I was leaving the shopping center, when I heard her speaking Arabic, I smiled, said hello. Typical Arab exchanges where made, "Where are you from?"
I reply, "Lebanon"
She replies, "Rafa3to Rasnah" (You made us proud).
I smiled my tight smile when I disagree with a person and politely said, "Thank you"
There was so much I wanted to tell this woman. To explain to her that the Lebanese people are suffering and will continue to suffer. That a decade from now, thousands will suffer from environmentally induced cancer. That from the blood that watered the ground will blossom new fanaticism and hatred. The Lebanese government is filled with corrupt baboons, and this is an understatement.
Although pessimism will not alleviate the situation, one must agree that Arabs are extremely divided. 'Establish a business that caters to Americans, just stay away from the Arabs' is a common phrase heard amongst Arab entrepreneurs.
Personally, I find my non-Arab friends more trusting and caring than my Arab ones. This, however, is just my experience and may not reflect the behaviour of the entire Arab community.
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5 comments:
Sad, but true.
i'm sure she's being naively nice but i find the arabic world attitude towards us the same towards the palestinians.. alla yis3idon we yib3idon to them and alla y'aweekon we yib3idkon to us..
of course they'll get more involved again when haifa wehbe starts singing again. then we'll stop being those brave lebanese and be more those corrupt lebanese... when we fight they want nothing to do with us because we're being too 'adventurous' and too brave and when we dance they laugh at us and say we're not serious and we're a joke..
We are all members of one tribe or another. Unfortunately our leaders seem to be members of another tribe altogether - one that does not care for the people it professess to represent.
The Lebanese government is filled with corrupt baboons, and this is an understatement.
Well said Miss Z!
Personally, I find my non-Arab friends more trusting and caring than my Arab ones. This, however, is just my experience and may not reflect the behaviour of the entire Arab community.
Well…err… I’d say “Ayyrabz” are just like any other community/branch of mankind: true there are rotten apples among them, but not more than amongst say Kansans or Zimbabweans!
Ethnicity and/or religion shouldn’t be key criteria in choosing one’s friends, for friendship is far too important to be left to deterministic factors to paraphrase Churchill and ‘The Thinker’ of Marvel Comics fame!
Dr. V,
If religion/ethnicity played a role in building my friendship roster, I don't think I would have any! Besides, those that don't share your beliefs are the ones that show you a different way of thinking.
Have you ever heard of a Half-Lebanese, Half-Israeli blonde baby with a Muslim Grandpa, Christian Grandma, and Jewish Papa?? That's my cute baby cousin!
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