You gotta give it to us Lebanese, we sure are languages aficionados. Of course, most of us are not born as such but are spoon-fed three languages over the course of a thirteen year education system before we head out to higher education centers. But, as the saying goes, throw us in any country around the world and we’ll land standing.
Add Iran to one of those countries.
Some schools in Beirut’s Southern Suburb are now teaching Farsi, Iran’s main language, as curriculum requirement. Students would then get to choose between French and English as their third language, according to the previously linked source, because – as we all know – French and English have no commonplace in today’s world, being imperialistic languages and all.
The schools in question are all private schools and as such can teach whatever language they want, according to Lebanese law. Public schools, on the other hand, have not had the same curriculum change.
I get that political ties exist between the country where Farsi reigns supreme and the people running the schools that have adopted such curriculums. I get that those political ties are crucial for the well-being of the parties running those schools. I get that those parties sure love Iran, their culture and believe it should be imported over here – but at the expense of the educational well-being of all students attending those schools?
How does it make sense to teach students a language spoken only in one country, a language that doesn’t have any international reach whatsoever? What benefits does teaching Farsi bring to the students who will be forced to learn it? I can only think of them understanding that Farsi MBC channel. How does it make sense to give such a language importance over others than can simply make or break a person in today’s world? Teaching Farsi doesn’t count as “resistance.”
If those schools are so hell-bent on teaching Farsi, let them make it as the third optional language for their students instead of the other more crucial languages they relegated to that level. That way, they’d fulfill the apparent needs of their political ties by giving that culture more importance and still preserving the fundamental right of those students to get the best education that they can get. Our economy and their upcoming jobs are not contingent upon Iran.
Would I have had the same reaction had some schools opted for teaching German, Italian or Spanish as a required second language? Probably not, because this isn’t against Iran and their culture as much as it is keeping intact that last good thing that we  – as Lebanese – have: our global competitiveness. Those languages can help it. Farsi does not.
Khosh amadid to you.
A Separate State of Mind | A Blog by Elie Fares 
this makes no difference to your argument whatsoever, and i still completely agree with you, but just so you know..farsi is not just spoken in one country. it’s spoken in/is the official language of 3 countries. of course, not a single one of these countries has any global cultural influence, so again you’re still right.
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That’s actually good news. The more they disassociate themselves from Lebanon, the better.
Maybe 10-15 years from now, a mass diaspora to Iran could happen. It’s sad to say this, but Hezbollah, backed by the overwhelming majority of the Shia sect has dragged Lebanon into the mud, polluted his name and gave the entire world a false image about the Lebanese people.
Call me delusional, but that’s the only hope for Lebanon. If and only if the Maronites by any chance join their hands together to create the civilized Lebanon that the Maronite church envisioned for so long.
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Yeah, Lebanon never suffered a bad reputation from anyone ever before those evil Shi’ites came around. Nothing like the brutal Phalange, Sabra and Shatilla done by Christians, the extremists in Tripoli and Saida, etc has ever dragged Lebanon into the mud. The Shi’ites are as much a reality of Lebanon as Maronites, Sunni, Druze, and all the other sects.
If anything, historically speaking, the Shi’ites of Lebanon have geographically been in what is now Lebanon than many of the Maronites have been in Lebanon.
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La tkhaf Nate ma ray7en maken bedna ndalna e3den 3a albak 🙂 w iza msh 3ejbak el beb bfawet jamal 3ayne. Dont let the door hit you on the way out. 😉
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They’re not taking this far enough. They should replace English with Russian and French with Venezuelan Spanish so the kids will know the lingo of all the cool guys in the world. Iran has 77 million people but their total economic worth is below that of my little country, Lebanese should learn Dutch!
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I agree with Daniel!!! The Lebanese should learn Dutch!!! 🙂
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@JJ
You’re right. Those things are shameful and disgusting but Sabra and Shatila in all of its horrors isn’t really on par with what Hezbollah is doing to your country.
Here in United States, Lebanon equals Hezbollah equals terrorism. Before blaming the western media (yes they’re biased and have a political agenda) blame Hezbollah for all the anti-semitic hate, terrorist attacks throughout the world. From Argentina to Panama to United Kingdom to Bulgaria to Lebanon.
Not to mention drugs, money laundering and selling counterfeit medicine in South and Latin America as well as Europe and Middle East to fund its fanatic operations.
Any sect who had its own militia never had operations as big as Hezbollah’s.
I have a Lebanese friend who owns a small online marketing business. He got shutdown because many companies simply refused to go business with him anymore because he’s operating from Lebanon and Lebanon isn’t even listed on their website anymore if you want to do business with them.
And that’s the tip of the tip of the iceberg. If that’s the Lebanon that you want, congratz my friend.
Defend Palestine and the Syrian government (even though they treated your country as if its toilet paper to say the least) because that’s what a small struggling country like Lebanon needs, more wars and religious extremism.
And as for “historically speaking”, these things never really matter tbh.
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Elie and most of the people who had comments on this post sicken me sometimes with your backwardness.
A million things can be said here, but I’m just too disgusted with the mentality here. Bye.
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OMG what is wrong with learning a new language! whatever it is! or only because its the language used in iran!? so close-minded!
My friends and i are learning Hebrew and i don’t see a problem with that either!
Other schools, in lebanon and out of lebanon, teach languages that can are even used less than persian, and btw persian isnt the 2nd language in these schools, its the 3rd.. u dont like these schools, dont send ur kids there!
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“like OMG! people are so close-minded! We should all do what john lennon said and live as one happy family! OMG! lebanon would be such a happy place”
But seriously people don’t be this naive.
Mandatory != Optional
They’re not synonyms for those who have reading comprehension deficiency.
It is also widely known that these schools teach a unique and different history than the one taught in other schools. And some like Rami Ollaik claim that the name “Lebanon” in geography classes isn’t even on the map, it’s the “Islamic Republic of Iran”.
Wake up people from your hippie trance. There’s obviously an agenda here.
And if these are the things that we know, then what could the things that we don’t know?
Especially lately with the Hezbollah communication stretching to more parts of the country, and a huge factor of it was when Iran “helped” by rebuilding roads that were destroyed in 2006.
“See how much Iran loves our country! OMG! I should go back and nag about Creamfields and other stupid shit!!!!1111!!!”
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Nathan, you mean an agenda just like the one that erased Palestine of the map? Cool, I’m all for agendas then.
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*off
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No schools teaching syrian yet?:p
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Hi I’m from lebanon 16 years odl but live in australia fo one year juts I’m very pruved to my contrie lebanon i wish lebanon be the best to all contries but the problem is the fighting bettwing pepole really it is so bad i wish mor language to my contrie and good life
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