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25/04/08 FOL reader shares a great story originally published in the Lebanon Daily Star as “Shawarma Stories” by Amal El-Mohtar, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada
I love shawarma. So do many people in Ottawa, Canada, which helps explain why the many, many shawarma shops in the nation's capital do so well, even when there are three or four within a few blocks of each other, on the same street. It's healthier than Subway, about a third of the price, just as filling, much tastier, and usually prepared more quickly. Not for me, though, a first-generation Lebanese girl who rolls her “R”s a little too well. For me, acquiring a shawarma sandwich is a little like facing down the Sphinx: you just can't get one without answering a sequence of dangerous, probing questions.
It goes like this. The man in front of me, likely born of some mix of Irish, French, English and Scottish, with perhaps some far-distant Native American thrown in for good measure, will order “shawAREmaw.” He will get his sandwich promptly. I, on the other hand, will step up, tentatively ask for some “shaWARRRma,” and see the sandwich-maker's eyes light up. “Inti Lebnaniyyi?” he'll ask, delighted. I sheepishly reply yes, yes I am. And if it stopped there, all would be well with the world. But it doesn't. “Shou ismik?” Amal, I say, and this is still fine. But that isn't what he wants to know. “Ism al 3ayli?” El-Mohtar, I say. “Min weyn?” I start blinking, at this point, and say, here, from Canada, from Ottawa. “La, la,” he says, with a knowing look in his eye, like he sees my cleverness in side-stepping the real question. “Ahlik min weyn?”
Now, here, I start getting a bit concerned. My father's from Beirut, my mother's from Riyyak, I know this, and I say as much. The sandwich-maker looks a little perplexed, and finally, unable to find out what he's really curious about, like I'm the riddle that needs solving though he's the one asking the questions, he says, “Massihiyyi ow Missilme?”
My eyes go wide. I feel affronted, shocked, a little betrayed. What I thought was innocent conversation turns out to have been a customs form of some kind tailored to determining my religion – not for conversation's sake, but to see whose side I'm on, to see if that side is his or not, to see if further conversation is possible. I'm very curious to know what would happen if I answered either Christian or Muslim – would it have gone on further, trying to determine if I'm Maronite, Catholic or Orthodox, if I'm Sunni or Shia or, heavens forfend, Druz? Would it have stopped if I'd given the 'wrong' answer, with the sandwich-maker frowning at me and spitting in my shawarma on the sly? I don't know, because I never answer that question in that context. It's no one's business but mine.
In Canada, it's considered extremely impolite to ask someone their religion. It's something that one does between friends, that one does out of well-meant curiosity, and always in the kindest, most apologetic way, like they're aware of the potential trespass but are hoping you'll forgive them the asking anyway. To such people I'm always happy to explain my views on Life, the Universe and Everything, to have real conversations about philosophy and belief – but not politics. Politics don't enter into matters of spirituality in Canada. In fact, there's no surer way for a candidate to commit political suicide than by bringing faith into his campaign. Canadians are distrustful of ulterior religious motives in politics, are wary of the kind of intolerant religious fundamentalism that's been more characteristic of the United States these last eight years. It's a society built on a Charter of Rights and Freedoms that guarantees each individual the right to worship as he chooses, free of persecution, no matter the current government.
I'll answer the sandwich-maker's question here, however, to make a point: I'm neither Christian nor Muslim. My parents fled sectarian violence in Lebanon, and rather than passing the torch to continue the fight against the heathen others in our homeland, raised a secular family in Canada. They sent my sister and me to a non-affiliated Arabic school on Saturdays to help keep us speaking our native tongue. They played Fairuz and Zaki Naseef at home and taught us to be proud of our heritage, to be proud of speaking Arabic, to love the country they left fully as much as we loved the country we lived in. We learned.
When we came to Lebanon for the first time, I had no idea what the Call to Prayer was. I thought it was a man with a loudspeaker who really liked to sing early in the morning. I was able to see every person I met as a person to be loved because they were my kin, because they spoke Arabic as I should, because they listened to Fairuz and Zaki Naseef and lived in the country I now lived in. How much better is that than looking at every brown-skinned girl who can shake a “3a” from her throat as a potential enemy or ally? And how much kinder is it to that brown-skinned girl, who's probably very, very hungry when she goes to buy some shawarma, to just feed the poor thing without plaguing her with silly questions?
I live in hope. In the meantime, I make my own sandwiches. |
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29/04/08 FOL reader comments “good reading”: “Historical context and current posturing: Bush to Nasrallah: An Offer Hezbollah Cannot Refuse?” by Franklin P Lamb. Lamb begins the discussion with a quote from an Italian officer seconded to UNIFIL outside his Tebnine HQ, South Lebanon: “The Bush administration parking a flotilla from its US 6th fleet off the coast of Lebanon was made necessary, it claims, to demonstrate Washington’s ‘commitment to stability in the region’. This provocation, aimed at Hezbollah and also Syria, is the equivalent of a Sicilian fish wrapped in newspaper with a white rose—left on a doorstep: “This is business. It is not personal. Here is an offer you cannot refuse”. |
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29/04/08 Recommended reading: “The Tragedy of Ignorance” by Tom Chartier. “The fact is that Islam is not a threat to anybody. Ignorance and fanaticism is a threat to everyone no matter where it originates. It’s a universal curse that favors no religion over another.” |
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29/04/08 Gaza: A Palestinian Mother, Her Four Kids Killed “Hamas last week offered Israel a six-month truce, including an end to rocket fire into Israel, if Israel lifted an embargo on the territory.”
Israel’s answer?
April 28: “An Israeli tank fired a shell a one-storey Palestinian house in the northern Gaza Strip town of Beit Hanoun while the family was having breakfast. The bombing immediately killed four siblings whose ages ranged from 1 to 5 years old. Their mother died of her critical wounds in hospital.”
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29/04/08 Resistance is universal. Israelis who question occupation and oppression:
Breaking The Silence: Israeli Soldiers Speak By Stephen Lendman There are “courageous men and some women, hundreds of them. Their "Courage to Refuse - Combatant's Letter" web site lists 550 by name. There are hundreds more as well. Their numbers are growing, and their resistance is firm. . . . Israel must no longer be exempted from international law, from being allowed to flaunt it brazenly, from ignoring over five dozen UN Resolutions going back decades. Peace activists and refuseniks condemn the Jewish state for its actions, deplore it for committing them, and demand, call on and insist Israeli governments end them. Its lawlessness must end, and collective resistance can achieve it. It's no longer an option. It's an obligation to assure that everyone has equal dignity and the right to life, liberty, security and freedom under universal international law.”
Courage to Refuse “is a movement that has grown out of what the media referred to as The Combatants’ Letter – a letter which was first published on January 2002 and was since then signed by hundreds of combat reserve soldiers in the Israel Defense Forces. The signers of the letter declare that they will not take part in any activity whose objective is to perpetuate the occupation, and hence they refuse to serve beyond the ’67 borders. Over 280 of the signers have served prison terms for their refusal to serve in the occupied territories.” (words of a refusenik)
Yesh Gvul “We, candidates for service and soldiers in the IDF, men and women, as responsible citizens, hereby declare that we will take no part in the continued oppression of the Palestinian people in the occupied territories, and we will not participate in policing actions or in guarding the settlements.” (words of a refusenik)
Shministim "We the undersigned, Israeli girls and boys, believing in the values of democracy, humanism and pluralism, hereby declare that we shall refuse to take part in the occupation and repression policy adopted by the Government of Israel. We wish to live in a society which pursues justice, upholding equal rights to every single citizen. The occupation and repression policy is an obstacle to the realization of this vision, therefore we shall refuse to take part in it. We wish to contribute to society in an alternative way, which does not involve harming other human beings. We call on all young people facing mobilization and on all members of the Israeli army to weigh again whether to risk their lives in the service of this repressive and destructive policy." (words of a refusenik; nb original website not accessible) |
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01/05/08 “We're not celebrating Israel's anniversary” 105 people following the Jewish faith and following their consciences have publicly explained: “We cannot celebrate the birthday of a state founded on terrorism, massacres and the dispossession of another people from their land. We cannot celebrate the birthday of a state that even now engages in ethnic cleansing, that violates international law, that is inflicting a monstrous collective punishment on the civilian population of Gaza and that continues to deny to Palestinians their human rights and national aspirations. We will celebrate when Arab and Jew live as equals in a peaceful Middle East.” Well done to those who have spoken up and well done to the Guardian for publishing it! |
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01/05/08 Recommended reading: Hillary Promises to Kick Ass! By Tom Chartier: “Besides, despite the fact that nearly 70% of Americans are unhappy with Dubya’s [Bush’s] approach to the occupation in Iraq… sorry, it’s not a war, it’s a repressive military occupation… the reality is that Americans are embarrassed because they haven’t kicked ass. That’s what they’re really unhappy about.
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06/05/08 FOL reader asks “Have they gone mad??” Secret Bush "Finding" Widens War on Iran By Andrew Cockburn “Six weeks ago, President Bush signed a secret finding authorizing a covert offensive against the Iranian regime that, according to those familiar with its contents, ‘unprecedented in its scope.’ Bush’s secret directive covers actions across a huge geographic area – from Lebanon to Afghanistan – but is also far more sweeping in the type of actions permitted under its guidelines – up to and including the assassination of targeted officials. This widened scope clears the way, for example, for full support for the military arm of Mujahedin-e Khalq, the cultish Iranian opposition group, despite its enduring position on the State Department's list of terrorist groups.” |
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06/05/08 FOL reader comments “long, but good overview”. Read a bit of Lebanese history with “There Will Be Blood” by Muhammad Idrees Ahmad: “Since 2006 Hizbullah has led the opposition in a non-violent protest against the government demanding fairer representation. Detractors have tried to portray this as a coup against the government, and Nasrallah's demand for a one-man-one-vote system as somehow outlandish. A deadlock has prevented the appointment of a new President, and the political future remains as yet uncertain. Forces of status quo resent Hizbullah's assertiveness, but more so its status as a global player where they on the other hand remain perpetually identified with their parochial concerns. The government, backed by its supporters in the West and among the Arab states, has thus far prevented Hizbullah translating its military victory into political gains. While the people of the Middle East idolize Hizbullah, for their leaders the movement presents the threat of a good example. It is not yet confirmed who assassinated Imad Mughniyeh, but Israel is not alone in wishing to see Nasrallah and his movement humbled. Should there be a war, it would be interesting to see how the different forces line up. For now, the only thing that remains certain is that whatever happens in Lebanon, its borders are too small to contain the impact.” |
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08/05/08 A human rights crime in Gaza (6/5/08) by Jimmy Carter, a former President of the United States, and founder of The Carter Center, promoting peace, health, and human rights worldwide.
“I met with leaders of Hamas, both a delegation from Gaza and the top officials in Damascus, Syria. I made the same condemnation [of rocket fire] to them, and urged that they declare a unilateral ceasefire or orchestrate with Israel a mutual agreement to terminate all military action in and around Gaza for an extended period. |
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08/05/08 FOL reader shares this blog as comment on Lebanon’s current situation: The Islamic World Tells Lebanese Grand Mufti Mohamed Rashid Qabbani to bugger off “After a day of general strike which was called for by the Lebanese union quite some time ago to force the government to raise the monthly minimum wage which was far too low and unchanged since 1996, the unconstitutional Seniora government seems to be playing its very last cards and unleashed its top religious spokesman in hope that they might gain some credibility through religion.” |
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08/05/08 FOL reader suggests “People should read it from the source, not from the biased media” and shares this published summary of the press conference held Thursday, 8/5/08, by Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah in regard to the current situation in Lebanon. "We'll Defend Against Jumblatt Government's Declared War" "There is no civil war and reporting the facts are being exaggerated. Yes there is omen of war, but this is the war that the others have imposed. We do not want war with anybody. He who took those black decisions that could lead to war should take them back, and then everything ends." |
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10/05/08 FOL reader comments “Can't help feeling though that as soon as this 60th birthday is over - war is set to spread....” and shares this blog article:
“Middle East Indicators and Warnings Point to War” The first attempt to destroy or cripple Hezbollah came with the 2006 war and ended in abject failure. This time, the Empire is trying to achieve by political means using its CIA-controlled stooges in Lebanon what it could not do with military force: substantially degrade Hezbollah's ability to defend itself against an Israeli attack. |
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10/05/08 Translation of Sayyid Hassan Nasrallah speech on Thursday Excerpt of the press conference held by the Secretary General of Hezbollah Sayyid Hassan Nasrallah Q & A from Hassan Nasrallah's Press Conference (scroll down a bit) |
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Why is Lebanon special to you? Must Lebanon live in conflict? Where do we go from here? Is there a particular news story that has moved you, irritated you, made you scream or made you cheer? Email Friends of Lebanon and we'll share your thoughts. This section will offer a variety of opinions. This is a forum for public discussion and should not be confused with the stated goals of the Friends of Lebanon organisation (please refer to our section About Us). Although we may refer to other websites, we can not take any responsibility for external sites. |
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01/05/08 How Daniel Pipes Destroyed a New York City Principal : The New York Times has a cautionary tale of how mainstream hate masquerading as patriotism can destroy projects designed to promote peace and understanding. |