‘Militias still active in Beirut’

‘Animosity against Libya remains alive’

“IT LOOKS that by its moves, the Lebanese Hezbollah wants to prove that with its military might it will be in a position to control the policy of the Lebanese State,” columnist Dr. Abdulmohsen Hamada wrote for Al-Qabas daily.

“This party has managed to impose on the country the current Lebanese Elections Law to serve its purposes and objectives. Not just that, Hezbollah is accustomed to creating crises and putting forward its demands without contributing to the solutions of the country or making concessions.

“In this context, we say one of the crises that was created by this party is its attempt to impede the formation of the new Lebanese government by demanding to have a say in the appointment of ministers from among Sunnis who belong to the Lebanese March 8 Alliance.

“Not just that, this party had made it clear that it will not allow the formation of the new government unless March 8 Alliance is represented in this government.

“However, the Lebanese Prime Minister Saad Al-Hariri refused the demand describing the relevant MPs as Trojan Horses that would weaken him as the political leader of the Sunni Sect.

“The Lebanese President Michel Aoun, submitted a reconciliatory solution which would allow him to select a Sunni minister from his bloc to be nominated by the six MPs of March 8 Alliance out of their ranks.

“At last, the proposal of Aoun was approved and the new government was formed after a period that exceeded eight months. Anyway, we hope the newly born government will be in a position to encounter the economic and social dangers currently facing Lebanon and eventually set up the necessary reform plans which have been endorsed by the Cider Conference of Paris with a financial guarantee that is likely to exceed $11 billion.

“However, there is another problem that is noteworthy to mention – the problem which emphasizes that the militias are still affecting Lebanon as a country and eventually will result in not being subjected to the logic of the State.

“Take for example, the rejection of Libya’s participation in the Arab Economic Summit that was held recently in Beirut by the Lebanese Amal Movement. The venue of the conference was subjected to ‘assault’ and the Libyan flag was removed and burnt and substituted with the flag of the Amal Movement. Not only that the militias of this party threatened to prevent the Libyan delegation from coming into Lebanon.

“Anyway, this event and the burning of the Libyan flag, was enough to result in most Arab leaders not attending the summit.

“In this connection, we elucidate that the Amal Movement still holds Libya responsible for the disappearance of Imam Moussa Al-Sadr in Libya more than forty years ago during the reign of the former Libyan president Muammar Gaddafi, although Libya is currently ruled by those who toppled the regime of Qaddafi and some of them were children when the Imam disappeared and some others were not even born.

“Not just that, Libya had participated in the Arab summit in Beirut in 2002 and representative of Gaddafi had participated in the said summit. In this connection, we say the participation of Libya in this summit can be attributed to the fact that Lebanon during that time was subjected to the domination of the Syrian regime.

“This behavior constitutes an insult to Lebanon in its capacity as a host nation, because this behavior has shown Lebanon is unable to protect the Arab League delegations and other guests.”

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Dr. Hamada

“Intellectual terrorism is a threat to others and prevents them from expressing their opinions and eventually impose a single opinion,” columnist, Professor Dr. Abdulmalek Khalaf Al-Tamimi wrote for Al-Jarida daily.

“The promoters of the terrorist thought don’t believe in the democratic dialogue but rather muddies the atmosphere. This thought consists of two sentences – terrorism through fear as result of extremism which is based on the rejection of the opinion of others and intellectual terrorism which doesn’t believe in the free thought, but rather believes in the unilateralism and this is applicable to most ideological tendencies of our thought and culture.

“As a matter of fact, intellectual terrorism is prevalent among the undemocratic communities and the same is practiced by some backward states and groups and unfortunately the Arabs countries are not the exception where many communities resort to intellectual terrorism as an outset to practice physical terrorism which is likely to coincide with an attempt to impose the single opinion and reject pluralism.

“In other words, intellectual terrorism is used as a weapon to counter terrorism and minimize its role, and such a manner succeeds if the circumstances are suitable.

“However, this type of thought was practiced by some specific groups which bowed in the face of storms in the absence of certain circumstances that were required to enable them to spread their poisons.

“Anyway, it is worthy to draw the attention to the danger of the type of terrorism, because the latter strives to dominate the intellectual and cultural arena without any rival to create the necessary atmosphere to promote its ‘goods’ with the help of some hypocrites who are looking only for their own interests. This helps spread the phenomenon of lies and plots against the social morals.”

“Our Arab nation is going through the worst cases of degradation and retardation. Most Arab rulers act in isolation against the strong, they gain control over their people, and treat their countries’ resources as private estates by doing whatever they want,” Ali Al-Baddah wrote for AlJarida daily.

“Most of these rulers learned how to maim their citizens and silence any dissenting or even exhorting voices. Our ‘peoples’ lost the compass, some handed over their heads to those who represented them among philanthropists and those who push through their transactions. Some were afraid, moved away and preoccupied with their families. Many others languished in jails such that their voices could no longer be heard. They missed life with the absence of the sun of freedom.

“How can any Arab be silent over the dilemmas he sees every day, especially the corruption which spread throughout the Arab world, led by leaders and followers of leaders, and they were encouraged by those they could seduce? Most Arab rulers want to corrupt all people so there is no voice calling for reform. Corruption is associated with concessions of honor, sale of homelands and submission to the great masters who are rulers of powerful countries so much that there is no longer a place for shame in the eyes of these rulers. They openly declare that Palestine is no longer an issue or any Arab cause over colonial occupation of a land or country in our Arab territories.

“What is sadder is that there is no need for all this corruption and submissiveness, there is no need to reach the limit of explosion. This nation possesses human capabilities and material resources which can put it in the ranks of advanced countries, once they believe in this capacity and coordination to activate it with cooperation between rulers and peoples to push them to national ends.

“Why do not these rulers see our ability, our strength and our great potential to make our homelands the most beautiful homelands? What will the rulers lose if they ruled fairly and honestly and stuck to their peoples in developing their countries and achieving their growth and liberation from any subordination? What if the rulers believe their own security is not protected by foreigners but by the power of their people and their loved ones? Why do not rulers see how despised the sponsors of their corruption? How did they abandon their ancestors after they took everything, and the Shah of Iran did not find a grave to bury him after he was abandoned by all those he thought as his friends and protectors?

“Do not these rulers have a hint of shame when they hear humiliation after insults from the American president, for example? He insulted, cursed, ordered and ended like a commanding officer in all Arab countries. Did the feeling die and dignity lost? Why? Were not they satisfied with all the riches they gathered throughout their reign? Is there no limit to their greed? Did their souls come to this end? Has ‘Israel’ become their qiblah instead of the Kaaba?

“Israel, which the world despised, has been given the energy of hope to revive and enter our country, and then get rid of everyone to own all our wealth, and achieve the goals set for the Jewish homeland. Is this hidden from these leaders? Is it not easier for them to return to their people to rule them willingly and raise the banner of pride and dignity? If they think or are convinced that the wealth they have gathered in the banks of the world will save them from their peoples, the experiences of their predecessors say they will not find any of this wealth, because their protectors will claim it or return to their lands when their people revolt. Is this friend better than their people?”

“Kuwait is at the forefront of adopting the Palestinian cause at diplomatic and international forums. Also, we find many Arab countries coordinating in public or secret with the Zionist entity in many activities,” Dr Najm Abdul-Kareem wrote for Al-Jarida daily.

“We have been witnesses to the manner in which the Kuwait National Assembly Speaker expelled delegations of the Zionist entity from international meetings, not to mention the position of Kuwait’s Mission at the United Nations and the Security Council, and its great activity in responding to countries seeking resolutions to condemn the struggle of the people of Palestine and classify it as terrorism.

“I became acquainted with the history of PalestinianKuwaiti relationship when I read the book written by Dr Shafiq Al-Ghabra (The Catastrophe and Emergence of the Palestinian Diaspora in Kuwait). It put me in front of the facts I needed to know, especially after the period of the invasion of Kuwait from the dictatorial regime in Iraq, which attracted much noise on the position of Palestinians. However, Dr Al-Ghabra explained in the book the correct picture of what was the position of the Palestinians from the invasion, and a careful analysis of the objective conditions surrounding the different positions – opposing and supportive.

“He explained the position and actions of the PLO during the crisis, Yasser Arafat’s visit to Iraq two days after the invasion, and the organization’s vote against the resolutions of the August 10 Arab Summit condemning the invasion, which strained the Palestinian-Kuwaiti relationship. Some leaders of the PLO, such as Jawid Al-Ghusain, Abu-Ayyad, Khaled Al-Hassan and Abu Mazen, were among those who denounced the invasion and considered it a mistake that should not be committed. Other leaders of the PLO, such as Farouk Kadoumi, George Habash and Yasser Abed Rabbo appeared on Iraqi TV expressing their solidarity with the aggressor. Dr Al-Ghabra mentioned a great deal about those who sympathized with the regime of the aggressor and explained in detail the position of the organization, which was supportive of Saddam Hussein.

“As for the Palestinians who lived in Kuwait before the crime of invasion, Dr Al-Ghabra said to them: ‘The Iraqi invasion of Kuwait brought to the Palestinians a loss of direction. On the one hand, the Palestinian society in Kuwait depended on the Kuwaiti regime to secure livelihood and residence, and on the other hand, attaches its feelings to the fate of the Palestinian cause. The conflict in the Palestinian center manifested significantly between national values and interests of livelihood in the crisis that erupted in August 1990’.

“From the beginning of the invasion, members of the Palestinian society in Kuwait were divided into three groups: Palestinians who were sympathetic to Iraq in different proportions, Palestinians opposed to the invasion who were sympathetic to Kuwait, and those taking the path of neutrality. Dr Al-Ghabra pointed out that the Palestinian people benefited from the economic well-being enjoyed by Kuwait, and at the same time contributed to the provision of services sincerely, and one would almost assert that without the Iraqi invasion of Kuwait, the relationship would have continued for decades to come. The mutual need between Kuwait and the Palestinians was economic, professional, moral and political.

“As I said in the beginning of the article about Kuwait’s position on the question of Palestine at the international forums, it remains the only Arab State that does not entertain bargaining on the most important Arab issue.”

“Most Arabs hold their nations in high esteem and dream of advancement. That is why the Arab falls in love or hates quickly,” columnist Dr Khalid Ahmad Al-Saleh wrote for Al-Rai daily.

“Radio and published books had a major effect on the Arab opinion in the beginning. Later, we found out that those radio and other communication media were mere copies of the traditional media of the colonialists to incite arguments and hatred among the Arab entity. It feels so good to carry one’s nation in the heart but the question is how we dispose off disputes instigated among us by the evil TV channels and social networking sites that spray toxic hatred over the Arab countries, including the Gulf that represent hope for the future.

“This question goes to our Arab political leaders and intellectuals since they represent the two wings of our Arab nation. One party rules and the other performs. Political leaders are kindly asked to listen to the counsel of intellectuals and vice versa. Creating disputes between the two parties is a major transgression. Our political leaders are afraid of us and many of them are exploited by foreign power. On the other hand, our intellectuals are afraid of our political leaders, so they seek to deal with foreign power.

“Another problem detected among our political leaders is that they do not believe in power sharing in governance. Most of them consider the country a private property, so they go beyond every length to protect their power through the appointment of consultants who manage to conceal the real image and situation of the country.

“The colonial powers that controlled us in the past skillfully managed to take advantage of the fact that our countries constitute various minority groups, so they chose several individuals from those minority groups whom they trained and educated well to control the press and media. The simplest way out of the current situation is to focus on hard work and do away with disputes.”

— Compiled by Zaki Taleb