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Crucifying Dr. Walid Phares and the Facts
By Elias Bejjani*
November 03/11
It was very sad, extremely annoying and so frustrating to myself as
a proud Lebanese Christian activist and to many, many of my own
people all over the globe to observe that our honest and genuinely
"patriotic Lebanese Christian Resistance Forces" (1975-1990) were
unfairly blemished, and wrongly portrayed as an organization of
terrorism and massacres in the heated debate that has been raging
for weeks in the USA media between supporters and opponents of Dr.
Walid Phares, the renowned American Lebanese Christian intellectual
who immigrated to the USA in 1990. Phares's opponents are trying to
crucify him on the basis that he was a member in our resistance
after he was appointed as the Middle East Adviser for Mitt Romney.
While it is a given right and a legitimate practice for those who
oppose or support Dr. Phares's appointment to this very critical and
influential position to debate the issue and use all arguments,
reason and defaults to advocate for their own stances and views, we
strongly believe that it is not ethical, fair, legal or even humane
in any way to falsely portray our Lebanese Christian Resistance
Forces as a terrorist group and tag its previous or current
supporters, members and leadership accordingly as terrorists or
advocates for terrorism.
The issue here is not if Dr. Phares was a member in this resistance
or not because basically there was no membership in this public
resistance, but as far as we are concerned the issue goes much
further than that when unjustly and viciously the Lebanese Christian
Resistance is attacked in the USA media and falsely portrayed as a
bunch of brutal murderers who committed massacres. No, No, these
mere lies are actual atrocities against our people, and are not
acceptable and have no ground in reality whatsoever.
It is worth mentioning that the ongoing Lebanese crisis and dilemma
since the early seventies are so complicated even for the Lebanese
intellectuals themselves to understand and explain due to the
sophisticated fact that it is so interwoven and tied to the
Israeli-Arab conflict, as well to regional, sectarian, cultural,
educational and religious historical enmities, difficulties and
contradictions. Also because of the expansionism and savage
ambitions of many Middle East dictators and fanatics spearheaded by
the Syrian Baathist regime, the mullahs of Iran, the terrorist group
Hezbollah, the Palestinian armed militias, and many others.
In this piece I will refute and strongly criticize the rhetoric of
both opponents and supporters of Dr. Phares's appointment for the
superficial and naive manner in which our resistance was portrayed
and dealt. The opponents tried to criminalize Phares for being a
member in our resistance and the supporters fell in this trap and
tried stupidly to cosmetically justify his involvement instead of
explaining the reality of this great resistance.
Below are some facts that hopefully all those involved in the debate
will grasp and accordingly correct their fallacies and wrong
information about our resistance:
1- Our resistance was not an organization, a party, a militia or an
army. It was all our people; yes merely all our people, men, women,
children and the clergy. It was in every village and city where our
people lived. The Lebanese Christians were forced to defend their
own lives, faith, freedom, entity and the core of their existence
after the PLO, Syria, the Arab regimes, many Muslim countries, and
10th of Islamic and Arabic extremist organizations militarily
invaded Lebanon and waged a holy war against the Christians in a bid
to erect a substitute state for the Palestinians and then use it as
a base to attack Israel and fight the West.
2-The Lebanese army as well as the rest of the state institutions
were either controlled by the invaders or helpless and unable to
execute their obligations. Our people were faced with two choices:
either to be killed and slaughtered like sheep, or to defend
themselves and stand tall like their Holy Cedars. They did defend
themselves and because of their faith, love for their country,
dignity, sacrifices and heroism, were able to hold and remain in
their country. Our resistance was always in the defensive and never
ever in the offensive status.
3- Our people had to buy their own weapons and ammunition from their
own pockets; not even one country in the world came to their rescue.
Up till 1990, there was no membership in this resistance because all
the residents of the Christian villages and cities, including the
clergymen and nuns, were the resistance. Accordingly, every
Christian residing in the regions that were not conquered by the
invaders was an active fighter and a resistance member, each
individual in his/her own capacity.
4- Due to a drastic lack of finances, Arab attacks on all levels,
intimidation, imprisonment, forced displacement and exodus,
persecution and ethnic cleansing, our resistance was not able to
advocate for its holy and patriotic cause in any country, while our
enemies who are now officially recognized and listed as terrorists
in the Western and Free World and with their petrodollars (Wahabists,
Kaddafi, Sadam, Iran, Yemen, Somalia, PLO, etc.) were able to exert
a tremendous influence on world media facilities, governments and
thinking tanks, especially in the USA, Canada and many European
countries. They distorted and falsified facts and attributed to our
resistance crimes and massacres like Sabra and Chatila, while
covering up the hundreds of brutal massacres that they inflicted on
our people and still do.
5- It is worth mentioning that the Sabra and Chatila massacre was
not committed by our resistance nor by the Israeli Army, but by Mr.
Elie Hobeika, a Lebanese forces military leader, and his men.
Hobeika's stinking reality was unveiled after the Syrian army
invaded and conquered all of Lebanon in 1990. He was a top notch
Syrian agent, which simply means that the Syrian regime was fully
responsible for this terrible crime. Seeing what the Syria regime is
inflicting on its own people during the last months explains the
identity of this butcher.
6- Christians in Lebanon are peace loving people, faithful, respect
coexistence, honor human rights, and are enriched with a deeply
rooted history of 7,000 years. More than two million Americans are
Christian Lebanese descendents while 12-14 million Lebanese
Christians are living peacefully, productively and honorably in
almost every country in the world. Dr. Walid Phares is one of those
people who carry the Lebanese message of peace wherever they go or
settle. We honestly believe that he is a great asset to the position
that is debated and not the contrary.
In conclusion, if we can tag our troops in Afghanistan who are
fighting terrorism as dangerous to hold any position when they
return home, than we can crucify Phares for being a Lebanese
Christian who with his people were forced to defend themselves
against all those who are now recognized worldwide as terrorists and
our troops are fighting them all over the world.
Hopefully this explanatory message will make some difference for
those involved in the Phares's appointment debate because our
Lebanese Christian Resistance Forces are as noble and genuine as was
the patriotic French Resistance and even more. |
