Monday, May 24, 2010

May 25 sacrifices & Hezbollah The Dragon

By: Elias Bejjani*

Believe it or not, on May 25 each year since 2000 Lebanon has been celebrating a so-called "Liberation & Resistance Day." Sadly, this celebration commemorates a bogus event, and a phony heroism that did not actually take place.

On May 22, 2000 the Israeli Army unilaterally and for solely Israeli domestic reasons withdrew from the security zone of South Lebanon in accordance with UN Resolution 425. The withdrawal was a fatal Israeli decision that has inspired the Hamas terrorism acts and the on-going havoc in the Palestinian Gaza strip.

The unilateral Israeli withdrawal created a security vacuum in south Lebanon. The Syrians who were occupying Lebanon at that time and fully controlling its government, did not allow the Lebanese Army to deploy in the south and fill this vacuum after the Israeli withdrawal. Instead Syria helped the Hezbollah militia to militarily control the whole southern region, and even patrol the Israeli-Lebanese border.

It is worth mentioning that the Israeli army's withdrawal was executed without any military battles, or even minor skirmishes with Hezbollah, or the Lebanese and Syrian armies. The Syrian regime, in a bid to justify both its on going occupation of Lebanon and the avoidance of disarming Hezbollah, came up with the "Shabaa Farms occupation big lie" and declared Hezbollah a Liberator, alleging it had forced Israel to withdrawal from South Lebanon.

Syria, in the same camouflaging and devious context, dictated to both the Lebanese parliament and government to declare May 25th a National Day under the tag of "Liberation & Reistance Day".

In reality Hezbollah did not force the Israeli withdrawal, and did not play any role in the Liberation of the southern Lebanese region. In fact both Hezbollah and Syria deliberately hindered and delayed the Israeli withdrawal for more than 14 years.

Every time the Israelis called on the Lebanese government to engage in a joint, serious effort under the United Nations umbrella to ensure a safe and mutually organized withdrawal of its army from South Lebanon, the Lebanese government refused to cooperate, did not agree to deploy its army in the south, and accused the Israelis of plotting to divide and split the Syrian-Lebanese joint track. This approach to the Israeli calls was an official Syrian decision dictated to all the Lebanese puppet governments during the Syrian occupation era.

Since then, Hezbollah has been hijacking Lebanon and its people, refusing to disarm and advocating for the annihilation of Israel. This Iranian mullahs' terrorist army stationed in Lebanon, is viciously hiding behind labels of resistance, liberation and religion. Hezbollah has recklessly jeopardized the Lebanese peoples' lives, safety, security and livelihood. It has been growing bolder and bolder in the last four years and mercilessly taking the Lebanese state and the Lebanese people hostage through terrorism, force and organized crime.

Sadly, Hezbollah is systematically devouring Lebanon day after day, and piece by piece, while at the same time marginalizing all its governmental institutions in a bid to topple the Lebanese state and erect in its place a Shiite Muslim regime, a replica of the Iranian Shiite mullahs' fundamentalist republic. Meanwhile the free world and Arabic countries are totally silent, indifferent, and idly watching from far away the horrible crime unfolding without taking any practical or tangible measures to put an end to this anti-Lebanese Syria-Iranian scheme that is executed through their spearhead, the Hezbollah armed militia.

Who is to be blamed for Hezbollah's current odd and bizarre status? Definitely the Syrians who have occupied Lebanon for more than 28 years (1976-2005). During their bloody and criminal occupation, Syria helped the Iranian Hezbollah militia build a state within Lebanon and fully control the Lebanese Shiite community.

But also the majority of the Lebanese politicians, leaders, officials and clergymen share the responsibility because they were subservient and acted in a dire Dhimmitude, selfish and cowardly manner. If these so-called Lebanese leaders had been courageous and patriotic and had not appeased Hezbollah and turned a blind eye to all its vicious and human rights atrocities, intimidation tactics, crimes and expansionism schemes, this Iranian Shiite fundamentalist militia would not have been able to erect its own mini-state in the southern suburb of Beirut, and its numerous mini-cantons in the Bekaa Valley and the South; nor would Hezbollah have been able to build its mighty military power, with 70 thousand militiamen, or stockpile more than 50 thousand missiles and force the Iranian "Wilayat Al-Faqih" religious doctrine on the Lebanese Shiite community and confiscate its decision making process and freedoms.

Since Hezbollah's emergence in 1982, these politicians have been serving their own selfish interests and not the interests of the Lebanese people and the nation. They went along with Hezbollah's schemes, deluding themselves that its militia and weaponry would remain in South Lebanon and would not turn against them.

This failure to serve the people of Lebanon allowed Hezbollah to make many Lebanese and most of the Arab-Muslim countries through its terrorism propaganda to blindly swallow its big lie of theatrical, faked resistance and Liberation.

Hezbollah would not have been able refuse to disarm in 1991, like all the other Lebanese militias in accordance to the "Taef Accord," which called for the disarmament of all militias. Hezbollah would not have become a state inside the Lebanese state, and a world-wide terrorism Iranian-Syrian tool which turned against them all after its war with Israel in year 2006 and after the UN troops were deployed on the Lebanese - Israeli borders in accordance with the UN Resolution 1701.

On May 7, 2008 Hezbollah invaded Sunni Western Beirut killing and injuring in cold blood hundreds of its civilian citizens, and attempted to take over by force Mount Lebanon.

A few days ago Hezbollah's General Secretary Sheik Hassan Nasrallah called that day (May 7, 2008) a great and glorious victory for his resistance, and threatened the Lebanese that a replicate of that day will take place if they do not succumb and obey his orders.

Hezbollah is a deadly dragon that the Lebanese politicians have been allowing him to feed on sacrifices from the southern Lebanese citizens, especially on those who were living in the "Security Zone" and who fled to Israel in May 2000 after the Israeli withdrawal from south Lebanon. This dragon who enjoyed devouring his southern sacrifices has now turned on all the Lebanese and if they do not stand for their rights and dignity, he will keep on devouring them all one after the other.

We call on the Lebanese government, the Lebanese Parliament and on all the free and patriotic Lebanese politicians and leaders to cancel the May 25 National Day, because it is not national at all, and also to stop calling Hezbollah a resistance, put an end for its mini-state, cantons and weaponry, and secure a dignified, honorable and safe return for all the Lebanese citizens who have been taking refuge in Israel since May 2000.

N.B: Initially published on 25.05.09


*Elias Bejjani
Canadian-Lebanese Human Rights activist, journalist and political commentator
Email phoenicia@hotmail.com
Web sites http://www.10452lccc.com & http://www.clhrf.com
Mailing phoenicia group http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Phoenicia/
Face Book LCCC group http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=17974722934

Friday, May 14, 2010

Shameful: Libya on the UN Human Rights Council!

By: Elias Bejjani*

What an insult, a dire humiliation and a dismal disgrace to the essence, core and spirit of global human rights institutions, groups and efforts when a terroristic, fanatical, fundamentalist, and dictatorial country like Libya is elected by a majority of its fellow UN members to serve on the United Nations Human Rights Council.

Unquestionably, May 13, 2010 will be remembered as a sad, bleak and shocking day for human rights activists and their efforts all over the world. This day will go in history as a real shame for the UN because human rights values and principles were all slaughtered and downtrodden when in a secret ballot Libya received 155 votes and will henceforth serve a three year term on the UN Human Rights Council.

It is worth mentioning that to get elected onto the UN Human Rights Council each country requires 97 votes. There are a total of 192 countries that make up the United Nations. Libya with the support of Arab, Muslim and African members paved its way to the Human Rights Council that actually negates all human rights values with its notorious and savage and anti-human rights record.

Is the previously reputable UN falling apart and becoming a mere arena and battlefield for terrorists, fundamentalists, dictators and tyrants? In fact there is no logic nor justice, fairness or any kind of reason that could justify this murky infringement. There is no sanity in giving the bizarre and repugnant Libyan dictator, Muammar Gaddafi, and his repressive regime a UN voice and a voting power on the UN Human Rights Council.

How can the Free World countries swallow such a violation to the whole Charter of Human Rights and allow a country like Libya to sit on a UN human rights body? Aren't they all aware of Libya’s abysmal human rights record, or they don't know its well documented and deeply rooted history of terrorism, crime, kidnapping, hijacking, assassinations and its well known ties to worldwide terrorism and terrorist organizations?

This notorious scandal is actually a humongous setback for the UN and with no doubt will make of the UN Human Rights Council a mere joke with no credibility whatsoever. The UN is being distantly derailed from its original mission of peace and humanity. Unfortunately, this latest development demonstrates that the direction of the United Nations today is slipping from a bad state to even worse.

Can one fathom that a terrorist country was brought into the UN Human Rights Council, a body that once had American First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt as its chairman? In keeping with that legacy, shouldn’t the American administration of President Barack Obama have made further efforts to ensure that terrorist Libya did not become a member of the UN Human Rights Council?

Sadly, the US administration did not make these efforts and effectively abandoned its human rights obligations. And it did so even though a 2009 report from the US State Department states that in Libya there is routine torture of detainees, amputations and flogging of political opposition members without trial, indefinite detention of women “suspected of violating moral codes”, and the criminalization of Christian and Jewish worship. Meanwhile their president, Muammar al-Gaddafi, claims that the Christian Bible and the Jewish Torah are forgeries.

One wonders about the reaction of the families and friends of the Lockerbie victims when they see the Libyan regime that killed their beloved ones is now a member of the UN Human Rights Council.

How can the countries which voted for Libya ignore the crime that its regime committed in 1988 when it exploded Pan Am Flight 103 over Scotland killing all its passengers?

Although Libya has paid $1.5 billion to the families of the victims of the Lockerbie terrorist bombing in order to overcome the final obstacle to full relations with the United States, the country has yet to answer for the numerous global crimes it has committed.

One of these unanswered crimes relates to the reputable Lebanese Shiite religious and political leader, Sayyid Mousa Al Sadr, who in August 1978 with two of his companions, Sheikh Muhammad Yaacoub, and journalist, Abbas Badreddine, departed Lebanon for Libya to meet with government officials. The three were never heard from again. It is widely believed that the Libyan leader, Muammar al-Gaddafi, personally ordered their killing. The fate of the three is still not clarified and the Libyan authorities continuously refuse to admit their responsibility.

Finally, what the UN members who elected Libya did is that they have placed a wolf in charge of the sheep. It is really a joke. This irresponsible conduct ought to be condemned by the countries of the free world that must assume their responsibilities and put an end for such intolerable breaches against human rights.

*Elias Bejjani
Canadian-Lebanese Human Rights activist, journalist and political commentator
Email phoenicia@hotmail.com
Web sites http://www.10452lccc.com & http://www.clhrf.com
Mailing phoenicia group http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Phoenicia/
LCCC Face Book http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=17974722934

Tuesday, May 11, 2010

God's Wrath & Enmity Perpetrators

By: Elias Bejjani

Proverbs 26:27: "Whoever digs a pit shall fall into it. Whoever rolls a stone, it will come back on him"

When people face hardships of any kind, and on any level, or magnitude, they are ideally required to stand up tall, confront them in a civilized manner, engage quietly and intelligently, analyze the situation at hand discretionally, consider the consequences of all potential decisions logically, and evaluate with modesty and fear of god capabilities, rights, weaknesses and strengths of all parties involved directly or indirectly.

At the same time those dealing with the crisis must understand thoroughly the intentions, means, situations, stances, demands and capabilities of the adversary or adversaries.
They need to go through available options and decide on the one or ones that are fair not only for themselves, but also for the individual or individuals whom they are having the problem with.

Based on all data available and fear of God, the person encountering the difficulty has to take a clear and straight forward stance, face the situation at hand with the utmost fairness and genuinely engage to reach a satisfactory ending. He has to defend what is his, but also should not unfairly take what belongs to others.

Wise, normal and faithful people assume their responsibilities and courageously face the difficult situations in a bid to solve them. They openly acknowledge what are their rights and what are the others' rights. They take responsibility for their actions and accept fair solutions and shall have no objection for making helpful compromises.

While there are those who face, engage, communicate, take and give in a bid to solve the crisis they are involved in, there are still others who try to avoid the confrontation and run away through different strategies of escape mechanism in the hope that the crisis will solve it self or disappear. What a naive kind of strategy!!.

It is important to know for a fact that when a person closes his eyes, it is true that momentarily he does see, but this childish behavior does not make people or things he is not seeing while his eyes are closed to disappear. Such wishful thinking can be fulfilled only in dreams and fantasy scenarios.

This same principle of avoidance applies to problems, crisis, hardships and difficulties. They do not vanish and cease to be there when we for any reason pretend that they do not exist, avoid encountering them, or turn our head to the other side and walk away.

Definitely, this easy babyish avoidance attitude does not mean under any given circumstances that the problems have been solved, vanished or became less. The avoidance-avoidance approach is a mere self deceiving stupid game that mostly bring more problems, or make them even more difficult to deal with.

In general people who are insecure, pompous, conceited, arrogant, some what stupid and mostly rich do not take into consideration the dire consequences of their deeds, especially when hurting others. They seem to forget that others have feelings, emotions, rights, dignity and self respect. They become blind and deaf to the fact that others shall respond, and it is their right to do so. How do they respond? It differs based on the magnitude and severity of the harm inflicted.

The rich and conceited fool themselves and do not take into account that people will react and some times with violent means to protect themselves. They will surely react when threatened physically or emotionally, when their personal space infringed on, when their belongings unfairly taken from them, when deprived from their rights, when dealt with unjustly, when insulted, when their feelings ridiculed, when betrayed and when underestimated.

No individual shall be untouchable, safe and live happily when venomously, intentionally and vindictively inflict pain on others. In general victims do not swallow insults easily, or sleep for long on atrocities. They usually react when their lives are made miserable by evil people who have numbed conscience and brag ingratitude stances.

Underestimating the victims' righteous self defense reactions is A deadly mistake!! For, “He who would love life, and see good days, let him keep his tongue from evil, and his lips from speaking deceit. Let him turn away from evil, and do good. Let him seek peace, and pursue it" (Peter's First Letter 03/10-11)

Evil perpetrators do not fear God's wrath, do not believe in any code of ethics, and have no morals. What becomes much more worse than the harm itself is when the perpetrators' self inflated ego fools them to flagrantly pretend that those whom he they hurt are trash, worthless, weak, helpless and unable to seek revenge.

Perpetrators' detachment from reality makes them cease all means of communication with their victims. They stupidly keep on refusing to engage and stubbornly do nothing to alleviate their victims' pain.

Such selfish individuals become an easy prey for Satan's temptation due to their lack of both faith and hope. They lose track and act with covetousness, greed, malice, deceit, licentiousness, envy, blasphemy, arrogance and folly. They turn into sinners and into evil creatures possessed by demons.

These individual no matter how powerful, rich, strong or influential they are, no one would be able to save them from God's wrath and revenge. No one can spare them from Gehenna and its unquenchable fire".

Who will punish such perpetrators and make them pay for their evil deeds? Definitely God will.

("Deuteronomy 32:35 'Vengeance is Mine, and retribution, In due time their foot will slip; For the day of their calamity is near, And the impending things are hastening upon them").
("Romans 12:19 Never take your own revenge, beloved, but leave room for the wrath of God, for it is written, "VENGEANCE IS MINE, I WILL REPAY," says the Lord.")

Let's pray that Almighty God may save us from temptation, and rescue with His love all those who Satan has blinded their eyes and hardened their heart, lest they should see with their eyes, and perceive with their hearts, and would turn to God to heal them.

*Elias Bejjani
Canadian-Lebanese Human Rights activist, journalist and political commentator
Email phoenicia@hotmail.com
Web sites http://www.10452lccc.com & http://www.clhrf.com
Mailing phoenicia group http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Phoenicia/
LCCC Face Book http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=17974722934