Several who know me would think that this would be another ranting episode about a roach creeping to my apartment… but no. It’s about finding out how much my Lebanon is infested by those. Not roaches but people proudly posing for roaches. No shame at all!
I will try to explain this methodically:
I love Syria and Syrians. They are my people, my friends, my family and my History.
I am Lebanese. I love Lebanon. My Lebanese identity is the major facet of who I am. I love, hate, talk, breath, react Lebanon. My family is all the Lebanese. My family is from here and there. The epitome of what Beirut is about, all of them came together to leave their mark on my very being. They are Muslims, Christians and Druze, they have all the culture of the old world, and they are making that of the modern. They know who they are, and they don’t need any further explanation about the roach infestation of my home. They share my silent rage…
My friend wrote in Assafir about the Syrian workers who are abused in Lebanon. And someone gloated about that. Someone expressed fear. Someone expressed hate. Someone indifference. And several contempt.
I expressed rage. Would we never stop being the bloodthirsty savages who eroded the earth in a civil war? “not us all the others”; because as always our values are above any reproach…
I read a post from a Syrian father who is wishing his daughter a happy birthday, and telling her how much she makes him proud. The sweetest blog I’ve read in a long time. A ‘Lebanese’ commented:
“WOW...you dumb syrian monkeys can actually write! congrats!! moooooooo??!! LOL! anyways, why would you be this dumb (other than being syrian) to write a WHOLE article about your daughter? did you think we care like you?! "hala graduated from university, bla, bla, bla,..." who gives a rats ass! listen SYRIAN, do us all a favor and shave your hairy moustache. GOD BLESS LEBANON”
I talked with a friend whose friend accused her of being ‘3ameeleh’ for having a Syrian friend. The irony…
Should I say more… In fact probably you know more stories than I do. And you do.
I know this is not Lebanon. I haven’t been there in a long time… but last time I checked people were in touch with reality. The reality about who we are, who we hate, how we loathe the Syrian government, and how the Syrians do as well! This is what we need to know… where do they stand in all that, the Syrian people, my people!
15 comments:
Sad and true, ghassan. What has been done to some syrian workers in Lebanon and what this freak said in his comment are utterly unacceptable. But we should not forget that while the syrians were on lebanese territory, they stole and raped and oppressed and humiliated. They weren't all love and roses, you know. These things are all but easily erased from collective memory. These are the bills we keep paying long after the resolution of conflict, and we're still in the immediate aftermath, if there is yet an aftermath at all. We're all, on both sides, neither pure nor absolved and it will take a while before the dust finally settles and things get back to how they used to be half a century ago or so..
That's true Fouad, but these were the deeds of army and government, and mokhabarat of course, but not the Syrian people, who suffered, and still suffer a lot from all that. That's the most important thing that I want to point out. So no, there shouldn't be any negative feeling toward Syrians in the aftermath, or before, at any time...
Anny, I found my response to him, but not his original article - do you have it?
I may be out of the loop, but why would anyone write something bad about Robert Fisk?
Like I said ghassan, I completely agree with you. What I'm trying to say is that a lot of suffering blurs the lines and causes many to lose their objectivity. I am also saying that, although violence is by no means justifiable, one million syrian workers aren't all saints, nor did they cross the borders out of love and a desire to help the Lebanese. They were taking advantage of a situation where they were provided immunity by the armed forces that prevailed. I can site you at least two instances that happened with my own family where syrian workers were hired, did a lousy job, stole money and material, and when we confronted them, they were defiant and threatening. And keep in mind that my grandmother whom I adore, who still lives and has been around me all my life is syrian to the bone (still has the accent) and that my Godmother is 100% syrian too.
Of course, no matter what the syrians did, it doesn't begin to compare to what the lebanese themselves did to their country.
My point is, we're all guilty, and because we're all guilty, we all should exercise tolerance and let time heal the wounds we've accumulated over those painful regrettable years.
gus i agree with you and i think the lebanese are racist people, not only concerning syrians but when it comes to srilankans, ethiopians, africans, philippinos, the list is endless. not only do we have pseudoslavery but we've made the word 'srilankieh' equivalent to 'maid'! and in this day and age, with the comedy of errors that our government is we have very little to be proud of, let's be realistic here.
Rouba I totally agree with you on that, and when I am usually asked about it, I try to avoid the subject by saying that yes Lebanese are racist but only when they are given the chance... but they are on so many levels!
Fouad, I am not talking about the workers only - which by the way, you described them like the Mexicans in the US, 'taking advantage' and 'defiant' (defiant!!!), and I guess this is how the lebanese see them... again probably it is an issue of racism like Rouba said, and I not going to blather on about the type of jobs they do and who's taking advantage of who... Anyway, I am talking about the regular Syrian people living their lives in Syria and elsewhere, like your grandmother for instance for whom people might actually express negative feelings if they are given the chance.
on a different note, who deleted a whole bunch of comments without consulting with the group??
THERE IS NO DIGNITY IN LEBANON!!!!!!!!!!
this is what you came up with?
we ma wij3ak rassak?
You ranted, sir, for what is about 3 sentences about the people and then you mention the politian and you conclude with the fact that there is no dignity in lebanon, like that. the logical deduction from your statements would be that all lebanese have no dignity (people and politicians) but that in case we followed logic. as for the new information you just give me, which i didn't live 28 years of my life, and so eloquently put and deeply evaluated as well, katter khayrak. why would you assume anyone missed these obvious facts is beyond me. i don't even know what this has to do with the post to start with but back to the logic point or lack of which in this case..
personally, I agree about politicians having no dignity, but this is not just lebanon, this is politics! As for the lebanese people, it's more about different 'affinities' at different times... hey, maybe I could do another blog about that.
hey, good idea!!:)
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