“In which country are those?”, the angelic seven-year old boy, playing in his own world, was asking his father when they were interrupted by the voice of Sheikh Ahmad al-Assir roaring through Martyrs’ Square and reassuring the Christians of their safety.

The father was planning to tell the boy about the South and its capital… about Muslim Saida resting peacefully in the tranquility of Christian Abra…

This is how Jean Aziz narrated the events he encountered the day Al-Assir and his allies took to the streets in Martyrs’ Square, thus prompting a counter protest staged by the Baath Party and the SSNP in a sick attempt to replay the scenes of the “Hamad Cell” and “Qornet Shehwan Gathering”.

“Sheikh Al-Assir shuffled the pages of Saida’s history book engraved in the father’s memory and tore apart the geography book in front of the eyes of the boy,” stated Jean Aziz, thus initiating what would be a beginning for a real dialogue between the concerned parties unlike their so-called “dialogue table”.

Let us start.

Did Sheikh Al-Assir commit all this?

Is he responsible for the failure, or rather the bankruptcy of the Baath Party, the SSNP and all the political bodies in Lebanon? Is he responsible for the false history woven and fabricated with the purpose of creating a non-existent reality in a non-existent nation? What should we tell our children? Let us tell them the bittersweet reality so that they can create a sustainable new one for themselves one day.

Let us tell them about Fakhreddine who kneeled down to the Countess of Tuscany, begging her to appoint him as Tuscany’s Consul for his “putative” country, Lebanon.

Let us tell them about the two Bashirs- Shihab and Jumblat- who committed endless atrocities with an aspiration to kiss the Sultan’s hand, not to mention the other parts of his anatomy, and conspired against each other to take over a few villages and control the lives of tens of thousands of people.

Let us tell them about the actual reasons behind the events of 1845, 1860, 1920, 1943, 1958, 1975, 1989, 2005, 2006, 2007 and all the worse that is yet to come without pointing out that a Christian attacked a Druze or a Druze shot a chicken, or claiming that the independence was achieved by heroic acts and that the Ain el-Remmaneh bus massacre ignited a 15-year long war. Let us study the correct version of history without the tales of theft or bravery and without glorification or accusation of treason.

Let us tell our children about the followers of Jamal Basha who turned against him when Turkey lost the war and about the French bribes given to the residents of Tripoli and Beqa’a who resisted being annexed to the new Greater Lebanon, and who, as the Syrian brutality culminated, became filled with grudge against Syria. Ironically, those residents are rallying in support of the Syrian Sunnis today.

Let us tell them about the Jewish Agency’s funds to the clerics, politicians, journalists and the so-called “men of knowledge” in this country, and about the ongoing finances provided to our media outlets since the 1920s. Had it not been for the Turks, the French, the Khalijis, the Iranians and the Americans, we couldn’t have had a single newspaper or a TV station. Likewise we couldn’t have dreamt of a USJ or an AUB if it weren’t for the Catholic and Protestant missionaries.

Let us tell them about the Patriarch who championed the “Arabism of Lebanon” against the so-called “Persian expansion”, and the Mufti who prayed at the Serail because it is a “Sunni property”. Let us tell them about the politician who, after yielding up the harvest of the Mufti’s prayer, repaid him by digging into the files of Dar al-Ifta while insisting that the documents of the Ministry of Finance slip by unnoticed. And ironically, the Mufti chose not to question him over the wealth he gathered and the hundreds-of-millions of dollars he amassed through the duty-free zone and Sukleen. “Can’t a man save from his monthly salary for God’s sake?”

Let us tell them about the Sheikh and the monk who ordered and justified the killing of the Palestinians at one time and at others of the Syrians or the devotees of one sect or another. Let us tell them about the secularist party, which took part in the game of manoeuvring for sectarian seats in Parliament and the Cabinet, participated in street bloodshed and rejoiced in its victory after turning a blind eye to the killing of its members all for the gain of one ministerial seat.

Let us tell them about the Za’im who said in the 1960s that there is no water pollution in Lebanon, for our country cannot but have pure water. Let us make them aware of  the manipulation of medicines and food products, the misuse of water and air, and the corpses scattered throughout the streets and the victims of medical malpractice.

Let us tell our children that the 15-year civil war, which claimed the lives of hundreds of thousands of people and wreaked havoc on the country, ended with an amnesty law and kept us wondering how it broke out in the first place and whether it has ended for real. Let us tell them about the PSP, the Lebanese Forces, the SSNP and the Amal Movement who forged an alliance to vote against Hezbollah and the FPM in the elections of the Teachers’ Union and about the Zu’ama who call for democracy in Syria while holding on to their power in Lebanon at any cost. Let us draw their attention to the Labor Confederation, which stood against the Labor Minister for trying to fulfill its rightful demands.

Let us tell them about Saida’s garbage dump and about the 23,000 votes cast to him who promised to adopt a waste management policy and failed to live up to his promises. Let us recall the three kisses he printed on Condi’s cheek and about the assassination of Maarouf Saad and the involvement of officers who became champions and lecturers on statehood. Let us educate them on Yasser Arafat’s acts, the displacement of the villagers of eastern Saida, the assassination attempts and plots on over 230 people since 1943 and the ongoing serial murders.

Let us tell them about the French officer who killed dozens of Lebanese and buried them in Beqa’a but was later greeted with cheers and cries of welcome upon his arrival in Beirut. Let us speak to them of the 2006 July War and of those politicians who broke bread with Condoleezza Rice despite the rack and ruin inflicted on the country. And let us not forget how Hezbollah lavished their praise on the 2006 government, which they’ve always accused of conspiracy against Lebanon and described it as a “government of resistance”.

Let us highlight the quotes of Iskandar Riachi: “…It wouldn’t be even an exaggeration to say that the people of this country taught the Turks the art of bribery…”

Let our children know that the amnesty was given to the murderers rather than the victimized, and the compensations awarded to the displacers rather than the displaced. Let them know that the “Movement of the Deprived” is no longer deprived and that the preservation of Seniora’s billions has become a symbol of national peace. Let us sing for and with them: “Is this a country or a zoo!?”

Is Sheikh al-Assir responsible for all this?

The image wouldn’t be complete unless we point out the bright spots amidst the gloom. So let us speak to them of the resistance that held our heads high and about the civil servants who, although wallowing in poverty, said “no” to fraud and bribery. Let us speak to them of those who starved but refused to beg or steal and those who put themselves at risk to rescue a neighbor or a stranger during the civil war. Let us speak of the parents who lost their children but never lost hope, the people who forgave their murderers, the teachers and employees who showed up at their offices and classrooms even under the heaviest shelling. Let us speak to them of the bloodshed and the tears of those few who still believe that this country is worth it…

Let us tell our children how important it is for people to have a set of values to consult and refer to as a guideline and a main reference.

If we were to summarize the Commandments of Hammurabi, Moses, Jesus and Muhammad in only one, the choice would fall on “do not lie”. Lies are prevalent everywhere around us and within us. They lied when they said they sought to build a nation and we lied when we followed them against the whispers of our hearts.

The question of the boy ran parallel to a question by a seven-year old girl:

“You do not go to the mosque, nor does mom go to the church…What are we? Are we nothing?”

“We are the nothing that ascends beyond all the things”, the father replied.

“You mean that “nothing” is better than “everything?”, she said.

Jawad N. Adra

Proposed questions for the history test in the Lebanese official exams

Question 1: Iskandar Riachi quotes Harold Keplin: “The Mukhtara Palace, which was an English stronghold during the Ottoman rule, has become loyal to France. The rules of politics in Lebanon might transform the Maronites into English loyalists if the Druze were French…”

Explain the reasons for the above and write a paragraph detailing the current shifting alliances like the author did since 1989 to date.

Question 2: Is Saida’s waste crisis acceptable in the opinion of Sheikh al-Assir since the rulers of the Sunnis were behind the dump? Yes or no? Justify your answer.

Question 3: For how long will Hezbollah, the Amal Movement and the FPM continue to blame Hariri’s governments? How are they going to justify their opinion?

Question 4: Are the Future Movement, Sukleen, Solidere, and the duty-free zone considered red lines not to be trespassed? Yes or no? Justify your answer.

Question 5: Have you ever heard of a one case in which the Labor Confederation challenged the increase of salaries? Specify your answer.

Question 6: Why did Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah, General Michel Aoun, and Former PM Rafik Hariri fail to become symbols of unity? And why were they incapable of being leaders for more than only one sect or one part of a sect? Is it too late to change this now?