The Hypocrisy of the Lebanese; the Still Uncured Plague that Rapes my People
On the 30th of July 2011, my wife and I attended a candle light vigil march in Montreal, in solidarity with the protesters in Syria, and especially with the children of Syria. I met a young Lebanese compatriot who was also participating in the march. I thought to myself that it is good that some Lebanese are liberated from the homeland mentality of follow-the-sectarian-leader-no-matter-what, and has decided, for himself, to participate in a march for dignity and true solidarity with the oppressed.
Then I spoke with him and was severely disappointed. From the start he flaunted his diseased mentality to me, claiming that what “these people” need is the sage guidance of the Hakim (the doctor or Wise Man). A reference to one of Lebanon’s extremist Christian leaders, Samir Geagea, leader of the infamous Lebanese Forces. I was utterly stunned to see someone living in North America with such an anachronistic sense of purpose.
I told him that I was of the opinion that people like him are like sheep that follow their respective nefarious and sectarian feudal lords, and that it is the sheep of Lebanon that are infected with a deadly disease called hypocrisy who have caused people like me to leave. Most Lebanese would agree that the politicians of Lebanon are ALL corrupt, but (and somehow there is always a “but”) this or that leader (whom they follow) is better than the rest. It does not matter if that leader has committed far too many atrocities to earn the title of “better”, it does not matter if the leader in question had contributed to the rape of Lebanon, they, the infected sheep, will follow the wolf blindly.
“They are all bad, but this one is good and wise” this is a common phrase I have heard from many Lebanese: Shiaas who follow Nasralah or Beri, Sunnis who follow Hariri or Mikati or whomever elese, Druze who follow, Jumblat or Arslan, Maronites who follow Geagea or Gemayel or Aoun, or one of the many splinter groups, and many…. far too many more. Then there are the other lesser groups like the Syrian Social Nationalist Party, and a few other such minor factions as the communist party and the representatives of the criminal cartels of the rich, famous and powerful kingpins. Each one of these so called leaders has contributed to the rape of Lebanon, the theft of its riches, the desecration of its sanctity, the oppression of a learned people, and the slaughter and defilement of the innocent.
The stupidity of those who will use force and political influence to violently repress a group of free thinking individuals, not associated with anyone, who stood up for what is a human cause and paid for it with a rain of hate and ground braking ignorance of a generation lost to the follies of our countries sectarianism and the kind of scum, crime, and subversion it nourishes.
A movement in Lebanon had embarked on an attempt to spark a revolution to end Lebanon’s sectarian regime. The movement had many supporters, the majority of Lebanese believe in the “ideals” of the movement, but the problem was, as it has always been, that the people think the time is “not right” for such a change yet. Why not? “Because the Muslims will overrun us” say the Christians. “Because the Christians will overrun us” say the Muslims. So they support the secular movement in principal, but they will not join it for sectarian reasons? That has never made sense to me……… I still draw a blank every time I think about it. This is a SECULAR movement….. You cannot agree with a secular movement and then reject the invitation to join it based on SECTARIAN REASONING.
While the rest of the Arab world is rising up in revolt against the corruption and brutality of their own regimes, the Lebanese are still bickering about which leader they would prefer to rape them. This is the Lebanese disease, hypocrisy at its purist level. A betrayal to Lebanon’s self-professed enlightenment. For you see, the Lebanese are an arrogant people. They regard the Syrians, the Egyptians, and especially the Palestinians, as beneath them… savages… desert dwelling camel riders. On the other hand, these very Lebanese, get offended when people from the west regard them in the same light as the Lebanese regard the Syrians, Egyptians, and Palestinians. How ironic.
One of the first questions a Lebanese asks you when they first meet you is; “where are you from?” This is not a genuine question. This is a loaded question to figure out to which sectarian feudal kingpin you belong to…. Not follow… BELONG TO…. As in “property of”, for that is how our leaders see us; nothing more than property that they can use and discard at will.
Lebanon Needs UNITY. We are all Lebanese. Our religious beliefs have no bearing on our nationality. It is everyone’s right to exercise their religious beliefs as they see fit, however… let us not mix religion with politics, for this has proven, and always will prove to be, a dangerous mix. Or have we all forgotten the great civil war that ravaged our beloved Lebanon for 15 years.
It was not the Palestinians who were to blame. It was not the Syrians who were to blame. It was not the Israelis who were to blame. No one other than the Lebanese people are to be blamed for the start of that war. It is us who gave our so-called leaders permission to lie to us, and then gave them our consent to rape us. We brought this upon ourselves. And we will do so again, if we do not shed our sectarian values, deny the feudal lords of our support, and continue to think of ourselves as Christians, Muslims, or Druze, first and foremost before we think of ourselves as Lebanese.
It is time to shed our old ways of dealing with one another and to finally stand united as one Lebanese people against the tyranny of the sectarian régime and all its lackeys, the feudal lords, and the diseased sheep that follow them blindly to their own demise.
We area a sick people. And the only cure to our aliment is to shed our sectarian hypocrisy and demand what is rightful ours: a peaceful Lebanon with a properly functioning government that looks out for the interests of the people rather than the interests of one group or another, or the interests of one feudal leader (za3im ya3neh) or his or her despicable tribe.
The Lebanese have scoffed at and denigrated the Syrian people for being the sheep who follow the regime with brutal blindness. Yet it is the Syrian people who now are teaching us a valuable lesson; tyranny will not be tolerated anymore, nor will oppression or corruption. And though Lebanon does not have a specific tyrant, Lebanon is ruled by several mini-tyrants; the feudal lords who preside over our heads because we gave them that power. Lebanon is rife with corruption. There is no party that is “less” corrupt than the other. There is no party that has “better” values than the other. If you believe the opposite of what I just said then you need to stop lying to yourselves.
Look around you. Look at the humiliation we have endured. Look at the disgrace we continue to endure every day. Look at the degradation of our society. It is not western values that have done this to us. It is not outside interference that has done this to us. It is WE who have allowed this to happen because we chose not to listen to the true teachings of our own religions and followed the liars who had us believe that we are in danger of being overrun by the others.
Lebanese enlightenment? It does not exist any more. Not while we cling on to our anachronistic ways.
Look at what is happening in Israel. The free thinking people of Israel where almost delegitimized by a right wing regime supported by ultra-right settlers. The government grew corrupt and attempted to curtail the peoples freedoms undemocratically and now Netanyahu and his coalition or right wingers are about to pay the ultimate price. The people of Israel have risen and are about to at least cause a change for the better of Israel and the Arab world.
Look at the unity and shaky discipline that the Palestinians factions in occupied Palestine are exercising. See how the people have begun to realize that they can do much more damage to Israel through peaceful means rather than trying to fight a losing battle. See how they now begin to ascend against all the bigotry, discrimination, and denigration that spews out of the Israeli propaganda machine. The Palestinian people have taken destiny in to their own hands and they are beginning to succeed like never before.
Look at the Egyptians. They ousted Moubark and grudgingly accepted the military transitional rule but are now again rising to ensure that things do not go back to the old ways. It is not enough to get rid of a leader, we must also make sure that what comes after is a massive improvement rather than just the better of two evils.
To my brothers and sisters in Lebanon.
If you want a country to be proud of. A country that takes care of your needs. A country that puts its people first and foremost rather than individuals like the feudal lords. If you want better economic conditions. A better life. A future. A cure to the dieses that plagues all of our people. Then you must work for it. Stand up for your rights. The political leaders are your enemies. March 8 and March 14. They are both toying with our lives. They are both guilty, equally, without exception, of raping our beloved Lebanon.
Rise up my brother and sisters and demand what is rightfully ours. A peaceful Lebanon, a secular Lebanon that views all its inhabitants as equal before the law, man, woman, child, Christian, Muslim, Druze, we are all Lebanese.
Cure yourselves from the plague of hypocrisy and ignorance that you have induced upon yourselves. Take to the streets and make your voices heard. Tell those leaders and their thugs to be gone, just like the every-day civilian Palestinians in Ein-el Helweh, came out of hiding during a gun battle between two factions, and forced them to disengage.
Tell them we want the fall of the sectarian régime. Tell them we want an end to corruption. Tell them we want an end to sectarian strife and values. Tell them we will support them no more. Tell them that we refuse to be raped any more.
Take to the streets and raise your voices as one. And when the elections come, go to the ballots. But instead of voting for any particular person or party or list or coalition, put in a vote for the end of corruption, the end of sectarianism, then end of our plight, the downfall of the sectarian régime and all the parties and leaders that make up its foundation.
Either that, or watch the events the area around us unfold and feel the shame for not being a part of this new destiny. Feel ashamed of falling behind and becoming the laughing stock of the world. We made ourselves sick. Now is the time to heal ourselves.
