Biggest Lebanese Pro-Government demonstration in America! -- 60 people

Well, well, well. Last Tuesday a protest took place at Dearborn, MI City Hall. It was a group of Lebanese Pro-government supporters that preached "peace" and a cease fire in Lebanon. This group, which ranged to about 60-80 people (Basically the size of a couple of Bint Jebail families if it was an opposition protest) was lead by Walid Nassif, Coordinator of the Future Youth Association here in
Michigan. He was interviewed by the local Arab American News.

"Trust me, the majority of the people are not with the opposition," said Nassif in response.

It's really hard to trust a political party on this subject when they oppose a Lebanese census, oppose having early elections, and gerrymander parliamentary districts to neutralize the Christian votes. If you claim you have the majority, why do you support these tactics? Shouldn't you easily be able to show your "majority"? No, I won't trust you, Mr. Nassif.

"Where are the weapons from the U.S.? They have the weapons and we don't. Iran is helping to destroy Lebanon. If Iran really cares about Lebanon, they will support Lebanon," Nassif said. "We never want any other interference. We don't want no United States, we don't want Syria and we don't want Iran. It will not happen."

Mr. Nassif forgot to mention that Future Movement hired a security firm to train it's militias in Jordan. He also forgot to mention all of the $15,000 rifles that were seized from young Sunni teenagers in Beirut that are now in the hands of the Lebanese Army (I'll take the Lebanese Army's word for it since they can't afford those types of rifles). What about the young Sunni men captured by AMAL and the Lebanese Army that were coaxed into coming to Beirut (from their villages) for secretarial jobs in Future Movement offices, but instead were handed rifles to fight AMAL when they arrived? He claims that he wants an independent Lebanon, but his leader, Saad "the Saudi-Lebanese bastard hybrid" Hariri, takes his marching orders from Saudi Arabia.

Future Youth Association, the breeding ground for Al-Qaeda's Lebanese branch.


"We respect Hizbullah when they fight Israel, but when they kill people in Lebanon, you know this is wrong," he said. "That's not the goal of a resistance… Because they disagree with their [opponents'] opinion, they want to kill them off."

It's the "Sunni's are civilized" argument again. Remember Halba? The Sunni village that watched while 11 SSNP members were beaten to death in the streets? Very civilized, eh? None of these SSNP members were armed, took part in any fighting, they worked in an Opposition office and one of the men murdered wasn't even an SSNP sympathizer, he was just in the wrong place at the wrong time. I guess the murderers "disagree with their [opponents'] opinion, they want to kill them off". Touché, Mr. Nassif. Well, I don't remember seeing the opposition doing anything like this - and I leave this as a challenge to any pro-government supporter, prove me wrong.

It's easy to sympathize with freedom of speech, and peace slogans until you start seeing the situation in color. You claim you want peace, yet you have nothing to say about the labor strike protesters that were attacked by your Sunni brothers in Tayyar al-Mustaqbal that helped sparked the recent violence in Lebanon. You claim that your political party's supporters have been bullied and attacked, yet you and your leader Saad Hariri made no mention of the Halba massacres.

Shame on you Mr. Nassif.

http://www.arabamericannews.com/news/index.php?mod=article&cat=Community&article=1062

How to lose an empire in just 3 years!

Here is a very interesting article written from the perspective of a Lebanese Christian. If you don't understand what is going on in Lebanon, it is a very accurate description of the events after Hariri's assassination leading up to now.

http://tayyar.org/Tayyar/News/PoliticalNews/en-US/128553954546154670.htm

Youtube provides an oppurtunity for alternative viewpoints - Reporting the overlooked "Nakba"

What is REALLY going on in Lebanon? Hezbollah's cakewalk

Although I disagree with some of the points made, the report is quite good nonetheless.

Unpleasant Rising

This morning, after waking up, I began my morning routine, wash up, prepare breakfast (or coffee), and read the news. I'll admit it, reading the news, especially about the Middle East isn’t the most revitalizing and refreshing morning habit, and what made this morning especially agonizing was an article I read in the New York Times by Robert F. Worth and Nada Bakri titled Hezbollah’s Actions Ignite Sectarian Fuse in Lebanon. After reading that, this is what the voice in my mind had to say about it "Rubbish."

You're probably asking yourself, is this just another rant about a biased news reporter in a renowned media establishment? My answer is it’s either that, or one of the two writers needs of heavy dose of reality and common sense. Ok, so where did they go wrong this time?

Sectarian Violence the Root of the Current Conflict - Truth or Myth?

The massacre at Halba is sufficient evidence that proves that the conflict in Lebanon is not deeply rooted in sectarian tension! The mutilated bodies of the Sunni SSNP fighters and the civilians that were with them are ample proof for any skeptic mind and to the misinformed. Their chopped bodies, smashed features, and charred flesh speak for themselves. Those were Sunni countrymen killed at the hands of FM militiamen loyal to the "moderate, secular Sunni leaders like Mr. Hariri."

Those whistling the tune that professes the existence of sectarianism have some people fooled into believing that that is true. In fact, their constant chant is the wellspring from which sectarian sentiment is fed. "Repeat something long enough and it will become true" - a proven statement about human cognition.

From a Lebanese Shia to a Lebanese Sunni

Eleven innocent, unarmed men were tortured, beaten, and murdered in Halba by Hariri's Mustaqbal militia. They were murdered not because their religious beliefs (they were Sunni SSNP loyalists), but because they held different political views then the "average" Sunni from Lebanon. The PSP militiamen did the same thing to 3 innocent, unarmed, Hezbollah supporters. They stabbed and shot them to death. But I actually have more respect for the PSP than Mustaqbal, wanna know why? At least Jumblatt admitted responsibility for what his militiamen did. Saad Hariri's speech a couple days ago didn't make one mention of this, because he is a coward and he doesn't want people to know about what happened. Well now you know, let's see how you react. You will either push it aside and ignore it because you are too weak to face the fact that your God sent, divine, classy, educated Sunni Mustaqbal brothers did such a horrible act - or you will face the facts, change your views, and realize that the opposition has legitimate concerns, holds itself in a much more civilized way (since you will never find an incident like this from the opposition, I already named 2 from the pro-goverment people), and the pro-government coalition is using its political power to destabilize the country, and create a monopoly over Lebanon's government (you can't fire the head of the airport because he's Shia, of course he's sympathetic to Hezbollah). What you don't realize is, and you will realize it soon because the Shia aren't going anywhere, is that Hezbollah IS Lebanon. The Shia aren't going anywhere my friend, they aren't going to Iran (they don't want to make or live in an Islamic republic like you talk about), and they aren't going to live under a government that continuously ignores them. This isn't the Shia being controlled by the Hezbollah, or Hezbollah being controlled by Iran and Syria. It's the Shia fighting for their cause. If Hezbollah let the government take away their arms and dismantle their communications network, the Shia would look for new leadership. Trust me. They aren’t sheep. Stop ignoring them, realize they are just as Lebanese as you are, and take compromising steps for dialogue, like Michelle Aoun's memorandum of understanding.

When I look at this conflict I don't see Sunni or Shia. I see two powers, one an oppressor and when that is oppressed. One fighting for a just cause, and one fighting for an unjust cause. I cried when I saw those young mustaqbal militiamen in tears when they were captured by Amal (the teenagers that Hariri took out of villages and promised secretary jobs in Beirut). The opposition had mercy on them, and cried WITH them.

"We are prepared to fight for a few hours but not more," said one of the Sunni fighters in the waning moments of the battle. "Where do we get ammunition and weapons from? We are blocked. The roads are blocked. Even Saad Hariri has left us to face our fate alone."

"You can't just spend millions of dollars to build an army in one year," he said. "They have to be motivated and believe in something. They have to be willing to die."

http://tayyar.org/Tayyar/News/PoliticalNews/en-US/128551436022946934.htm

You are my brother in Islam, you are my brother in Lebanon, and you are my brother in humanity.

Peace.

The Jewish State at 60 - Palestinian Suffering at 60

This week marks the 60th anniversary of the usurping of the land of Palestine, and the New York Times op-ed columnist William Kristol has something to say about it. In his article you will conveniently find the following: A scathing attack at the Islamic Republics’ President, the implied well-known comparison between the Western “lenience” towards to Iran and Chamberlain’s appeasement of Hitler’s Nazi Reich, and a tribute to some of the most depraved and murderous terrorists in modern history.

To me, the only discordant voice is that which emanates from William Kristol and his likes. These producers of white noise are but ignominious individuals that disgrace the very tenants of humanity.

Lets begin by defining a well known term, terrorist. According to the Oxford English Dictionary, a terrorist refers to an individual “who attempts to further his views by a system of coercive intimidation.” This description more often than not is attributed to people of dark complexion, stubby beards, loud voices, and hairy noses. Additionally, constant genuflectors, mosque visitors, scholars, students, parents, children, and people with the name “Akhmed” should be added to the mix. Sadly, that term is often used to unjustly deprecate innocent humans, when it should be used to label those who procure it!

Kristol, is an insurgent that has decided to rebel against the standards of morality by promoting the likes of Ze’ev Jabotinsky, a prominent Russian terrorist. Jabotinsky, a founder and leader of the militant Zionist group, Irgun, is responsible for a countless number of terrorist attacks against the indigenous Arab population of Palestine. Moreover, Irgun has not solely claimed the lives of Arabs, but also the lives of innocent British civilians. Ze’ev is quoted in Howard Sachar’s A History of the State of Israel as saying “every Jew had the right to enter Palestine; only active retaliation would deter the Arabs and the British; only Jewish armed force would ensure the Jewish state."

This policy of “active retaliation” is the legacy of brutality that is necessary for Israel’s existence and that which is executed by so-called men of peace like Ariel Sharon and Ehud Olmert. It is this inhumane and reckless policy that cost the lives of 1,191 Lebanese civilians in Lebanon’s 2006 war, and the injury of about 4,409 others, according to UN estimates. Let us not forget the death of about 44 Israeli’s and the wounding of 1,489 reported by Israeli sources, yet another consequence of the belligerent attitudes of Israeli warmongering leaders, and their ill planned, ill calculated and illicitly motivated wars on the neighboring populations.

It’s about time to discuss a pragmatic solution to the ailments of the region, and William Kristol’s caustic writing and immoral support for known terrorists, along with the United States lavish support of Israel are not satiating anyone’s desire for a lasting, durable peace. Kristol is clearly not intone with the wave of new Israeli historians; those who recognize the grim reality of the past, and that wish to remedy its faults.

The miraculous redemption of the Jewish people is a myth fabricated by a Zionist political movement that attained and sustains power at the expense of very valuable blood and the lives of innocence, both Arabic and Jewish. It is justified by Europe’s and the West’s apparent need to atone for its past sins, and indeed, it has been a heavy cost that humanity has to bear.