"We Are All Good Lebanese"

By Hala Maksoud

(The following is excerpted from a talk delivered to the national convention of the American Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee on April 15, 1989.)

Lebanon is bleeding; it is at the brink of disaster, Divisive language, policies, and ideologiesseem to have won the day. Armed illusions are raining terror on the Lebanese population. Irrationality and extremism are stifling attempts at rationalism and moderation.

True, this war showed the barbarism and antiquated ideology of some, but it also showed the heroism and steadfastness of the population at large. It showed the resilience of the Lebanese and their unabated attachment to the whole of Lebanon, not only geographically but also to what it means in terms of values, namely those of human integration, tolerance, pluralism, equality, and freedom.

Since September, two governments have been competing for allegiance in Lebanon, yet Lebanese institutions remained unified despite the pressure from armed militias. The parliament, although divested of many of its functions and no more truly representative, is still the institution people look to elect a president and to legislate, and is still functioning and legislating. The Central Bank, the diplomatic missions, and the services in general have kept their unity to a large extent, through ingenious processes devised by Lebanese civil servants committed to remaining in place as the yeast of what should be.

From that perspective, one cannot but salute Prime Minister Salim el-Hoss who refused to lose his nerve and join in the divisive enterprise, sometimes at the cost of alienating his own constituency. He acted as the true mother of the child, showing a willingness to accommodate and compromise rather than let his child be divided. And by doing so, he was articulating the true feelings of most Lebanese who insist on the unity of Lebanon and are willing to suffer to preserve it. Sounds of divisive sectarian forces are deafening but true voices of harmony are the precursors of the future. Those who refuse to be part of these divisive policies are attacked and accused of cowardice by those who want all Lebanese to participate in the collective madness. Yet, there is no heroism in standing behind a tank and firing at innocent civilians.

If there has been any heroism in Lebanon during these 15 years, it was in 1982 when the Lebanese resisted the Israeli invasion and stopped its advances on Beirut for 80 days. It was also when, under the duress of occupation and pressure from the US government, they achieved the abrogation of the May 17 agreement and reversed the trend of Israeli hegemony over Lebanon. If there is heroism now, it is in the actions of the Lebanese resistance in south Lebanon against Israeli occupation.

Commitment to the Whole of Lebanon

Commitment to the whole of Lebanon now might sound discordant to some, yet it is a worthwhile human commitment. Such a commitment is not only to the geographic area, which is important, but more importantly to the pluralistic values which Lebanon represents. The existence of a Lebanon where 17 sects coexist and cohabitate is the civilized answer to the Zionist ideology which proclaims that the Jew cannot exercise his Jewishness except in a Jewish state.

Fifteen years after the beginning of this war, We Lebanese are sickened by what is. We have become observers, witnesses to the destruction of our country and its further disintegration and fragmentation, yearning for law and order. Fifteen years ago, Lebanese, from whatever political spectrum they came, could provide reasons to explain the bloodshed. The reasons were different depending on what Lebanese one talked to, yet they could be articulated in political, ideological, economic, and other terms.

Now, however, the original purposes have somehow been lost. Many former ideological positions have been turned to gangsterism and banditry. They have managed to put rationality on the defensive.

We tend to blame the other, to perceive things in terms of grand conspiracies woven against us. Of course, some of it is true. Of course, Lebanon has turned into an arena where big accounts are being settled. Of course, Israel has a stake in showing that pluralistic experiences do not work. But it is too easy to blame the other and exonerate ourselves. We owe it to ourselves and to the next generation to be harsh in our self-criticism and to admit that we also allowed a lot of what happened to happen.

We should admit that we did not create a system flexible enough to accommodate the new changes that were taking place. In fact, some resisted and still resist change or reform to preserve their own privileges. They do not realize that the privilege of one means the denial of the right of the other and that this is unacceptable. They act as the custodians of Lebanon and argue that anyone asking for change in the system is not a good Lebanese. This attempt at putting us on the defensive by dividing us into good Lebanese and bad Lebanese should be rejected outright. We are all good Lebanese.

Some of us were probably too idealistic. But then we really thought we could affect a total transformation of our society. We were dissatisfied with the Lebanese experience because we wanted more. We wanted the total secularization of the Lebanese body politic and of the Lebanese institutions. These demands seem so remote now with the rise to prominence of the communal militias and the regression of the secular forces.

In many ways, the growth of sectarianism in Lebanon, and perhaps throughout the region, has been a penalty for the intellectual laziness and the political self-righteousness of the secular and progressive forces in our midst. We owe it to the hundreds of thousands who have lost their lives or are scarred forever to launch a creative new attempt to recapture a rational Lebanon and reestablish a proper secular discourse where there will be no place for the sickening political language that now prevails. Obscurantists, from whatever religion they are, should be isolated from the mainstream of humanist Islam, Christianity, and Judaism.

Yearning for Peace

The Lebanese are a tired and exasperated people. Whatever might be their convictions or strongly held views, they yearn for peace and unity. In many ways, the resilience of the Lebanese is dying out. This situation is compounded by the economy which is in shambles, the infrastructure of the country which is being destroyed, and the devastating run on the Lebanese pound.

It is of utmost importance to realize how vital are symbolic gestures to Lebanon now. Lebanon has allowed itself to be used as a stage by many different players. It is high time this is stopped and that the continued interest of the world in Lebanon translates itself in discouraging the divisive elements and in helping the Lebanese reconstruct their country and heal their wounds. We do not need any more military assistance. Let those who want to help provide economic assistance. That is needed and will help the Lebanese shed their feelings of loneliness, isolation, and despondency. From that perspective, the Arab League's new initiative in Lebanon, although late, is welcome. It should however be articulated more clearly and the efforts should be intensified. They should listen to all parties in the Lebanese conflict, but that does not mean that they should not take a position between right and wrong. There are many wrong positions but there is only one right one—supporting the territorial integrity and independence of a pluralistic, democratic, and Arab Lebanon.

We Lebanese have suffered enough. The cold statistics of the human tragedy that has been played on the Lebanese scene for the last 15 years are staggering. The immediate task is to stop the madness and alleviate the suffering; but the real challenge is to remove the causes for this suffering on all levels.

Dr. Hala Maksoud, a Muslim Lebanese who holds a PhD from Georgetown University, is a founder and former president of the Arab Women's Council in Washington, DC. Her uncle, Saeb Salam, was a former prime minister of Lebanon. Her husband, Dr. Clovis Maksoud, a Christian, is Arab League ambassador to the United Nations.