April 14, 2008
Lebanon's Chances for Diminishing Hatreds Seem Remote By Weedah Hamzah
Beirut
Eighteen years after the Lebanese civil war ended in 1990, Lebanon's
chances of burying hatred seem dim, with the country hit by its
worst political crisis since then.
The volatility of the political situation engulfing Lebanon has
ignited hidden hatred and divided the country between the ruling
majority - mainly Sunni Muslims, some Christians and Druzes - and
the opposition led by the Shia Muslim Shia movement Hezbollah and
hardline Christians.
"This time if there is a war in the country, Muslims will fight each
other and Christians will fight each other. This, in my opinion, is
more dangerous," says political analyst Shafik Al Masri.
The spark that ignited the civil war in Lebanon occurred in Beirut
April 13, 1975, when gunmen killed four Christian Phalangist party
members.
Believing the assassins to have been Palestinians, the Phalangists
retaliated later that day, attacking a bus carrying Palestinian
passengers across a Christian neighbourhood, killing 26 of them.
Next day fighting erupted in earnest, with Phalangists pitted
against Palestinian militiamen, who were backed at the time by the
Muslims and the Druzes.
The confessional layout of Beirut's various quarters facilitated
confessional random killing, leaving the country in a state of civil
war that left more than 150,000 killed.
As Lebanon prepares to mark the occasion on Sunday, amid heavy
tension among its rival factions, most of the population feel
traumatised, as they see no glimmer of hope for a clear future.
"All I can see is darkness for Lebanon," says Christian Patrick Awad,
a student in one of Lebanon's universities. "There is no prospect of
a future in this country any more."
He adds: "Before, the enemies were known. Now, brothers are turning
against each other and this is really scary."
The western-backed ruling majority and the opposition led by
Hezbollah, which is supported by Syria and Iran, have been unable to
reach a consensus on a president to replace pro-Syrian Emile Lahoud,
whose term ended in November 2006, plunging the country into total
political paralysis.
The result of this crisis has left the Lebanese in total distress.
Some have decided to live the crisis day by day, while others are
thinking of leaving the country for good.
"Many young people are leaving the country, taking a job outside the
country, just to be safe and to build a future, because they have
lost faith in their political leaders and their country," says
former Lebanese ambassador to Washington and political analyst Riad
Tabbara.
"It seems our political leaders have erased from their memories what
wars can bring and are refusing to open their war books to draw
lessons from it," Tabbara sys.
Samir Munzir, a Muslim, says: "The problem is in our leaders. None
of the nation's major politicians is regarded as a truly national
figure. Rather, each represents mainly the interests of his own clan
- Christian Maronites, Sunni Muslims, Shia Muslims or Druzes."
Under Lebanon's constitution, the president should be a Christian
Maronite, the premier a Sunni Muslim and the House Speaker a Shia
Muslim.
But no matter what the coming days bring, the Lebanese fear that if
a war breaks out this time, it will be worse then the first.
"As long as our country is based on a system that divides the
political seats among the religious sects, the country will be
always subjected to new wars," says Nada Habbal, a Muslim student.
"The guns may have fallen silent until now, but emotions have yet to
reconcile. Hatreds have yet to be removed until we can foresee real
peace in Lebanon."
Boloji.com is owned and managed by Boloji Media Inc Privacy Policy |
Disclaimer
No part of this Internet site may
be reproduced without prior written permission of the copyright holder.
