[LCM Articles] Beirut among "New Arrivals" (Business Week)

[Mark Farha]

Clearly the article reflected some vulgarity, a weakness of human - and in
this case perhaps male - nature (rather than any specific culture or time).

But then again a tourist report really does not merit all the hullabaloo.

Even for us citizens of the world, who take issue with
Said Aql's justifications for war, there is a certain irony
in the fact that the legendary Europa is said to hail from beautiful Tyre:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Europa_%28mythology%29

It makes little sense to want to sever Lebanon country from the
mare nostrum even as it makes no sense to close oneselves to the contributions of the East.
One should accept the good and true regardless of orgin.

To cling to a parochial Arab, Phoenician, Jewish, Muslim,
Christian idenity, and to thereby close oneself to others, is a mark of
poverty.
All cultures grow insofar as they are open, ready to learn and expand as
life does;  they wither and shrivel, as soon as they retreat into ethnic,
religious or other cocoons of xenophobia and hubris.

The Zionists, Germany's 3rd Reich, and yes, Lebanon during the
savage war showed what suffering and evil such 3assabiyya has wrought.

Lebanon's (or any other country's) beauty and strength comes from its
affair with hetereogeneity, its willingness to explore, absorb and
learn, and not to be locked into "deadly", and ultimately debilitating
debate on identities", to paraphrase Amin Maalouf.
To be curious, to be grateful for the other, to welcome, reach out to
and learn from the stranger.
These are the best of Arab and Lebanese traits.

bili7tiraam,
Mark


On Mon, 5 Dec 2005, R///H wrote:

>
>
> --- Mona M Fawaz <mfawaz at MIT.EDU> wrote:
>
> > why is beirut listed in europe again?
>
> ********************************************************************
>
>  As a pure mind extrapolation for "Paris of the Middle
> East", and so as not to shortchange "nightclubbing
> hedonists from the West"; after all "the stunning
> Lebanese girls" are yet another variety of women on
> the globe, which trumps any geographical reality for
> the said hedonists.
>
>  Also note that the criteria applied for what's hot,
> beautiful, and fun are purely European as well.
>
>  --Randa
>
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