Saturday, June 25, 2011

Syria's Butcher and the World's Shameful Silence

By: Elias Bejjani*

The free world and Arab countries ought to immediately adopt a unified, loud, forceful and clear stance in toward deterring the unprecedented barbaric and savage atrocities the brutal and oppressive Syrian regime has been mercilessly inflicting against Syria's peaceful public uprising.

It is very obvious that strategies of verbal and written warnings as well as imposing economic sanctions are not achieving any positive results. The free world's diplomatic rhetoric and approaches are falling on deaf ears, hardened hearts, and numbed consciences. All peaceful and civilized means should instantly come to an end because in the eyes of Syrian dictator Bachar Al Assad and his totalitarian regime's thugs, they are futile and signs of hesitation, fear and cowardice.

We have for years cautioned that the Syrian Baathist dictatorship and its evil ally, the regime of the Iranian mullahs, as well as their armed proxies Hezbollah and Hamas, do not respond to words alone. They do not by any means understand or master the language of condemnations, warnings, sanctions, tags of terrorism , logic or any peaceful tool that is human and civilized. The sole language that they comprehend and respond to is force and force alone.

Their sickening lies, depraved narcissism, culture of hatred and delusions of grandiose make them humiliate, ridicule and completely ignore those forces and countries who do not speak their own satanic language. This kind of deranged mentality is always boldly expressed with no boundaries by Iran's President Ahmadinejad. With conceit and arrogance, he keeps on challenging the whole world while bragging that the Western countries are cowards and do not posses the guts to go to war.

More than one hundred days have passed since the beginning of the peaceful uprising of the Syrian public in pursuit of freedom, democracy, and human dignity. This means having equal opportunities, respect for human rights, employment opportunities, an openness to the outside world and an end to all forms of corruption including embezzlement, injustice and discrimination. In spite of the unprecedented barbaric acts of mass murder that the totalitarian Syrian regime is exercising to control the uprising, it has been escalating around the clock on all levels and throughout all the Syrian territories.

In fearing for their life fifteen thousand unarmed Syrian citizens made up of mostly children, the elderly and women escaped from Syria and took shelter in the neighboring Turkey. Thousands, including children and teenagers, were arbitrarily arrested, mutilated, and brutally tortured. Almost fifteen hundred victims were killed at the hands of President Bachar Al Assad's Alawite armed mobs, and thousands of houses were destroyed.

The Alawite minority to which Al Assad belongs is desperately trying to cling to power. The country's Alawite-controlled army is waging a vicious and merciless campaign to muffle the uprising using all sorts of weaponry including tanks, armored vehicles, artillery, jets, choppers and so forth.

The Syrian opposition inside Syria and abroad have claimed that the Syrian army’s Alawite leadership headed by the president's younger brother, Maher Al Assad who is aided by a number of his cousins and relatives, have executed hundreds of soldiers who refused to shoot at the peaceful demonstrators in several Sunni cities and towns.

The Kuwaiti Alseyasi daily reported that the executed soldiers and officers were secretly buried in mass graves in the cities of Daraa and Jisr al-Shughour with their military uniforms and weapons. The daily stated that the Syrian regime later alleged that Sunni fundamentalists and Jihadists killed and buried these soldiers. It is worth mentioning that the Syrian regime invited all foreign envoys in Damascus and some international media facilities to show them one of these mass grave to support their claims.

One might wonder why Syrian citizens are taking refuge in Turkey only and not also in neighboring Iraq, Jordan and Lebanon. The answer lies in the fact that Jordan has totally closed its borders with Syria. The Jordanian king is trying emphatically to distance his fragile kingdom from the Syrian uprising because he fears the same public protests might target him too. On the other side, Iraq does not attract Syrian refugees due to safety and stability issues caused by the kind of violence and chaos that Iraq encounters on a daily basis.

Meanwhile Lebanese authorities have been arresting the Syrians who enter Lebanon and extraditing them back to Syria in breach of all international accords and laws. According to reports issued by well respected Human Rights organizations and the Syrian opposition leadership, four Syrian soldiers that the Lebanese Army extradited to Syria were executed on the same day. It is worth mentioning that the majority of Lebanon’s officials in the puppet regime were handpicked by the Syrian dictator personally during the twenty-eight years of Syrian occupation of in Lebanon that ended on 2005.

We strongly believe that the Syrian butcher Bachar Al Assad, his armed mobs called Al Chabiha, and the Syrian army must be forced to stop immediately the killing of the Syrian people. It is very clear by now that this human and noble objective will not be achieved voluntarily by Al Assad and his regime. It must be enforced through military intervention under the UN flag as was the situation in many other countries. The butcher Al Assad must be arrested and put on trial with all his family members and aids who are leading the killing campaign. Such stone age creatures must be made accountable for their criminal acts.

In conclusion, Syria's Al Assad dictatorship regime must be toppled by force as soon as possible and the Syrian people given the chance to govern themselves under the auspices and help of the United Nations. The Arab and the Western democracies need to understand once and forever that with Al Assad's Syrian regime in power instability in the Middle East will continue. Instability that includes Lebanon never enjoying independence, the continuing chaos prevailing in Iraq, Jordan’s sovereignty always being threatened, and Hamas and Hezbollah continuing to grow stronger. In other words, the global war on Islamic fundamentalist terrorism will not be won and the Israeli-Arab conflict will never be solved.

*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/
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Saturday, June 18, 2011

Father's Day and the Holy obligations

By: Elias Bejjani

Proverbs 23/22: "Listen to your father who gave you life, and do not despise your mother when she is old".

Today, is a happy day for all families, it is the Fathers' Day. My best wishes to all fathers who are family, relatives, friends and acquaintances. On this special day I am sure that my father's and mother's spirits are roaming around all our family members sharing with them their joy and happiness. God bless their souls and bless the souls of all those deceased parents whose memories will be today present with their families while celebrating the happy event.

Hopefully all men will have the blessed grace of being fathers. Being a father is a heavenly endowment, a great satisfaction, and a fulfilling Godly obligation as the Holy Bible teaches us: "Genesis 1/28 "God blessed them. God said to them, “Be fruitful, multiply, fill the earth, and subdue it.".

God is our Holy Father, and we all, men, women, are His beloved children. Fathers on earth are God's servants who are entrusted by Him to safeguard, raise, embrace, support, provide and teach their children. Fathers and mothers are required to carry their holy duties in raising their children with full devotion and all sacrifices needed.

Life is a cycle, those who are children today will be fathers and mothers in the near future and so on. Those who are young, healthy, strong and productive today, will get older and need the help of their children when they can not take care of themselves. Children's Holy obligation is to take care of their parents, so when they are parents and old their children will do the same. Proverbs 20/20: "If one curses his father or his mother, his lamp will be put out in utter darkness."

Almighty God has blessed both parents, fathers and mothers and recommended that they be honored, respected, cared for, and obeyed by their children. God's fifth commandment delineates this heavenly obligation and duty: ""Honor your father and your mother, that your days may be long in the land which The Lord your God gives you." (Exodus 20:12 )

Many verses in the Holy Bible (Old and new testament) overtly call on the children to treat their parents with love, endurance, affection and utmost care. At the same time the Bible instructs parents to value the Godly entrust in them to raise their children with all means of righteous, protection and providing.

"Children, obey your parents in the Lord, for this is right. Honor your father and mother," this is the first commandment with a promise, that it may be well with you and that you may live long on the earth. Fathers, do not provoke your children to anger, but bring them up in the discipline and instruction of the Lord." (Ephesians 6:1-4)

"The soul that sins shall die. The son shall not suffer for the iniquity of the father, nor the father suffer for the iniquity of the son; the righteousness of the righteous shall be upon himself, and the wickedness of the wicked shall be upon himself." (Ezekiel 18:20)

Children, when they become grown up men and women will not appreciate their parents' sacrifices unless they themselves become parents. Back home in Lebanon where the family has always been sacred, we have a saying that shows how important it is in the eyes of the God that parents are always respected, honoured and loved. "God will not bless or facilitate the life of those who mistreat their parents and He will reply to the parents' wrath when they ask for punishment for their ingratitude children".

Isaiah 46:4: "Even to your old age I am he, and to gray hairs I will carry you. I have made, and I will bear; I will carry and will save."

Fathers are the cornerstone of their families upon which children lean, learn, nurture, hold on and shape their lives. Caring, devoted and righteous fathers are always given a hand by God and blessed for carrying their raising and providing obligations. Colossians 3/20: "Children, obey your parents in everything, for this pleases the Lord".

Leviticus 20:9: "For anyone who curses his father or his mother shall surely be put to death; he has cursed his father or his mother; his blood is upon him"

Happy Fathers' Day to all Fathers

*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/
http://www.facebook.com/home.php?#!/home.php?sk=group_128479277182033&ap=1

Tuesday, June 14, 2011

Lebanon's New Government: A Bunch of Mercenaries and Terrorists

By: Elias Bejjani*

Sadly, but not surprisingly, the official rulers of occupied Lebanon are now a gang of criminals and Syria's and Iran's subservient Trojans, proxies, mercenaries, opportunists and armed militias, including the notorious terrorist and fundamentalist, Hezbollah, as well as the Baathist Syrian Party, the Shiite Amal Movement, the Nazi Syrian Social Nationalist Party (SSNP) and the derailed Christian narcissist, Michael Aoun,

This Lebanese national disaster is by all means a reality now that will definitely have dire and scary consequences not only on the oppressed Lebanese people's everyday life, but also on the whole Middle East’s future, the Arab-Israeli peace process, the global war against terrorism and world stability.

Unfortunately, at a time when the Western Free World countries and the selfish Arab dictatorial governments are still naively cajoling and appeasing Syria's butcher, president Bachar Al Assad and deluding themselves that he is a potential reformer, and while watching him idly and carelessly massacring his own people, and when boldly and aggressively the Iranian mullah's fanatical and bellicose regime is getting much closer to having its own nuclear bomb, during all this, Lebanon fell completely into the hands of terrorists, and the will of the majority of her people has been forced into a very dangerous alliance with the Axis of Evil countries, their proxies and armed militias.

On Monday June 14, 2011, our beloved country of the Cedars was completely devoured by Syria and Iran who through their Lebanese thugs and proxies rose to a position of unprecedented dominance after forcing on the peaceful Lebanese people a new government that has nothing at all to do with Lebanon. It is an Iranian and Syrian one that will be solely run and controlled by both Axis of Evil countries.

Lebanon's Syrian handpicked prime minister, billionaire Najib Mikati, announced his new cabinet after a five month period of Syrian -and Iranian-dictated procrastinations, around the clock fake media plays, fabricated rumors, gossip and maneuvers. The timing of the government formation, members, portfolios and announcement came on the request of Syria's President Bachar Al Assad in a desperate endeavor to save his regime from being ousted and toppled after an ongoing and escalating four month angry public Syrian uprising.

The Druze Lebanese Leader, MP, Walid Jumblat, out of fear, intimidation, selfishness, cowardice and lack of nationalism, had abandoned the 14th March Majority coalition and joined the Hezbollah-dominated parliamentary block. He was summoned last week to Damascus where he met President Al Assad and received from him the instructions for forming the Lebanese government. Two days later the government was announced as per Al Assad's orders.

Lebanon's Christian President, Michel Suleiman, who owes his position to Syria, did not abide by the country's constitution or by the unsigned national accords and agreements that necessitates the participation of all Lebanese communities in cabinets. He issued the presidential decree for the announcement of the new government without any attempt to exercise his constitutional role. Suleiman once again proved with no shed of a doubt that he has no backbone and that his subservience to Syria is not going to be changed. According to the Lebanese constitution the government needs the president's approval to be official.

Simply and without any fake hopes or delusions, all the thirty politicians, academics and leaders who were named ministers in the new Lebanese government were, still are, and will remain submissive Syrian - Iranian robots, cheap tools and chips under the command of the Axis of Evil. How could they govern and lead when they are mere puppets and mercenaries? Sadly, Lebanon during its 7,000 years of deeply rooted history has never been put in such a difficult position even through the 450 years of barbaric Ottoman occupation.

It is worth mentioning that the new Lebanese Prime Minister, Najib Mikati, is a mere Syrian-made politician who has very close and intimate financial relations with the Al Assad family. Since his day one in politics Mikati has been and still is revolving in the Al Assad orbit. He can't but be an obedient and submissive student for his teachers, the Al Assad clan. Accordingly, he is a Syrian employee and not a Lebanese Prime Minister.

Meanwhile, it is very important to point out that the Christian MP, Michael Aoun, who stupidly is bragging and alleging a victory over other Lebanese Christian politicians and parties, is a mere opportunist. Aoun - for personal gain and due to crazy ambitions, greed, a sickening complex of hatred and grudges, grandiose delusions and lack of insight - in 2006 had abandoned his conviction to the historical Maronite Christian and Lebanese independence and sovereignty and joined Hezbollah. This Trojan acrobat is a narcissist and an opportunist par excellence. Definitely, he does not represent the Maronites' pride, faith, dignity, aspirations, hopes, pain and history.

The new Lebanese government, according to its overt and covert Syrian - Iranian schematic, terrorist and expansionism agenda, will attempt to:

*Sever all Lebanese ties with the Special Tribunal For Lebanon (STL). The tribunal is expected to indict prominent Hezbollah and Syrian officials very soon on charges of assassinating Lebanon's late Prime Minister Raffic Al Hariri and other Lebanese leaders, politicians and journalists.

*Marginalize and abandon all UN resolutions related to Lebanon's independence, territorial sovereignty and the Lebanese state's authority, especially resolutions 1559 and 1701 that call for immediate and unconditional dismantling and disarming of all Lebanese and non-Lebanese militias, including the terrorist Hezbollah and all the Palestinian armed factions stationed in 13 refugee camps over which the Lebanese government has no authority whatsoever.

*Support the Syrian regime against its own people and on the regional and international arenas, including the UN and its Security Council.

*Fill all the Lebanese governmental positions including the military with pro-Syrian and -Iranian officials.

*Reinforce on Lebanon all the biased accords that Syria imposed on the country during its occupation period that ended in 2005, especially the military and defense ones.

* Keep on using Lebanon as an arena and backyard for the Iranian and Syrian wars, schemes and terrorism.

* Change Lebanon's peaceful, democratic and free multicultural society, and her open, tolerant, educated and civilized nature, and replace them by an oppressive militant dictatorial regime, a replicate of those in both Syria and Iran.

* Assassinate, imprison and muffle all opponents to the Syrian-Iranian dominance and occupation.

* Obstruct and hinder all regional and international efforts for peacefully ending the Arab-Israeli conflict.

In conclusion, the free people of Lebanon have been forced into a very bizarre, awkward and satanic situation in which their only remaining choice is to stand tall like their Holy Cedars, refuse to succumb, bravely resist, and defend themselves as they have successfully done for the last 7,000 years. Yes, the Syrian Baathist regime will fall very soon and the Iranian and Syrian schemes against the Country of the Cedars will be defeated by the Lebanese people, no matter what the sacrifices will have to be made.

Click Here to read the Arabic version of the above editorial
http://www.10452lccc.com/elias.arabic09/elias.mikati%20cabinet15.6.11.htm

Click Here to listen to Arabic version of the above editorial (Media player)
http://www.eliasbejjani.com/elias%20audio11/elias%20mikati%20govr15.6.11.wma

*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/
http://www.facebook.com/home.php?#!/home.php?sk=group_128479277182033&ap=1

Thursday, June 2, 2011

The Faithful Lebanese and their Holy Lebanon

The Faithful Lebanese and their Holy Lebanon
By: Elias Bejjani*

June 03/2011

When we proclaim loudly who we are, we don't brag or boast. No, we do not do this at all. But with simple faith and self confidence we say proudly who we are. We say to the forces of evil that are occupying our country and oppressing our people that no matter what, sooner or later, they will be forced to leave Lebanon in disgrace. Defeat and humiliation is the fate of all occupiers who have found that Lebanon and its people cannot be enslaved. The Syrians, Iranians and their proxy militias like Hezbollah, who are at the present time taking Lebanon hostage, ought to learn from history and foresee their ultimate fate.

Saint Paul, in his letter to the Corinthians (5-6), described the believer’s role by saying: “A little bit of yeast makes the whole batch of dough rise.” This is exactly the divine responsibility of the patriotic Lebanese people who believe in the 10452 km square concept, honor the distinguished Lebanese identity, are proud of the rich Lebanese culture, affiliate spiritually to Lebanon’s 7000 year history, and are deeply rooted to the holiness of the Lebanese soil.

They have to be like the blessed dough. They have to strengthen the faith of their people, support them in their agony, and be witnesses for the truth with integrity, devotion and endurance. Saint Paul also said to the Corinthians: “If my aim was only to satisfy the people, I would not have been Jesse’s servant, we don’t speak to please the people, but to please Almighty God.”

We are the patriotic Lebanese who carry Lebanon’s torch and its Cross at the same time. We are the ones who are witnessing for the truth, defending our beloved country and fighting for its sovereignty, independence, and unique identity. Our quest is to provide freedom for our people and secure their right to choose their leaders and officials without oppression or persecution.

We the Free Lebanese all over the world have decided with solid faith to carry Lebanon’s Cross with perseverance, courage and devotion till the day Lebanon is fully liberated. Sadly, at the present time, Lebanon is still an occupied country. Its freedom and decision-making are confiscated and held hostage by the Iranian-armed terrorist militia Hezbollah. The militia holds power over Lebanon by force using corruption, crime and terror.

Against all odds, we have decided to walk the path of struggle and resistance regardless of material gain or loss. We have decided to walk “Lebanon’s Calvary road” and endure all the pain and the humiliation needed to reach the salvific end.

Our civilized and peaceful struggle is not a choice but a fate. It is a divine price that we have to pay for the gift of being born Lebanese, and for the Godly grace that we were molded of Lebanese holy soil and its blessed water. Our quest for liberation is derived from a set of solid national convictions inherited from our great ancestors who created the nation of Lebanon through hard work and remarkable devotion in all through 7000 years of martyrdom.

We are the sons of the great Lebanon, the land of the holy cedars, We are the sons of the nation of civilization, science, culture, We are the sons of the Phoenicians, who gave the world its first Alphabet, We are the sons of the Phoenicians who taught the whole world the science of navigation and the art of trade, We are the sons of the Phoenician King Aheram, whose architects and craftsmen of Tyre built the great temple of Solomon in Jerusalem, We are the sons of the great Phoenician Hannibal, the mightiest military leader, We are the sons of Sheik Bashir, Al-Bustani, Kadmous, Zaynon, Europe, and Malek, We are the sons of the 10452 km square Lebanon.

Because of all of the above and because of who we are it is a sin for us under any given circumstances, no matter what the sacrifices are, to compromise on any of our holy convictions or national beliefs. We say to those who advise us every now and then to be pragmatic and to accept the imposed occupational status quo: "NO, NO, NO."

Your advice simply means enslavement, submission and surrender to the devil. It is a ticket for tyrants and occupiers to control the whole world based on the Darwinist principle of survival of the strongest.

We patriotic Lebanese can’t accept the occupation of our country. No matter who is the occupier, be it the Syrian, Iranians or others, we will resist with all means available to reclaim our freedom and independence. We are fully aware that the process is hard and requires a great deal of sacrifice, but we have no other choice for this is our fate.

We can’t accept the subordination and Dhimmitude principles and give away our history, culture, identity and pride. We can’t accept ignorance, treason and collaboration, and we can’t accept going back to the stone ages.

Our understanding of patriotism is completely different than that advocated by those of other faiths in Lebanon who will for ultimate victory have been weakened. Lebanon for us for means the full understanding of obligations and commitments, and the responsibility to take a courageous stance for our nationhood.

Those who preach enslavement should remember that if Jesus Christ had accepted the painful reality imposed on him by the Pharisees, and had abandoned his heavenly mission, that there would have been no Christianity. If black people had accepted the horrible reality of being slaves, they would not have won their battle and become free. If General DeGaulle had accepted the reality of the Nazi occupation of his country, France would have not been liberated.

Succumbing to evil powers to save one’s physical body leaves one void of faith, hope or aspirations and destroys the soul. It is a conduct based on tangible, visible facts removed from those intangible, spiritual realities. The concept of succumbing to a foreign enemy has no place in nationalism because it is synonymous with surrender. Martyrdom knows nothing of temporary material gains and loses, because the struggle for freedom and liberty is metaphysical and eternal.

Freedom is a gift from Almighty God. He created man in His image and distinguished him from other creatures with remarkable intellectual faculties including emotions, conscience, judgment and creativity. Once man loses these faculties, he loses his human-divine nature.

Any Lebanese who accepts the reality of the occupation of his country and declines resisting and fighting the occupiers does not deserve the privilege of being Lebanese. We ask those who preach ‘subordination to Hezbollah, Syria and Iran’ to strengthen their weakened Lebanese faith and fight fiercely to change the imposed satanic reality on their country of Lebanon.

Free we were born, free we shall die. Lebanese we were born, and Lebanese we shall remain till the Day of the Lord.

Long Live Free Lebanon!

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/
http://www.facebook.com/home.php?#!/home.php?sk=group_128479277182033&ap=1