This Ramadan has been a period of reflection for me.
This time last year, I was living in Syria, studying Arabic, living with Madame, going to the most amazing masjid ever (for taraweeh and tahajjut prayers), iftar’s with Madame’s daughter’s family, going to the park, interviewing Syrians, only speaking in Arabic. Having suhoor with Madame and her sister. Meeting up with one of my best guy friends (he is Syrian-American, he moved to Syria several years ago, settled there and got married to a Syrian =)) and his friends, also meeting up with a common friend of ours.
Exploring Syria was great, but having the Syrian Ramadan experience was even better. Now, I am living in New York City, alone, away from my family, having some iftar’s with others, most are spent alone. The only downside of Syria, was the mukhabarrat spy machine and Eid. Even though I was living with Madame and spent Eid with her family, I missed my family even more. I cried on Eid day because I wanted to be with my family.
However, that is life. Deal with it, instead of writing a sob story on a blog.
The point of this entry is not to have a pity party, but rather to reflect on the developments occurring within the Middle East. I have been really concerned about what is going on in Syria, because Syrian politics ultimately affects Lebanese politics.
I talked to a friend in Lebanon the other day. I asked her, how does it affect you? She is from the mountains and she told me, we in Lebanon, don’t worry about what is going on in Syria. We think of it as retribution for what they did to us during the civil war. We look at their situation and think, this is what you did do us, and now it is happening to you.
I thought that was depressing, but at the same time I understood her rhetoric. A few entries back I did a review of Robert Frist’s Pity the Nation. If you are interested in Lebanese politics and want to understand where my friend is coming from then read it.
Internationals often get daunted by the thickness of the book and just read the first hundred pages. However, that does not even touch the surface of what happens throughout the book, which presents an adequate synopsis of Lebanon’s civil war. For me, it is absurd for Americans and Europeans to refuse to read through a book because it has a certain amount of pages or is too much to read, and then go on to formulate policies.
When I returned to Lebanon after living in Syria, I was not an expert on Lebanese politics. (I still do not claim to be an expert, although I am now more informed.) An American classmate and I traveled to see President Ahmadinejad speak at an event, we started chatting about American and Lebanese politics. He told me, after living in Lebanon, American politics seems like a joke. It is not even serious compared to the political intricacies that occur within Lebanon.
After returning to the United States, I could not agree with him more. When people ask me about my international experiences and the topic of politics come up, I always say the Israeli-Palestinian situation makes American politics seem so simplistic, and Lebanese politics makes the Israeli-Palestinian conflict appear simplistic.
It is not as black and white as it appears, but it has truth in its own.
When I was in California, I was asked to give a presentation on Palestine. I contacted someone from the ngo I worked with in the West Bank. He is now a close friend.
I asked him about the situation in the West Bank. This was a month ago…
He replied by telling me the situation is becoming worse on a daily basis, throughout the West Bank in all the cities is the smell of death and war. Settlers are moving in throughout the territory and safety is no longer a reality. We believe the Israeli’s will not accept the U.N. mandate and thus, there will be another intifada come September.
This statement concerned me, because I have been hearing similar rhetoric from friends throughout the West Bank. I told him to stay safe and be careful. In 2005, he risked his life to save others on multiple occasions. While I was living in the West Bank, there were some political developments occurring and once again he risked his life to help others. It is people like him that I respect, he has left the ngo to work with another one in a leadership capacity.
My friend may be right about Lebanon, but hearing about the attempted assassination of a powerful figure in Daahiyah, bombing within the Palestinian refugee camp Ein el Hilwe (one of the most notorious camps within Lebanon), and further developments that continue to ensue is troubling. I hope the situation improves, a test that can only be left to time. On the other hand, Lebanese Prime Minister Mikati stood in solidarity with Palestinian Prime Minister Mahmood Abbas in the recent creation of a Palestinian embassy in Lebanon.
Here I am back in the United States. I watch the news while I work out at the gym, I see issues about job creation, the economy, presidential issues etc. It all seems so miniscule compared to people losing their lives to internal warfare, bloodshed, political intricacies that occur within a split second ultimately changing the balance of international politics and society.
I look into the streets and I see peace. Careless banter, jokes about work, and romantic suits that eclipse or fall.
My friend was right, American politics is so much more simplistic. I try to keep up with the lack of jobs, the economic downfall, the issues of the day. However, I find within seconds I become bored. It is all the same conversations turned and twisted into circles deriving at the same conclusion.
Internal and external complications, bloodshed, warfare. What should take precedence?
