Category Archives: Lebanon

On Some Lebanese Atheists

Pope Francesco I

My best friend is an atheist. And he’s awesome at it. You know why? Because of all the times we’ve discussed religion, which is very often and on so many occasions I’ve lost track, he has never insulted a religion. He doesn’t believe in them, as is his right, but he knows it’s not right to trash them left and right and ridicule every single person who believes in those religions in which he does not believe.

The most famous slogan that gets thrown around a lot goes like this: “Religion is like a penis. It’s fine to have one and it’s fine to be proud of it but it’s not fine to shove it down my throat.”

This is a saying that I not only believe in, I also believe it is of utmost necessity. I also believe the aforementioned statement should be affixed to become the following: “Your personal beliefs are like a penis. It’s fine to have one and it’s fine to be proud of it but it’s not fine to shove it down my throat.”

Some Lebanese atheists – and some atheists around the world to be fair – fall into that category by becoming exactly like the religious people they despise: people who do nothing but shove their beliefs down people’s throats. And they believe it’s okay to do so.

The white smoke erupting from the Vatican Chimney was more exciting than Christmas morning for some Lebanese atheists. Habemus Pedofilus was the first thing I saw being floated around. Digging deeper, it turned out the pun on Habemus Papam (We now have a pope) was the least “creative” of attacks against Christianity.

And it’s not only the Church that’s affected. Whenever an Islamist does anything out of the ordinary, which is much more common in these parts of the world than anything Church related, that Islamist’s entire religion and sect become fair play.

As a non-deeply religious person, I understand how difficult it is to be as such in this country and in this region. I only need suggestions to pray more in order to start having my anxiety rise. I understand that atheism in this part of the world is still considered a taboo, less so in Lebanon obviously. But ridiculing people of the opposite bank isn’t how you make them float towards you not necessarily to become atheists like you but to at least accept you as their equal counterparts in a society that doesn’t even want to acknowledge your existence.

With every offensive tweet, Facebook status, proclamation that makes some Lebanese atheists proud of themselves for all the snarkiness they exude, there are many more atheists who are done a disservice and are damaged in the process – atheists who welcomed the new Pope’s arrival with congratulating all their Catholic friends because they are truly and sincerely happy for them, regardless of how silly they think their Catholic friends are for being as such.

Those atheists, like my friend, have their image tainted by the sporadic vocal atheist here and there that feel it is their divine (or not) right and goal in life to bash every single religion and religious person who is still wasting precious oxygen.

You think religion is the root of all evil? You have every right to. You don’t want to be religious? I’ll be the first person to champion for that right. You don’t want religion shoved down your throat? Avoid it. You can ask me for tips on how to do so. You want to try and persuade someone that going atheist is the way? Be their guest.

There is an approach to how you communicate your message across and some Lebanese atheists are failing terribly at it.

Speaking of the pope they ridiculed before even knowing who he was, pope Francesco I is an Argentinian who rides the subway, doesn’t like personal help, is a good cook and has visited a hospital in 2001 where he washed and kissed the feet of 12 terminally ill people with AIDS. He lives with one lung and is 76 years old. He is obviously against same-sex marriage and abortion but did anyone really expect otherwise?

Pope Francesco makes me, and many atheists with whom I had brief discussions after his grand reveal, hopeful that things might change for the better in the Vatican. But don’t let some Lebanese atheists hear anyone say something along those lines. Their blood becomes halal. Or maybe something Darwinian.

The Lebanese Anti-Syrian “Racism”

“I am apprehensive about the situation of the Syrian refugees in Lebanon.”

The aforementioned sentence is enough to get a baggage of racism be thrown on your shoulder by people who believe you are not allowed to address the refugee issue in any way whatsoever unless it is to say they are more than welcome here without anything affixed to that.

The recent surge against all those racist Lebanese comes after an online Annahar video which you can watch here:

The report is very poorly done. Are they seriously filming a ten year old and asking him what he thinks of the Syrian refugees in the country and taking what he said as relevant enough to actually be included?

The way many of the people in the above video formulated their opinion regarding the refugees is unacceptable. But what is also unacceptable is for others to say that the concerns these people tried to convey are 1) racist and 2) invalid. Because, you know, Lebanon is very new to refugees. Those Syrians are obviously the first people we host and their problems are so new we cannot even begin to think dealing with them because of their novelty factor.

It is not only normal to have concerns regarding the refugee situation in Lebanon, it is, in my opinion, the sane thing to do. We cannot keep pretending that 1,000,000 Syrians in the country (Or 300,000 according to UN) is a walk in the park, with no prospective effects and no current effects in any way.

If you mention the Lebanese people who lost their rented homes because their landlords got better offers from Syrians, you are racist. If you mention the jobs that skillful Syrian physicians, accountants, architects and whatnot took out of Lebanese people, you are racist. The list goes on. It is obviously not the Syrians’ fault but it is an effect that some people don’t want to allow us to discuss. Because racism, racism everywhere.

When does this categorization of Lebanese who are critical of the current situation stop?

On the other hand, the categorization against the Syrians is unacceptable as well. Our country’s problems are not dependent on them and them alone. Not feeling safe while walking on a street is not because of the Syrians but because Lebanon is not a safe country with or without them. You can read this story that a friend of mine had to go through while walking in Gemmayze (link). The economical situation in the country is less the fault of the refugees and more the fault of politicians who are perpetuating the current political instability.

The borders should not and will not be closed for they are non existent and it would be grossly inhumane. The Syrians don’t want to come here. They are forced to come here. There is no way to regulate their influx as I had said before (link). They are here knocking at our doors with a riffle in their backs. If we don’t let them in, they get shot. There is no Syrian civilian entry to Lebanon that is not an emergency. The only thing that we, as Lebanese, can do regarding the refugees is have discussions.

The Syrians hosted some of our people in 2006. Of course they did. And we are thankful. But them hosting us back then is akin to a billionaire giving a poor person $100 and asking him to be eternally grateful for that. They were able to handle the thousands of Lebanese that entered their territory for a period of about three weeks.

Lebanon, a country that can’t even handle someone like Ahmad el Assir or even the poverty of people in places like Bab el Tebbane and Akkar and the South, cannot handle one million extra person who need help.

It is a Lebanese’s right to be wary and worried and apprehensive. The way that worried Lebanese formulates his or her worry and apprehension may differ and it may be unacceptable but those who don’t feel this way are similar to an ostrich with its head so far down the sand it can’t even manage to get it out anymore.

Now cue in those will call me racist. They wish….

Could Patriarch Raï Become The Next Pope?

The conclave of Cardinals in charge of electing the new pope to replace Benedict XVI is currently underway at the Sistine chapel in the Vatican. You’re out of luck if you are a Roman tourist at this time of year – you can blame Benedict’s old age for that.

As it is with papal elections, there is no clear frontrunner as of this point. The myth goes that the cardinals leave their choice to the holy spirit through copious amounts of prayers and holiness. That is if you believe the holy spirit is a combination of politics, geographic, demographics and whatnot.

Eventually, any Pope nowadays is chosen based on one premise only: strengthening the position of the Catholic Church around the world. The late pope John Paul II led one of the biggest developments the Catholic Church had seen when it comes to the Youth, especially in popularity. Benedict’s undeclared job was to contain this surge that John Paul caused in a more Christian, usable, framework.

Today, the Catholic church is stuck at the edge of a steep cliff with the following predicaments:

  1. Decreasing worshippers across the world,
  2. Rise in Christian persecution in certain parts of the world,
  3. Sex-related scandals that plague Catholic priests more often than none,
  4. Corruption scandals that always seem to find a foothold,
  5. The issues of abortion, same-sex marriage and other thorny issues.

Seeing as the Catholic church is firm in its position regarding abortion, same-sex marriages (despite some recent breakthroughs in that regard), stem cell research and the like, I believe point #5 is not even an option in the voters’ mindset. Corruption and sex-related scandals are issues that Cardinals feel should be best kept in-house, not influencing the decision of choosing a Pope who will lead a Church not only based on those two criteria. The stances of the Catholic church regarding the many sex abuse cases that were revealed is a testament to that – if anything, it reminds me of typical elderly Lebanese women whose job in life is to cover up any wrongdoing in their family and showcase it to the world in positive light. Cardinals are similar to those elderly women in that regard.

The most important framework for Cardinals voting today is the following: help Christians around the world stay Christians and lessen the numbers of Christians who are deciding not to be so anymore. There’s little that a Pope can do when it comes to decreasing worshippers – after all, how do you convince people who lack faith that they should have it? It’s impossible. But what the papal conclave of Cardinals can affect is the persecution of Christian minorities across the world, notably in the Middle East.

Pope Benedict’s XVI’s visit to Lebanon back in September – his last major visit to any country before his resignation – was not out of the blue. Him demanding Patriarch Raï to go to Syria and hold mass there, which sparked an insane reaction, was also not out of the blue. Small steps they may be, sure, but for the faithful who still cling to their belief despite the hardships, a patriarch or a Pope acknowledging their strife is some very important business.

The question, therefore, asks itself: Could Patriarch Raï be the dark horse to be elected as the upcoming Pope?

Many Lebanese have already set Facebook pages to that effect, out of enthusiasm mostly, as if a liking a Facebook page to demand our patriarch be instated as Pope is actually beneficial or worth it. But that’s how things are with us – we always take things to Facebook.

However, I have thought about it lately and come to conclude that Mr. Raï could have a decent, albeit slight chance, at becoming the world’s next Pope for the following reasons:

  1. If the main focus is to target the persecution of Christians in the world, what better option than the head of the Christian majority in the location where Christians are targeted the most? The Middle East.
  2. Former pope Benedict’s XVI’s visit to Lebanon was, in part, to sign the Post-Synodal Apostolic Exhortation (text) in which the Vatican goes on and on about the crucial importance of the Church in the Middle East.
  3. A Pope from the Middle East would set the wheels for true Muslim-Christian dialogue, which is what this deeply religious and troubled region needs and the Vatican knows this.
  4. Patriarch Raï is age appropriate to be pope. He is only 73. He also speaks several languages fluently, as is required of Lebanese bishops.
  5. Patriarch Raï does not come from a country where priest sex scandals are aplenty and being relatively unknown to the vote has a rather “cleaner” slate than his counterparts. He was also elected as an assistant to the interim Pope over the past week.

The reasons may not be supremely compelling to have someone become Pope, sure. But they’re still viable enough to put Mr. Raï on the papal map. I’m not even sure if Mr. Raï can be a good pope but he might become one.  And frankly, him getting elected sort of scares me.

Lebanon’s Obsession With “Biggest”

We are welcoming a new “biggest” achievement in the circle of things no one else in the world has beaten us to. The Bekaai, Becharre-wannabe, town of Deir El Ahmar is building the world’s “biggest rosary.” Construction is already underway:

(Source: Lebanese Forces Facebook page)

(Source: Lebanese Forces Facebook page)

Biggest rosary, biggest cross, biggest cup of lemonade, biggest dish of hummus, biggest dish of tabboule, biggest house made up of matchsticks, biggest collection of matchbox cars… the list goes on. But the question to be asked: when does the “biggest” mania stop?

Are we compensating for something that’s lacking? And for those whose mind wandered, get it out of the gutter. I didn’t mean that – I meant the lack of accomplishments to which “biggest” can apply and which are actually useful.

Instead of building the world’s largest rosary, couldn’t the money have gone into something that would actually benefit the people of Deir el Ahmar in more tangible ways? Say a business project that would give them jobs?

“Ra7 tdall jrasna tde2,” (our church bells will keep ringing) was some people’s comments regarding the rosary. “Ne7na hon,” (we are here) was their comment regarding the biggest cross. “Beddna n3e22,” (we want to binge drink) could have been the slogan for the biggest lemonade cup that my district’s main city Batroun did.

But what remains constant is that few are those who know that “l jras betdall tde2″ not only through humoungous rosaries. I can only say do one thing regarding all of this: sigh.

Racism With Middle East Airlines (MEA). Again.

I recently got a tip from a reader regarding another racism incidence with Lebanon’s airline carrier MEA that is not dissimilar to the one that became everyone’s talk a few months ago, culminating in firing the employees involved.

The story goes as follows:

The export manager of a Chinese company was visiting Dubai for a few days after which he was sent by his company to Lebanon to work on a certain deal with a local business. Once his work in Lebanon was up and he had to go back to China, he presented at the MEA counter at the airport but the employee refused to issue him a ticket.

She said he didn’t have a visa for Dubai, which he did. He was also going through Dubai simply as transit to China, which is allowed even if you don’t have a visa. So shouting at the Chinese man, the employee talked down to him, dismissing him. A quarrel ensued, which was only stopped up by another employee interfering and issuing the ticket in question.

I wonder: how difficult is it for MEA to vet its employees before actually hiring them when it comes to the most basic of qualities that people who handle international customers should have? Or how difficult is it to actually have MEA’s employees go through some trainings in dealing with customers in respectable ways to bring them to the 21st century where a passenger isn’t dismissed based on the color of his skin or how stretched his eyes are?

Racism isn’t exclusive to MEA. It spreads to a lot of people across Lebanon with municipalities illegally banning Syrians (and officials who don’t want to do anything about it) to severe discrimination against migrant workers even in the media that should be helping to lessen this among people (link). But the least we should expect is for one of the country’s major companies – especially one that represents Lebanon to the entire world – to be stringent with the image it wants to give to the world.

As for how I believe racism in Lebanon should stop, I quote something I wrote (link) when the first racism incidence with MEA happened:

Racism isn’t also a Lebanese problem. It is a worldwide problem that takes many forms. It transcends the hate towards others based on skin color. It is the intolerance towards another’s religion, the intolerance towards another’s nationality. And if a country doesn’t have a predominant problems with someone’s race, then they probably have a problem with differing religions. It is the problem of “difference.”

We dislike those with whom we can’t easily relate.

So what’s different between Lebanon and those supposedly racism-free countries? It’s quite simple: accountability. And that’s what works most with us Lebanese: a slap on the wrist when we do stuff wrong (fines for smoking, for not putting on the seatbelt, for speeding….)

People who get accused of racism in those countries have consequences to deal with. In our country, racism is met with indifference. A prominent TV anchor was blantly saying that an Ethiopian maid who committed suicide a few months ago was deranged (click here)- and he found no trouble at all in passing his ideology to his viewers. I’m sure he got high ratings for that episode as well.

If that anchor had met the same fate as the employee, people would have known that what he said was wrong. They would have known that talking badly against someone else just because you don’t like the skin they were born in is unacceptable. And they would have realized that it is no longer accepted to have it happen.

Their racism would then regress – it would get suppressed. And that is how other countries do it.