I usually steer clear of politics on this blog only because there are others who do a great job at tackling it than I do. But I came across this article in the UAE’s The National which I found quite interesting. The journalist is speaking to an unnamed “commander of a Hezbollah security team in Ain Al Roumanieh” following the incident yesterday (Oct. 7). Here’s what he has to say:
“Young men on scooters came from Shiyah and began circling near a restaurant in Ain al Rummaneh,” the spokesman said. “A heated exchange with local residents ensued and knives were used, leaving one dead and four injured, all from Ain al Roumanieh.”
[…]
“I was called to the scene by my commanders to investigate and the Amal youth asked Hizbollah for help,” he said. “We told them ‘No. Your people are out drinking and gambling and getting into fights with the Christians when all of Lebanon is nervous. Enough.’”
[…]
“Those Christians boys are much tougher than the Sunnis; I don’t think the Amal kids understand this. [The Christians] have a lot of training and weapons from the civil war. Hizbollah does not want to see violence with these people,” he said, pointing out that even when Hizbollah and Amal took over West Beirut in May 2008 to rid the area of Sunni militias, they intentionally avoided antagonising their Christian rivals for fear of sparking a wider conflict.
Curious to know your thoughts about this.
[New Post] HA: Fear the Christians; Sunnis Are a Push-Over http://jadaoun.com/blog/2009/10/08/ha-fe…
Seriously? Really?
you’d think that after a certain point in time one would learn that this type of rubbish doublespeak would be abolished from a society that has endured so much hardship.
the sad part? I see readers who are quoted as “tough” due to nothing more than affiliation to a religion showing this article off to their friends. “yeah, check us out”
Ironic?
What’s interesting is that this article reinforces two stereotypes: 1. Hezbollah is more pious than Amal whose members tend to be more open to drinking and gambling.
2.Sunnis are militarily weaker than other sects due to a presumed lack of training and solid militia heritage.
It’s always difficult to tell with unnamed sources and a paper needs to be careful in its use of them. It would have been nice to have a comment from Amal as well.
Another thing is that the article frames the boys on scooters as “killers” and “murders” which seems to hint at a premeditated desire to cause harm or stir strife. I’m not so sure this is clear. I happen to know a relative of the man killed who noted that some family members believe he was killed trying to stop the fight.
.-= Habib´s lastest blog entry ..Beirut stars in new Snoop Dogg video =-.
@Habib, interesting comments. What I found intriguing was that the first quote mentioned “Young men on scooters…” is mentioned verbatim in this Naharnet article. But, this time the comment is said to come from an unnamed Lebanese Army spokesman. That seemed quite odd to me. As for Amal, I don’t think we’ll hear anything about it other than the joint statement they released with Hezbollah.
But I agree, The National article is rife with stereotypes but I’ve never seen written out in plain sight as this before. Journalists would usually lead their readers to that conclusion. Which brings me to @Atalla’s comment. The article brings out what is simmering under the surface – I’ve never seen it written so boldly as that but maybe that’s a good thing; it brings things out into the discussion.
[New Post] HA: Fear the Christians; Sunnis Are a Push-Over http://jadaoun.com/blog/2009/10/08/ha-fe…
Why would you care about what he says anyways? It doesn’t make any progress in our lives other than bullshitting.
I think this is the kind of stories that ignites hatred and conflict between people. They absolutely have no benefit to our consciousness.
People should follow a golden rule: discard bullshit stories that are not backed up or referenced.
(This comment is not for you Jad because I know you are aware of all this. I was just laying down my thoughts)
.-= Serpico´s lastest blog entry ..“Medical Myths That Can Kill You” by Nancy Snyderman =-.
yeah? just wait for another 50 years. you will be reduced to half of your numbers in lebanon ( through immigration and lower birth rate), and hezbollah will be current x 4 x 4 , approximately 4 times current numbers. then you can talk training and guns with them. what a load of generalisation and rubbish…
@Serpico, I always fascinated about how others think and this article allowed me to see things ‘through their eyes’ regardless of my opinions towards his comments. I strongly believe that dialogue is essential and the lack of it is most often the source of all the world’s problems. Now with this new insight, I can work towards world peace;)
@jan, I kind of lost your train of thought in all that anger and resentment. Are you calling for action against Hezbollah before they over run the country or are you angry because I proposed that the statement made by the Hezbollah commander can be seen as constructive? Once again, I strongly feel that dialogue is the only way forward. If we truly want a democratic society, then rule of majority with respect and protection to minority is quite integral regarless of who is the majority and who is the minority.