Welcome back Moustapha!
We were worried, and totally understand and disgusted. God be with Lebanon today, and may it all end peacefully! Although it doesnt look good, but ill still stay optimistic.

Hope that by the time i get back “HOME” ill b able to walk in the streets of martyr square FREELY without smelling the flys and rats.

ya3eesh lubnan!

Seeing the dentist once a year is bad enough, let alone every day! Sounds like you’ve almost had enough with politics. I nearly went mad when I was visiting sep-dec 06 keeping up with the news every waking hour of the day. Well hang in there and hope you get through the appointments soon.

Keeping my fingers crossed on everyone showing up to parliment today.

Completely understandable Stef! Binthere dundat ;) Lebanon DOES that to people!

And as I told BV in an earlier response, the old spirit is broken! This old levantine is hanging up the hat; it’s Habakkuk 2:17.

Ah, but I CAN afford to bail out; you can’t. A new age of a new breed of deceitful mercenaries is dawning… and your generation can still hope against hope and put up a good fight. Mine is all done for! The devious topsy-turvy snakes have won this round, and they breed like mice… my own kids are charting a different course, and Lebanon is not in their purview.

“For the violence done to Lebanon will overwhelm you, the havoc done to its beasts shall break your own spirit because of the violence and bloodshed done to the land, to the city, and all their inhabitants…”

Godspeed!

In my opinion, the mass political lethargy that is spreading among the real driving force behind M14 is the realisation that the FPMers have chosen the path of no-return and they have only themselves to blame for that.

Once again, Aoun is preparing to blame the other party; in 1990 he blamed Syria and the Lebanese Forces, while in 2007 he substituted Syria for Hariri and Jumblatt with the same techniques he used then.

Newsflash for all Christians: Demographic trends should have made you wiser by now. There’s no time for pitiful power struggles.

Sorry to steer the threads away from your post Mus, but I think that our real problem in Lebanon (or at least a major part of it) is that FPMers refuse to admit that, whether they like it or not, the LF have succeeded in maintaining the Christian Facet of their Lebanese identity for them during the Civil War days and after that, against all odds (Imagine a Saudi or an Iranian or a Palestinian Model in Lebanon if they hadn’t done what they did).

On the other hand, the LFers refuse to admit that Aoun has good intentions, even though he’s an idiot, which is more dangerous than a thug, whose behaviour is predictable (Eye for eye and teeth for teeth). In the case of Aoun, you can never predict the idiocy that is coming next. Which is quite funny sometimes, but ultimately melodramatic.

And please guys, don’t give me cheezy comments about traitors and heroes and similar noise, think before you write. If you can’t do that, just ignore my post.

Take Good Care Steve,

These banners are further evidence of the Syrianisation of Leb political culture.

They all belong in the dictionary under “empty slogan”, but what does one expect from empty minds.

We’re only missing the classic “b’dam, b’nar….”

PS. You could make a fortune in Leb selling T-shirts that say: Ana 7mar.

Actually, much of this is “self-fawning”… I have noted a few of similar posters being posted by “mokhabarat” types. And I do not think it would be wise to object when you see your name associated with the great man.

Good one Josey!!

Best idea JW…Mus I think you should pick up on that shirt suggestion…Do it in their own colours…Wow we are entrepreneurial!! Make sure the donkey is from Shrek at least it’s better looking than of the so called leaders!!

Doesn’t Aoun have anyone around who makes sense to ask him if he is ok? Aoun looks like an old man going through early stages of Alzheimer!!! Unfortunately, he is sinking the whole country with him.

Um…what exactly is “bayyideen wijj”? I can guess from the context but I’d like to know the actual meaning for sure. Also, could someone perhaps translate some of those banners?

Ya Allah again with the lame posters and banners THIS IS SICK!!!! We’re so retarded and tribal,nothing else explains this crap :(
Lawrie it means the kiss ass or suck-ups pardon my french lol
Mustapha Salemtak! Lets hope they get these elections over with at least so we can be rid of the DT dweller rats!

Hezb stops UNIFIL from inspecting and UNIFIL does nothing. You guys are so screwed; my condolences. You’ll always be Lebanese in my heart.

Lawrie;

“bayyideen wijj” litterally means “those who whiten the face”, but is translated simply as “brow nosers”.

As to translation of the posters, I choose two of the ones I see as most revealing;

1- “prayer room (druze), Church(christian), husseiniyat (shiite), Mosque(sunni), Gnrl Suleiman in a Government unites all”… Note here that this one rimes, but that some Shiites may not like it; while they prefer to refer to their mosques as such, Sunnis prefer the term “husseiniyat”… And the order shows a “progression” of sorts.

3- “Today his (untranslatable brow nose term) General, Tomorrow his excellency the President General”…

… As you see, it is painfully stupid and vapid display of fawning, and Mustapha does well to point out this lower aspect of Lebanese politics.

Although Jeha you might have a point when you say they are put up by moukhabart types.

Who are ‘asdika2 al jayish’ and the other one I saw was ‘Tajamou3 Shabab Beirut’.

Very ‘general’ groups in this case.

The government should issue a law against this kind of crap.

Ooops, I forgot, the government is illegal and it can’t do that! :D

Mus. I hope you get well, e-mail? yes? no? maybe? :D

Jeha:

while they prefer to refer to their mosques as such, Sunnis prefer the term “husseiniyat”
“husseiniyat” are not mosques and are not used for worshipping, They are actually “town halls”, called “el nadi el husseini”. They do mark Lebanese Shiite villages in addition to the mosques, but whereas mosques are reserved for worshipping, “husseiniyat” are used as meeting places to pay condolences for lost ones, to listen to speeches by local political or religious leaders, for town meetings, to commemorate Ashura and stuff of that sort. The name “el-nadi el husseini” literally: the “husseini club”, is to honor of the revered martyr (some 1400 years ago) Immam Hussein (grandson of prophet Mohammad).

Sunnis in general know the difference between mosques and husseiniyat, but the bayyid wijj (most propably a man) who wrote the idiocy on the banner thought he was naming all sects and therefore creating some unity while in fact he is separating and segregating.
Allah - who supposedly visits all worship places - forgive him and have mercy on Lebanon…

These banners in Tripoli, and their likes in addition to photos on the walls around Beirut are reminiscence of the days before Lahoud’s first election.

Sorry for not writing as often as I would like to.
welcome to the club :-)

Super D.

Who are ‘asdika2 al jayish’ and the other one I saw was ‘Tajamou3 Shabab Beirut’.

Let me help, and I am just guessing here, but one “group” is Hikmat-the-grocer hoping the new regime will overlook his illegal use of the sidewalk.

And the other “group” is a couple of unemployed youths who get a few monthly liras from Syro-Leb mukhabarat.

To M Bashir, you seem very cultivated, enlighten me please :

- What is the language used in ”el Husayneyat” for socializing : modern persian or old persian?

With all respect to shiites, our brother in Islam, the problem is not religion or Sunnite/Shiite. The problem is the Iranian manipulation of Arab Shiite in order to serve blindly the Neo Safavid plan.

Sam
With all respect to shiites, our brother in Islam, the problem is not religion or Sunnite/Shiite.

I agree with you.
Your other comments are out of topic.
I was just clarifying the fact that mosques and husseiniyet are two different places and that Sunnis do not call mosques husseiniyet.

I was not defending what you called “Neo Safavid plan”, and I really don’t know how you came up with that conclusion from my comment.

Btw, Lebanese husseiniyet use Arabic, and they are not all identical. They are as diverse as the Lebanese themselves. Visit them, go to more than one, and more than once, maybe you can learn a bit about the culture of part of your people (I am assuming you are Lebanese and that you consider Shiites with Lebanese citizenship to be Lebanese).

As for the enlightening part, well it seems difficult to do, since - from the tone of your comment - you appear to be (and yes i am judging appearances) the type who misinterpret and is eager to jump to conclusions with a lot of anger.

Chill man, a lot can be won if you cool down, and there is a lot to life than a string of comments on a blog post (no offense Abu Stef)

To M Bashir,

You comment is clear and you make your point. I have nothing against you.

My problem is with Hizballah who’s putting our country into deep shit and blindly obeying Iran and Welayat El Faqih. Yes it makes me very angry when I see this ongoing mascarade.

I totally agree that this tendency of erecting banners to suck up to some politician is to say the least distasteful. I liked your previous entry and I linked to it in my new entry on Lebanon’s “presidentlessness”! Check it out:

http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/babylonbeyond/2007/12/no-government-n.html

[...] as soon as next Monday. Expect a drawn out, nationwide brouhaha of fireworks, festivities and fawnfests [...]