Monday, August 27, 2012

The Upcoming Generation Moving Backward

We live in a fascinating world where older generations look up to the youth with renewed hope, unprecedented respect and great anticipation. The younger generations carry so much potential for real change, more so than any previous time in history. It is no secret that I am a big fan of those young spirits who desire change and possess the tools to effect it in ways totally foreign to generations before them. Between the mastery of new technologies, the timely activism, the unquestionable desire for freedom, and the great opportunities to make a difference in our world, the upcoming generation has got it all. Why is it then that time and again we are faced with the grim image of their unfulfilled results? Why is it that youth is unable to move forward? What is holding them back? Could it be that nothing is sacred to them anymore?

Read more »

Monday, August 20, 2012

The Mother of All Banana Republics

When all hell broke loose in Lebanon with kidnappings and counter kidnappings, road closing and counter road closing, not to forget the ceremonial tire burning and ultimate airport shut down, it seemed unimaginable for my trip through Beirut to go through.

Read more »

Monday, August 13, 2012

The elite mob

The mob business added three new names to its ranks with the indictment of former Minister Michel Smaha (and the Syrian chief of national security and a Brigadier-General of the Syrian Army) on charges of plotting to carry out assassinations and destabilize Lebanon. The official charges against Smaha along with gruesome allegations leaked by media outlets could not be more serious: Some of them, such as smuggling explosives from Syria with the purpose of assassinating Lebanese religious and political personalities, inciting violence and strife among his own people, for the benefit of Syria’s President Bashar al-Assad, are shocking and hard to comprehend.

Read more »

Monday, August 6, 2012

Our gay brothers and sisters against a rotten morality

Foreward

In a Beirut suburb last week, police raided a movie theater and arrested all 36 patrons on suspicion of homosexuality. All men were subjected to an anal probe to prove their homosexuality before most of them were released. It is not clear what happened to those who were not released. Homosexuality is still viewed as a vice in most parts of the Middle East although the numbers of outspoken gays and lesbians are on the rise and LGBT groups are forming across the Arab world to protect the rights or their communities. You can read more about this story here: http://www.albawaba.com/editorchoice/lebanon-anal-probes-gay-436850

Our gay brothers and sisters against a rotten morality

It matters very little how extremely homophobic some people are or how judgmental they act towards gays and lesbians. How derogatory anyone can be in describing or treating the gay community matters even less. That is simply because despite the historic discrimination against them and the bad repute around their lifestyle and sexual choices, they exist and will continue to exist in every home, every neighborhood and every city. They are our sons and daughters, our sisters and brothers, our cousins, our neighbors; they are even our mothers and fathers and their parents and grandparents before them.

Read more »