Saturday, September 20, 2008

The Need to Contain Iran & Hezbollah before it is too lateBy: Elias Bejjani*

By: Elias Bejjani

Hezbollah, the Iranian terrorist militant and fundamentalist organization, is now actually occupying Lebanon, controlling its government and terrorizing its peace loving people. This Iranian mercenary Army by all means and according to all standards is like a wild and cannibal beast gradually devouring Lebanon, the independent, free and multicultural state.

It is viciously annihilating Lebanon's distinguishable identity, forging its deeply rooted rich history, tarnishing its unique co-existence entity, disintegrating the basis of its civil society, infiltrating and destabilizing sneakily its governmental and private institutions in an evilly orchestrated and systematized Syrian-Iran Scheme.

While this crime is being overtly and bluntly committed against Lebanon and the Lebanese people, the so called moderate Arabic countries, the European Union, the state of Israel, the US, The UN, and the rest of the Free World nations are all indifferently watching this horrible crime and keeping a blind eye on the whole mockery.

They shamefully had limited the horizons of their stances to mere rhetoric and context-empty press releases and statements of condemnation.

They are all mainly acting selfishly, naively while deluding and deceiving themselves. They are falling easy preys to a wrong, self-centered, irresponsible and misleading political concept that hypothetically says: "As long as this beast remains far away from our backyards, let him devour whoever it can capture or hunt"!! What a juvenile, derailed, alienated, sickening and reality-history detached thinking and rationale!!

What is currently and sadly unfolding in Lebanon and Iran is a replicate of the Hitler-Nazi phenomenon. Most European nations, as well as many other influential countries had falsely deceived themselves into believing that Hitler's aggressiveness and greed could be cajoled and appeased by some kind of subjection here and there.

They did not take his territorial expansionist schemes seriously, and failed to contain his madness when they were still capable of doing so. They initially did not unite to encounter his many invasions to neighboring countries, and when they decided to do so and move from the defensive to the offensive strategy, it was too late.

Their appeasement forced the whole free world to sacrifice dozens of millions of lives, in addition to massive destruction, huge financial losses, and laborious years of horrible wars, agony, and suffering, before Hitler was defeated. Luckily he could not acquire the atomic bomb before the USA, otherwise, he would have destroyed the whole globe.

The question that every sensible man and woman is asking with fear and frustration, is when would the Free World countries, specially the USA and Europe will deal with Iran, and its proxy army in Lebanon, Hezbollah, and either tam or eradicate their teeth so they can no longer be a threat to civilization, humanity and world-wide prosperity, stability and peace?

Are they going to repeat the same wait and see cowardice scenario they applied with the Hitler-Nazi phenomenon?

Are they going to wait for the emergence of another Winston Churchill to cement their scattered efforts, pinpoint the main threat, and lead them in an costly offensive war after Iran's acquisition of nuclear capabilities? Hopefully not, because extraordinary, farsighted, and Godly gifted leaders are not born every day.

While Iran is fooling and ridiculing the UN and all the whole free world, it adamantly continues its stringent evil strive to acquire its atomic bomb, and its proxy army in Lebanon, Hezbollah, is tightening more and more its military grip on Lebanon, the government and the people. One would not be exaggerating to state that Hezbollah is actually occupying Lebanon.

The most dangerous facets of this occupation can be plainly witnessed all over Lebanon in the cultural and educational domains. Hezbollah via religious decrees (Fatawa), money, intimidation and weapons, is forcing the Iranian Mullah's life style on the whole country. Its militant ongoing endeavors to impose this stone age life style is on the rise all over the country, especially in side the canton that it rules and fully controls.

Hezbollah's education, life style and culture are totally derived from the Iranian Mullah's “Wilayat al-Faqih” religious-sectarian doctrine. The main pillars of this doctrine are zero tolerance for all others who are different in any sphere and do not fully fall under its control, mere rejection of the civil, democratic and free societies, a systematized tireless strive to export the ”Wilayat al-Faqih" and impose it on the whole world through "Jihad" (holy war), deeply rooted hatred for the western democracies and cultures, staunched enmity and hostility towards the USA and Israel and suicide mentality. One of its prime aims is to destroy Israel and "Liberate" the Holy city of Jerusalem.

Hezbollah, by force and terrorism is hindering Lebanon from regaining its independence, peace and stability on all levels and in all domains. It refuses to disarm or allow the central government take control over the cantons that it has erected and keeps ruling with an iron fist.

In the same realm of the on going series of orchestrated assaults against the country, the people and its institutions, on the 28th of last month Hezbollah's militants fired on a Lebanese army helicopter in the Southern region killing with cold blood one of its two pilots under the pretext that it had crossed the red lines drawn by its leadership.

Meanwhile many independent Lebanese observers strongly believe that Hezbollah is behind most of the assassinations and assassination attempts that took place in the country since 2005 and targeted members in the parliament, journalists, cabinet ministers, politicians, and army - internal security officers.

Defiant Hezbollah's General Secretary, Hassan Nasrallah, declared in a televised speech earlier this month that his militant militia will keep its arms even if Shebaa farms were liberated, "Shebaa farms are not the reason to keep our weapons; if the farms were liberated, the weapons will stay," Nasrallah said.

Hezbollah leaders had repeatedly said in the past that the party's arms are aimed at liberating Lebanese occupied lands, mainly the remaining Shebaa farms in south Lebanon. Nasrallah, however, said Hezbollah will not give up its weapons "as long as Israeli threat persists," threatening that his group will destroy Israel if it launches an attack on Lebanon. "The five brigades (which Israel said it will use) will be destroyed," he added. This comes at the heel of another statement when he promised the world "a victory that will change the face of the Middle East". '

Hezbollah has imposed on Lebanon Its own criteria for heroism, martyrdom, treason and patriotism. Recently, it glorified publicly the notorious killer, Samir Kuntar who was surprisingly released by Israel. It gave him a hero's welcome, dragging behind its leadership the country's president, house speaker, Prime Minister and the majority of the MP's and politicians.

In the realm of derailing Heroism and criminal standards, Hezbollah is portraying, Imad Mugniyah, one of its high ranging militants, that was killed in Syria earlier this year, as a great militant leader and Jihadi Martyr.

it has erected an exhibition to advocate for this educational derailment and worked hard to give it an extensive media coverage. In a letter to the New York Times published on September 06/08 Abraham H. Foxman commenting on Hezbollah's war exhibition opened in the Lebanese Southern City of Nabatiye said: "Hezbollah’s shrine to the slain terrorist mastermind Imad Mugniyah demonstrates how terrorist groups use and indoctrinate children into their blood-soaked culture of hatred, martyrdom and violence. It also offers a real glimpse at the stark realities facing Lebanon, Israel and the international community.

It is frightening that a group that perpetrates and venerates deadly terrorism is set to take on a leading role in Lebanon’s transitional government, with cabinet seats and veto power. And if there was any doubt that Hezbollah is rebuilding its arsenal in the aftermath of the 2006 Lebanon war, the high-tech rockets and other munitions on display in Nabatiye should serve as a wake-up call to world leaders about the continuing threat that this Iranian-backed group poses to Israel, Lebanon and the entire region".

We, again and again, call on the free world and the so called "moderate Arabic Countries" to wake up from their coma of hesitation and procrastination, and take note that the Lebanese people and their government are unable under any given circumstances to contain or disarm Hezbollah militarily on their own. If Lebanon is not rescued, Hezbollah will soon turn it into a replicate of the Iranian's Mullaha's republic.

Meanwhile Iran's serious Hitler-Nazi like phenomenon threats to the world needs to be addressed as soon as possible with all available means, especially the military ones before it is too late. The battle with Iran and its Hezbollah proxy is inevitable, Accordingly the sooner the better, and lesser losses will be incurred.

*Elias Bejjani
Chairman for the Canadian Lebanese Coordinating Council (LCCC)
Human Rights activist, journalist & political commentator.
Spokesman for the Canadian Lebanese Human Rights Federation (CLHRF)
E.Mail phoenicia@hotmail.com
LCCC Web Site http://www.10452lccc.com
CLHRF Website http://www.clhrf.com

Thursday, September 11, 2008

Lebanon Remembers Its assassinated President, Bachir Jmayel

By: Elias Bejjani

September 11/08Lebanon's rulers, officials and politicians with their numerous feudal, social, denominational, secular and fundamentalist affiliations - as well as the so-calledresistance have disastrously failed in managing the challenges of the new independence era in the aftermath of Syria's humiliating and forced withdrawalin year 2005 in accordance with the UN Resolution 1559.

This mosaic leadership has aborted to a great extent the historic liberation achievements reached by the Cedar's Revolution that was bravely spearheaded by Lebanon's young men and women. The Lebanese political class has proved to be totally incompetent in the areas of faith, perseverance, devotion, education, intelligence, organization, national convictions, approaches, strategies and honesty. Its crippling performance was evident before, during and after the 2006 Hezbollah-Israel devastating war.

Bogus masks fell down while negligence as well as treachery were behind the war that inflicted immense losses in people, money and infrastructure. Hezbollah's militant terrorist organization planned and instigated it while all leadership were appeasing and cajoling its leadership and not witnessing for the truth.

All these leaders and politicians kept on feeding the beast (Hezbollah), until it turned its weapons on them and is now endeavoring to devour all of them. Why have all these tragedies unfolded? Why is all this political corruption happening? How can the political establishment's negligence, poor insight, cowardice and questionable stances pass without any kind of legal and moral accountability?

The answer simply lies in the feudal, tribal and individualistic mentality that controls people's minds and dictates their behavior and acts.

But most importantly because of the people's subservience, ignorance, and blind loyalty to leaders and politicians who bring ruin to their interests and mortgage their country without the people speaking up or protesting.Meanwhile the conscientious and informed Lebanese citizens and the intellectuals who honor national, ethical and moral convictions refrain from supportingany leader blindly or joining any party without agreeing with its platform.

Good Lebanese citizens are those who have the moral stamina to differentiate between the fake and the authentic, the honest and the evil, the transparent and the treacherous.

They are those who do not cast their vote or give their trust and support to a politician or political party that knows neither freedom nor democracy, and that does not honor the right of expression and the right to difference.Those of us who believe in the righteousness of Lebanon's national cause and respect the rights of their fellow citizens are not fascinated merely by thecharisma and outside charms of leaders. They reject the logic of passivity and feudal subservience in adopting loyalty or opposition. They possess a clearcriterion for what is right and what is wrong and will never, ever accept the role of ignorant, misled and blind followers.

Those of us who keep themselves informed and well updated on unfolding events in the domains of politics, social affairs, human rights, democracy,corruption, lust for power, and the media's misleading bickering, are currently definitely feeling frustrated, angry and unhappy about the way things arebeing handled in Lebanon.

In Lebanon at the present time, based on stances and achievements, there are no differences between the opposition or the loyalists. All are cut from the same cloth: Opportunists, greedy, heartless, and serving their own individual agendas and ambitions. They manipulate the people, camouflage their stances, color their attitudes and tailor their affiliations to fit their hunger for authority, money and gains.

All what we hear from both loyalists and opposition is a below-the-belt rhetoric, an ongoing game of humiliating media accusations, insults, threats andfabricated games and shows aiming to deflect people's attention and focus away from the disastrous social, living, health environmental, security, justice andeconomic circumstances.

Meanwhile, the country's borders with Syria are not patrolled by the Lebanese Army. They are left unattended and open for smuggling of weapons,merchandise and people. The armed militias, of which is the terrorist Hezbollah, run freely their mini-states and cantons while spreading the education of Jihadism, rejections of others, fundamentalism, oppressing freedoms and manipulating people's fate and destiny.

In the same context, all public services are deteriorating with a scary escalation in unemployment rates, out of control public debt and deficit, deeprooted corruption, explicit bribery and covert nepotism. More than a quarter of a million Lebanese citizens have left Lebanon over the past two years.

The latest traumatic events have uncovered and publicly exposed the actual shocking reality of the Lebanese leadership that has failed in fulfilling itsduties, obligations and responsibilities. They all lost both the trust and the respect of the citizens, while the majority of the public is frustrated,disappointed, angry and sees no light at the end of the tunnel. A feeling that has led to a massive exodus, especially among Christians whose leadersunfortunately have forgotten who they are, who are their people, what cause they ought to defend and which interests to safeguard.

The people who fought peacefully and intellectually since 1988 back home and in Diaspora for a free, independent and sovereign Lebanon were not surprised or disappointed by the camouflaged and fishy tactics and strategies used by politicians, parties who were shameless servants and puppets for the Syrian Baathist occupation for years. No hopes were invested in any of them due to the plain fact that neither their present nor their future shall be any different from their dirty and blemished past.

What has really been sad, and in fact intolerable, unacceptable, and disappointing by all means and standards is the sudden, unexplainable and bewilderingdrifting and derailing of elite Christian politician and leader General Michel Aoun.

The man has changed completely his struggle track, turned against his own stances, negated his own principles, trashed each and every slogan he had advocated for, broke every promise he made, turned his back on all those honest, transparent and devoted partners, supporters and colleagues, and with cold emotions dishonored the sacrifices of hundreds of thousands who trusted him and paid accordingly dear in exile, oppression, detainment, poverty, persecution, prosecution, deprivation etc. Aoun is now and by all means a mere Syrian-Iranian mouthpiece that is used to cover Hezbollah's crimes and scheme to take over Lebanon.

The question is, does General Aoun and those who still blindly support him comprehend history and learn from its books?There is no doubt that Sheikh Bachir Gemayel, his father Sheikh Pierre, President Camille Chamoun, Charles Malek, Fouad Afram Al Bustani, and other Christian Lebanese leaders, with thousands and thousands of Lebanese men, women and children who gave their lives for Lebanon's freedom, rights and democracy are turning angrily in their graves while watching elite Christian leaders turning into political dwarfs who sold their country and the Christian cause with thirty pieces of silver.What these derailed leaders and politicians should never forget under any given circumstances is that public mandates, votes as well as support can bewithdrawn once the people find out they have been betrayed and their trust was misused and abused. People might take some time to comprehend all factsand realities, but ultimately they will act.

What is reassuring in the midst of this frustration is that the Lebanese people have endured with courage, faith and hope thirty years of a horrific SyrianBaathist occupation till their country was liberated, but still they know very well that there will be no lasting peace before the disarming and dismantling ofall Lebanese and non Lebanese militias and the spread of the authority of the central Lebanese government over all the territory of Lebanon through its ownlegitimate military forces. Accordingly, all leaders are judged on these national requirements

Sheikh Bachir Jmayel, Lebanon's historic Leader and after 26 years on his tragic assassination, he is still alive in the conscience of the majority of the Lebanese people. In the annual commemoration for his martyrdom that falls on September 14th, We all pray that his soul rests in peace, and the Lebanon that he dreamed of shall become a reality.

Meanwhile Sheikh Bachir Jmayel's dream of a free, independent, sovereign and peaceful Lebanon remains alive, and the liberation flame that he courageously carried is still glowing and shall remain so.

By the end all those Lebanese leaders, officials and politicians who betray the hopes and aspirations of the Lebanese people shall be thrown in the dustbin of history.

*Elias Bejjani
Chairman for the Canadian Lebanese Coordinating Council (LCCC)
Human Rights activist, journalist & political commentator.
Spokesman for the Canadian Lebanese Human Rights Federation (CLHRF) E.Mail phoenicia@hotmail.com LCCC Web Site http://www.10452lccc.comCLHRF
Website http://www.clhrf.com