Anthony Shadid, always supplying fine, lyrical journalism, worries about the future of his country of origin and the reopening of sectarian wounds. Some of the comments of the the people he interviewed in this article really made me wince.
I edited the English translations of articles today written by a couple of friends in Lebanon — Hassan Dawoud, the writer and editor a major cultural weekly and the journalist and poet Youssef Bazzi — and they will both be shortly online (in Arabic, English and French) at babelmed.net, the Mediterranean culture site. Hassan and Youssef’s articles make me worry about the psychological impact of this war, which seems much greater than the 1996 Israeli operation Grapes of Wrath (then again, so is the damage). Youssef — your classic mad, intense Lebanese poet — has a wonderful turn of phrase to describe Lebanon in his piece: “a P.O. box for violent opportunists.”
Did this gentlemen write anything in the press in australia denoucing the hatred shown by a few Lebonese,accused of raping girls…out of hate and malice to the community here.Rapes that appeared systematic and historonicDoes the same author write informing his community here to stop as some would say,stirng the pot????It,s only my opinion but a few have spiolt it for the rest out here in Australia.The press out here wasn,t good for the Lebonese for a long time.Infact i have seen little sympathy for the Lebonese and their bombing at the moment.And that is sad,but look what some of their people did to our girls out here.
It,s a sorry state of affairs isn,t it.But i do extend my sympatthies towards those in the community that don,t want war.I hope you do find peace and open government.
stan