian dogs” or “Tassfiyatt al kilâb al mushrikeen al matâweelah wal-nasârah” in Saudi parlance!
As long as they don’t RENOUNCE PUBLICLY (preferably on Saudi TV) the intolerance and perversions of Wahhabi theocratic fascism, the leaders of Lebanon’s ruling Future party will remain under suspicion in East Beirut and Mount Lebanon.
Opposition leader Gen. Michel Aoun is right to say that the gullible March 14 dupes are shooting on the wrong target: they focus their ire on hapless/impotent figures such as president Lahoud and a weakened Syrian regime on the brink of collapse, which is no threat to Lebanon’s sovereignty anymore…while blindly ignoring the mounting threat posed by the totalitarian Islamist regime of Saudi Arabia and its Harirista “Imam corner”.
Today, the Lebanese public has finally seen the true face of Saad Al-Hariri’s commercialist brand of Wahhabism-Lite based on Riyadh’s violent neo-medieval interpretation of Koranic Law, and backed by corrupt Western leaders such as Dick Cheney and Jacques Chirac…
The burning of the Danish consulate and ensuing invasion (there’s no other word I’m afraid) of East Beirut’s upscale Achrafiyeh district by hordes of rampaging Saudi-sponsored savages was only the “great rehearsal” of things to come, as Lenin used to say of the revolt of 1905.
At least we won’t have the luxury of claiming we were not warned in advance by the sadist disciples of Saudi “thinkers” Nasiruddin Al-Albani, Abdul-Aziz Ibin Baz and other proponents of the final solution for Christians, Shiites and “secular dogs”…
See wiki entry below for more edifying info on Saudi Arabia’s leading “Grand” Mufti
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ibn_Baz
Frightening stuff…
Dr Victor de la Vega
Thomas More Center for Middle-East Studies
http://www.mideastmemo.blogspot.com/
I think that you’re the perfect candidate for another Lebanese civil war.
You’re either blind or dumb..
When you read the news, read it correctly.
I disagree with Johnny. western leaders need not apologize for newspaper clipings. The editor of the Danish paper has apologized. End of story. Rather it is political leaders in the middle east who elevated this to this level of absurdity. Saudi state sponsored calls for boycotts, syrian govt sanctioned riots in Damascus, Nsarallah saying if only we had killed Rushdie, what we say yesterday in Beirut. I know because I am not religious it is very easy for me to shrug off these cartoons, but unless these cartoons are coupled with a campaign to oppress and stigmatise the muslim danish population led by the danish government, then Danish and other European authorities have nothing to apologize for. the focus should be on discrimination suffered by moslems in Denmark, I am sure there is that going on, and that should be challenged within the internal framework of that country, but to hear Saudi and other leaders from the Middle East lecture about press rights and religious tolerance etc.. is too much.
Isn’t the violent reaction by some muslims of burning down buildings and attacking people validating the message in the cartoon?
-J
The violent reaction is a normal reaction which is caused by any event which one percieves to be directly aimed at instigating a controversial issue. Like road rage, girlfriend being hit on etc…Except this situation was about a figurehead which some people deem “untouchable.” Its understandable and this reaction is also a method of “expressing their freedoms” etc…You may not like the way the outburst was done, you cant deny them the right to do it.
Fatfat holds dual Saudi/Lebanese citizenships and was a member of the Dannieh branch of the fascist Moslem Brotherhood Youth Movement: we can no doubt count on him and on his disinterested “Darak” to catch Harirista church-burners and other Wahhabi thugs
HAVE SOMETHING TO SAY ?
THINK IT MATTERS?
Then put your words where the money is!
Speak your mind on freedom in the Middle East and Win $2,000!
The Hands Across the Mideast Support Alliance (HAMSA) is proud to announce its “Dreams Deferred” Essay Contest on Civil Rights in the Middle East. The contest has two parts: one for Middle Eastern youth (25 and younger) and one for American youth (25 and younger).
To participate, all you have to do is write a brief essay (600-2,000 words) addressing one of three questions dealing with civil rights in the Middle East.
Winners will be selected by a panel of celebrity judges – including Gloria Steinem, Dr. Saad Eddin Ibrahim, and Norman Hill – and will receive a $2,000 prize, with other prizes for top essays!
For more information, please visit http://www.hamsaweb.org