Category Archives: Uncategorized

by

The Failure of Lebanon’s Facebook Demonstrations

Online mobilization is failing to take off in Lebanon.

Facebook anti war demo
There were almost more journalists than people in the “say no to war” demonstration

When people started shooting at each other in Tripoli and Tarik el Jdide, the rest of the Lebanese were visibly angry. Residents were clamoring loudly on radio talk shows, on TV stations and on the internet for the insanity to stop. One thing they all had in common was an overriding sense of helplessness, a feeling that there was nothing they could do to stop people from throwing bombs at each other in the middle of an otherwise lively city.

Facebook and Twitter were supposed to change that. Continue reading →

by

A Chemical Attack on Beirut’s Airport?

This news item (english) just doesn’t make sense. Why would a Pakistani national want to commit such a horrible act of terrorism in Beirut’s RHI Airport?

Lebanon doesn’t have a significant bilateral relationship with Pakistan. We don’t typically disagree on foreign policy. The Lebanese do not employ pakistanis as domestic workers. The only explanation I can think of is an Alqaeda style act of terrorism for the sake of terrorism.

Now why would a newspaper close to Hezbollah post such a thinly sourced scare-mongering piece about an upcoming Alqaeda attack? I’m sure it’s a coincidence that there’s an effort in the country to smear the Sunnis as Alqaeda hosts and sympathizers.

by

Tripoli’s Image Problem

More Lebanese are associating Tripoli with salafists and Islamists. This is having an effect on national politics.


A picture spreading on twitter comparing Tripoli to Beirut

It must be very difficult to be a member of the Lebanese Forces nowadays. With all the bearded men and the black flags gaining visibility in Tripoli, it is becoming more and more difficult for them to defend their political alliance with the “terrorists”.

Continue reading →

by

A Backlash in Tripoli

Civil campaigners will be staging a peaceful demonstration today against the presence of weapons in Tripoli. But this is just one part of the story.


Posters from the “Tripoli Arms free” Facebook page

If I were in Lebanon I would surely join the demonstration for a Tripoli free of arms. If you are in Lebanon, you too should try to join. But there’s an important point that needs to be made: This is very much a middle-class and elite backlash against what they claim is being done by “outsiders” to their city. Unfortunately things are a bit more complicated than that. Continue reading →

by

The World’s Worst Anti-Racism Ad

Good cause. Terrible Ad.

An attractive white girl in a bikini saunters out of a swimming pool and seductively applies sun oil as she lounges. The lifeguard keeps staring and smiling at her, but when she gets a bit too tanned and turns into some horrible black creature, the lifeguard suddenly changes tack: He turns stern, prevents her from swimming and forces her to don a domestic worker’s uniform.

I get the idea for this ad. I really do. That the same girl who attracted the man immediately repulsed him when her color changed, and that is supposed to carry some deep meaning about our flawed human nature. I also understand that this is an attempt at comedy and that it should not be taken seriously. But still, here’s why the ad annoys me: Continue reading →

by

The Arguileh as Witness to Lebanese Life

If one was to look for an item that unites the Lebanese, a man2oushé is a good place to start. But as popular as the breakfast staple is, there is another object that has continuously witnessed all aspects of Lebanese public life.

From politics, to weddings to modern art, the mighty arguileh established itself as an ultimate cultural icon, an icon that was never camera-shy. Continue reading →