ShooFiMaFi.com // Problem In Lebanon

special report: THE REAL PROBLEM IN LEBANON

Reading the news coverage about Lebanon, makes you wonder why such a small and beautiful country is always in turmoil. A civil war then a cedar revolution, as well as a series of assassinations, car bombs, armed clashes and political uncertainties,... this is the picture of Lebanon which the world sees today, and it's not a good one!

The image of Lebanon's thriving tourism, with wonderful beaches and exquisite nightlife, great food and amazing hospitality, has been replaced with that of a vacant downtown, panic after explosions, and a 33 day war with Israel.

To address all these issues, one thing has to be made clear: "the real problems in Lebanon are NOT what you watch on TV or read in the newspapers"! These assassinations, protests, and calls for a government to resign or a president to leave, are only symptoms of the deeply rooted problems that we have never addressed as a nation. And what makes it worse, is that we are systematically distracted by these "daily events", while the youth migrate, the expatriates stay away, the economy worsens, and the population en-mass loses hope in the future.

So, what are the real problems in Lebanon? Well, they are not the tribunal, or the legal or illegal weapons. They are not the lack of a unity government, or a parliamentary electoral system that's unfair. They are not the political disagreements, the contradictory points of view, or even the politicians themselves and their opposing priorities! The real problem in Lebanon is the foundation upon which this nation is built, and how the Lebanese people view themselves and relate to one another. Let's explain.

Lebanon has a "critical" fault, and it's called political sectarianism (taifieh siyesieh), where parliamentary seats, ministry appointments, the 3 presidencies, and virtually every Government job is chosen according to religious considerations. This system has created a situation where the political will is never independent, and where regional and international considerations have become key to the stability of the whole country.

In principle, belonging to a certain religion or sect should not conflict with national loyalty, neither should supporting a certain political party contradict with the national identity of the individual. However in Lebanon, religious diversity is not celebrated, it's actually utilized (locally and externally) to divide the Lebanese. Similarly, the Lebanese themselves have not yet matured to the level where "diversity" to them would not mean "a threat"!

In order to abolish political sectarianism in Lebanon, there must be a serious, mature and sustained dialogue at the national level. The Constitution clearly states, in its preamble, that "the annulment of political sectarianism is a national goal". So, why has nothing been done so far towards achieving this goal? Well,...let's just say that we've been kept distracted by "daily events".

Today, there is no political will in Lebanon to abolish political sectarianism, and that's for obvious reasons. Our politicians benefit from sectarianism. It gets them the votes they need, and it allows them to rally the masses when the other side needs to be intimidated. Otherwise, without sectarianism, they would have to run on political programs (baramij si-yesieh) and clear election promises. They will even have to answer to the people who elected them, if these promises are not kept. But how un-lebanese would that be!

In short, this article wants to say one thing. If we don't resolve our real problems, we will continue to have one distraction after the other, until the heat becomes unbearable, and a civil war breaks out. It's a cycle that would repeat itself every 20 years.

What needs to be understood is that the creation of a country is one thing; while the creation of a national identity is totally different. So far we've been working on the creation of a country, but the bigger goal of a national Lebanese identity remains illusive!