Hizbullah 'bill of rights'

Browsing the Lebanese blogosphere, we came across this website Ouwet.com and recently stumbled upon this tongue-in-cheek entry. Here is the entry in full. Enjoy!

As posted on The Ouwet Front:

Since Hizbullah declared its IRANDEPENDENCE, I have thought up a bill of rights  - or no rights - of this Islamic State:

- First Amendment - Establishment Clause, Free Exercise Clause; freedom of speech, of the press, and of assembly; right to petition

Sayyid [Wikipedia definition: "an honorific title that is given to males accepted as descendants of the Islamic prophet Muhammad"] shall make a law banning the establishment of a religion other than Shi'a Islam, and prohibit the free exercise thereof; and will ban the freedom of speech, and of the press; but maintains the right of the people peaceably to burn tires, and to riot against the Government for a redress of grievances.

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Military option [in Lebanon] is not an option

If Hizballah refuses to disarm, or to incorporate their fighters into the army, there is nothing that can be achieved by force. Unless the international community sends troops there, and even in this case, what can they do? Take the houses one by one? How do you fight loyalty to a cause? To an ideology? With arms? I don't think so. The military option is not a real option.

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Hizbullah's temporary triumph

All pictures in this entry were sent to me by friends and colleagues in Beirut. A.M.

As I start to write this post, a friend wrote to say that,

The fighting has spread throughout the country. In Tripoli and Akkar in the north, Sunnis are fighting and killing Alawites and vice versa. Hizbullah and the Druze PSP have been settling scores in the Chouf Mountains just east of Beirut, including heavy shelling. Muslim-on-Muslim, Sunni-Shi'ia violence has broken out in the ancient cities of Sidon and Tyre in the south and the Bekaa Valley near the Syrian border. The way it looks now, things will be getting a lot worse before they get any better; the dieing continues. To date, the minority Christian population and the Palestinians have managed to stay out of the fighting. However, with would-be president General Michel Aoun gloating on TV yesterday about the successful siege of Beirut having "put the cart back on the right track" and that we can now return to business as usual, it seems to be only a matter of time before his predominantly Maronite Free Patriotic Movement starts taking some flack from the utterly humiliated Sunni and Druze population."

In these past few days I've spoken to many people in Lebanon . The division could not be clearer. Some were glad that Hizbullah and Amal took the streets. Well, they were glad that the above-mentioned private armed forces took, and I quote, "Hariri's gang down", "cleared the streets of PSP and Future Movement thugs", and that Hizbullah protects the country against conspirators that want to transform it into a second Iraq. Oh boy!

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Why not neutrality?

I don't care that Syria doesn't want it, or the Palestinians, Iran, the US or the Saudis. To heck with them all! Why can't the Lebanese stand up and say, 'we have had enough of all your plots and we refuse to be used as tools. Is it better to have the ongoing dialogue of the deaf?

If and when that happens, it will be the start of Lebanon's rejuvenation. The idea in itself is not revolutionary. If anything, it is common sense. That is what is lacking in Lebanon's political leadership. From Amal to Hizbullah, to the Lebanese Forces, to Jumblatt's PSP, to Kataeb, communists, leftists, Sunni extremists - all blame the other (s) for asking and following orders from outside.

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Hizbullah makes history

Hizbullah makes history - that is the claim of  Nawaf Moussawi, the party's public relations officer. I'd say that Hizballah is on the verge of burning down the house. The downside is that the party itself will also be trapped between the walls.

UNIFIL admitted publicly that Hizbullah continues to smuggle weapons and armament south of the Litani. That in itself is not news, because Hizbullah never stopped doing it.  

I went to the Blue Line, and truth be told, UNIFIL or no UNIFIL around, that is a Hizbullah area. Period. Due to UNIFIL's presence Hizbullah is more careful, but UNIFIL alone cannot do a thing against Hizbullah, and the state through the army is not willing to take actions.

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More than Hizbullah

Minister of State for Parliamentary Affairs Michel Pharaon of the March 14 block said recently that "it is in our interest to have the international community protecting Lebanon pending regaining its sovereignty." (Naharnet) I've heard this idea before. Just not from someone who holds an official political position. We have bits and pieces in the media, but these people do not speak on their own. This is how an idea gets out on the market. This is one of the best methods to measure the masses' reaction.

What exactly does it mean? Perhaps to put Lebanon under Chapter 7 of the UNSC or bring NATO troops into Lebanon. I personally do not see how either can happen under these circumstances. Not to mention that Lebanon is not Iraq, Afghanistan or Kosovo.

I'd say that those who push this idea see it as the only option to disarm Hizbullah, bring the country to a functioning condition and restore the rights of the Christians.

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The presidential 'consensual candidate'

Abdul Halim Khaddam, the former Syrian Vice President, who lives in France claims that President Assad put his brother in law, Maj General Assef Shawkat, head of the military intelligence, under house arrest. Apparently, Shawkat was on the Bashar Assad's black list since 2005 - the same year that Rafiq Hariri was killed. More recently, Mugniyeh was assassinated and it seems impossible to believe that it was done without some help from the Syrians. Now Khaddam claims that the "Syrian regime had attempted to assassinate Mugniyeh through Gen Ali Mamlouk, head of Syria's General Intelligence Department, who was personally tasked with this mission."

Daniel Bellemare, head of the UN probe into the assassination of former Premier Rafiq Hariri will brief the Security Council on April 8. Thus far he's said very little about his work and spoke of a network that carried out the assassination and is likely to be involved in other assassinations. I particularly liked what Prof. Chibli Mallat -a human rights lawyer, Islamic law scholar and presidential candidate - has said about the investigation.

The Republic of Lebanon?

Samir Geagea is back from touring the US. For once, he is saying all the right things. Will action follow?

Dr Geagea said that he would like to see the UN in control of the Lebanese-Syrian border. That will happen only if the government asks for UN support.

Questions: Is March 14 ready to get out of the current lethargic state? Will Saad Hariri take a bolder stance? If Saudi Arabia supports such a step, then yes.

About the South...

Whenever I am in Lebanon, I try to spend a few days in Bint Jbeil. Away from the city. And more importantly, with people I do not get to see or meet elsewhere. In a Christian village nearby, I sometimes see a priest for a brief conversation. It gives me a better perspective to see all the sides, aside from observing the situation on my own.

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A day in Beirut

Monday should have been a normal day. The plan was to get up at 7 o'clock, have breakfast, make a few calls, go to a meeting, then an interview and see a friend in the evening.

It did not happen this way. At 7 o'clock I could barely open my eyes. The previous weekend was for everything except relaxation. After breakfast, I found out that the official I was supposed to interview is out of the city for a day or so.

I am the kind of gal who does not have indefinite patience. In fact, I lack patience. I decided to go to Dahyeh. Yes, the suburbs also known as Hizbullah's area. I have been there on a few occasions. This time I went to the party's media office.

I gave them a copy of my passport, some information they requested on a paper form for journalists and analysts and people who want to reach one of their MPs. I still have to fax them a letter and afterwards I have to wait for 48 hours for them to make a decision. I cannot say I am optimistic about it. Last year I refused to give them this information and as such I could not officially meet anyone from the party. It's not like I changed my mind, but if this is the only way, then I have to try it.

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