Tag Archives: Lebanon

The Lebanese Help: Lebanese Cop Rapes Maid on Valentine’s Day

February 14th is when this happened. April 5th is when we found out about it. They sure know how to cover their tracks.

The cop in question was apparently lonely on Valentine’s Day. So the only way he could find company was to force himself on a maid he had behind bars in his headquarters in Nabatiyeh. The reason she was in jail? She tried to escape from her employers, for many reasons.

Soon after, the maid was taken to a women jail in Baabda where evidence of violence was noticed on her body. An official investigation was opened but the judge saw nothing that deserved attention so he only ordered the cop to be arrested for one day. Soon after, another judge in Nabatiyeh found out about the incidence and worked on keeping the cop in question in jail, pending trial and further investigation.

Today, the cop is still in jail – which is exactly where he should be. Some people try to somehow rationalize the cop’s behavior as him being “only human.”

That’s not an excuse. Cops are supposed to be here to protect us, not violate us. If we can’t trust them to keep their hormones in check, then who can we trust?

Perhaps Lebanese General Security should be way more thorough in checking those who apply to be part of their field. According to the article I linked to earlier, many General Security individuals have priors. How did they end up becoming those who keep the country’s security in check?

One word: wasta.

I fear that this cop’s wasta will soon work to get him out almost unscathed. The raped maid? She’ll be deported soon because there’s nothing else we can do, even though her stay here has scarred her both mentally and physically for life.

But for once, I salute the Lebanese judicial system for not letting something like this slide. Here’s hoping more maids get the same justice for the many wrongs Lebanese do to them – even if for a limited time.

Lebanese Basketball Player Scores 113 Points in One Game – Makes US Headlines

NBA, MSN, AOL, Newsday you name it….

I haven’t watched Lebanese Basketball since Sagesse went down the drain – it’s just not that interesting anymore. But everyone is talking about how Mohammad El Akkari scored 113 points to lead his team, Mouttahed, to a win over Bejjeh on Wednesday. Out of those 113 points, 32 were 3-point shots – out of 59 attempts that is.

Akkari’s previous averages were 7.6 points a game. So I have no idea how he managed what he did. But according to sport experts, he’s the first person in a long, long time to manage over 100 points in a single basketball game. Call it impressive, call it fishy, at least he’s making the news rounds.

 

NBA

AOL

MSN

 

Samir Geagea’s Assassination Attempt

Head of the Lebanese Forces narrowly escaped an assassination attempt in his house in Meaarab, Keserwein, earlier today.

While taking a stroll outside, Geagea heard gunshots. So he ran for a safe place only to find the spot he was standing at had two bullet holes.

The security of his house was not breached. But the attempt is believed to have been taken out using high-tech equipment that can establish a perimeter of up to 4 kilometers. The Lebanese army is currently sending its helicopters to search the woods surrounding the area for possible suspects but the dense forests make the task extremely difficult.

The team that tried to assassinate Geagea obviously knows what it’s doing and has possibly done it before.

Now I ask – are we back to the assassination period in Lebanon where every single politician that has the guts to speak out against certain factions and regimes gets shot down? Are we back to a time where some people think gunning down Lebanese top politicians will get the people to cower away and not fight for their rights anymore?

Samir Geagea is the only Lebanese politician whose opinions, since he got out of his forced imprisonment in 2005, haven’t spun like a weather vane. He’s the only Lebanese politician who has asked the people for forgiveness for anything his party might have committed during the civil war. He’s the only Lebanese politician who served jail time. He’s the only Lebanese politician nowadays whose rhetoric doesn’t cower away from telling things like they are. He’s the only Lebanese politician who doesn’t equivocate over his beliefs.

I never thought I’d be this upset with such news. Why? Because I never thought it would actually happen. But now that Geagea has been targeted for assassination, years after the latest figure in Lebanese politics was killed, I cannot but be disgusted by the cowards and the filth of society that have tried to kill such a man.

I address them directly because I know they’re reading this: you disgust me. If anyone needs to die, it’s you – your guns, your backward mentality and your fear of those who can speak out against you.

They know who they are.

Samir Geagea lives. And his resolve will only grow stronger. His supporters will only grow more determined.

Should the Lebanese Army Be Beyond Retribution?

To start this, I feel it is important to say that I respect the Lebanese army because many will feel, upon reading this, that I’m degrading our armed forces, which is not my intention.

The purpose of this post is to ask a few questions – the answers to those questions are not set in stone. They go back to your perspective. Some might feel the answer the questions posed are yes. Others will feel the answer is a no. Either way, it’s always healthy to have a debate.

When it comes to the Lebanese army, many put it on a pedestal. Whatever the army does, you can’t criticize it, you can’t comment on its work, you can’t talk about anything it does in a negative light. The argument? The army is already doing more than what’s required of it and you have no right to criticize.

But is the argument that the army is doing more than it should enough to explain any possible shortcomings?

For instance, when it comes to neutrality, the Lebanese army is praised for keeping a distance from everyone, as it should. For instance, when Kataeb students were getting beaten up in Downtown Beirut, the army stood by and watched. I think it should have interfered because these are the people it should be protecting. Many felt that remaining neutral is better.

However, soon after that downtown incident, students were protesting at a Lebanese university as a reply to a protest that went on a week earlier. The army was neutral for the first protest – it beat up the students during the second one. Now, should we remain silent about this or do we have the right to ask: what happened?

When it comes to the checkpoints, such as the Madfoun checkpoint, is it fair to say that we are civilians who don’t understand the importance of such checkpoints? Is it fair that we don’t get to criticize why some regions have such checkpoints and not others? Or should we just “suck it up” and not get a say at all?

Should we, as civilians, not be allowed to address some military men who abuse their power, if they exist, and who might be protected by the halo we throw around them?

Should the army’s triumphs protect it from any possible inquiry people might have about its other activities?

In any other country in the world, while the military is respected, people get the chance to constructively criticize. I say, who not in Lebanon too?

Lebanon Preparing For A Nuclear Plant

Lebanon is on track for nuclear energy! Who knew it was even in the works?

According to Al-Nahar, prime minister Najib Mikati met with people from the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) and some Lebanese scientists to discuss the possibility of building a nuclear plant in Lebanon. The prime minister was welcoming to the idea and asked for the study regarding the project to be done in six months.

While we won’t be the first country in the region to have such a plant, I see this as a very advanced step that might be premature with the current state of our infrastructure: ranging from our internet to our roads. When the government is fighting over electricity boats & new power plants, and when there are talks about cost-cutting with regards to rebuilding certain bridges (Jal El Dib to be exact), somehow a nuclear plant is way over the top, no?

This doesn’t mean a plant will surely be built. God knows such “studies” tend to be dragged on and on until the whole affair becomes history and the people get over their enthusiasm. And to be honest, is Lebanon ready – politically – for all the repercussions that having nuclear energy entails?

We are too worried to take a clear stance regarding Syria – how about when the whole world looks upon this little country – with the  “terrorist” group Hezbollah – procuring nuclear energy?