Going to Syria (inshallah)

As the Friday Islamic prayer is bellowing through the streets of West Beirut, I am writing this post, casually packing my bag for Syria. It will be only a weekend trip, but I will be out of blog contact for the next few days. "Why?" may you demand with a sharp hint of betrayal. Well, our dear friend, Bashar al-Assad, the president of Syria, has banned blogger in his country.

Just a little perspective on the freedom of the internet, eh? Sound off in the comments section with your feeling on this issue.

I mean, what would your life be like if your government banned The Casbah?

From West Beirut,
Abu G

PS--And if you get hopelessly board with the comment section, check out these new YouTube clips I loaded:

1. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rmhp8eWZdZg
2. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BOa4VALrYsM&feature=channel
3. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mCHzz_hn_cE
4. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o6hg8nm7VcI (This is my new roommate. He is from Mecca, Saudi Arabia.)

Baalbek: Roman ruins, AK-47s and the taking of yanks in the '80s

Back in the day--what the Lebanese call the "civil war"--Baalbek was known as the place to take American hostages. It is a medium sized town, tucked in the back of the Shia populated Bekaa Valley, about two hours from the flashy streets of Beirut.

To speculate, I’d say those Hezbollah hostage takers [back in the 80’s] probably thought of Baalbek as a friendly place to hide whatever yank they were holding for ransom. And Hezbollah held ‘em until they decided it was time to free ‘em.

So yeah, there was certainly a bit of historical irony when the leader of my Arabic program crisply announced into her microphone: "OK, guys (mostly Americans), all aboard the bus for Baalbek." I guess that's Lebanon for you; a few decades later they take American students to go visit the very place where American hostages where once held.

That being said, I'd be profoundly short changing Baalbek if I credited it only with its hostage-holding history. "Huh?" you may ask. "What could this remote Shia Muslim city have to offer besides lush soil and a history?"

Well, that is precisely it! See, some genies in Rome decided to build a huge city in this promising valley. I have been to Roman ruins in Greece, Turkey and Israel. Baalbek has the best-preserved Roman city I have ever seen! Just wow. Here are the pictures:(Standard, right?)

(A general picture of the huge temple for the Roman god, Jupiter. )

(Some of the most detailed rockwork I have ever seen. Keep in mind that these pliers are two stories high.)


(This is one of my favorites. Notice the pagan idols on the bottom of the arch. Also, notice that the center rock was dropped in from the top--somehow--and is still is performing its function of holding the arch together.)


(Hezbollah is the only Lebanese faction that usually hangs their flag over the cedar. In this picture, however, you can see both. And yes, that is an AK-47 that the letters of Allah, in Arabic, are holding.)

(This is the second Shia mosque I have ever seen. The first was in Yerevan, Armenia. Notice that Imam Khomeini and another figure have their pictures hanging almost inside the mosque. My roommate, who is from Saudi Arabia and a Sunni Muslim, thinks it is forbidden to have human pictures in a place of Islamic warship. Also, notice the Persian influence of the Asian-looking tiles on the walls. This is just one instance that shows the historical connection of Persia and the Shia Lebanese.)

The meaning(s) of "Allah"

Just so everyone is clear, "Allah" is not only a term for Muslims; it is simply the way to say "God" in the Arabic.

Now I know what many of you are thinking: "There goes Abu again, off on some obscure rant." Well, no. I want to make this point because the interfaith meaning(s) of Allah do not seem to be common knowledge outside the Muslim world.

So next time some intolerant whack says: "And those darg-garn Moooselums can't stop with their whole Allah business." You say: "Well, dear sir, 'Allah' is really just the name of God in Arabic. Arab Christians and Jews both use the same word." Trust me guys, he will be dumbfounded.(I took this picture about a week ago at a Maronite Christian Church north of Beirut. Keep in mind that we are looking at Jesus with an Arabic saying below.)

(This women is a Shia Muslim and is taking a picture of a giant statue of Mary with her phone. Keep in mind that Jesus, Mary etc are revered in Islam as well.)

Anyway, just another Abu rant from Beirut. I'm gearing up for a "surf exploration" in al-janoob (the south of Lebanon) tomorrow. Cheers!

Coffee with Jumblatt

He is the shrewdest politician in Lebanon, a man of the mountains and the guardian of his people. He is an older, slim character whose wild receding hairline and bushy mustache give him the look of a crazed Stanly Kubrick character. He is… well, what the hell: Ladies and Gentlemen of The Casbah, I give you, Walid Jumblatt.

(Showing us all why a Palestinian state cannot work on the divided West Bank.)

Part of this epic Arabic and culture course that I am doing at the Lebanese American University in Beirut this summer involves weekend excursions. One of my professors happens to be of the Druze faith and knows Jumblatt personally. And not only was she able to take our small group to his palace, that has been in his family for hundreds of years, but we were all invited to sip coffee with the man as he answered our youthful questions.

Keep in mind he is soft-spoken and of few words. (After meeting him, you would not even know that during the Lebanese civil war he was in charge of one of the fiercest militias in Lebanon.)

When asked, "What advice would you give to a bunch of up and coming Americans’ who want to study and work in the Middle East?" Jumblatt shrugged, looked at the floor and casually replied: "This is a choice for you, period." And that was that.

I have to say, I was completely fascinated by his style. Agree with his politics or not, Jumblatt stopped his life to host to a bunch of American Arabic students. He sat quietly and talked with us, not at us.

(How many other politicians would have this kind of set up? Saad Hariri? Nope. And I'm even his neighbor in West Beirut!)

Yet what fascinated me the most about this man was how he mixed idealism with the stark reality of Lebanon. For example, he said, "Lebanon needs some kind of revolution," in the context of how sectarian his country has become. At heart, he is a Marxist—with paintings of just about every communist ever to claim the title in his palace. But with this idealism comes great pragmatism. He knows that such a revolution is not on the Lebanese horizon, thus, he must continue to guard his 5% Druze population from the larger powers of the region.

(Abu standing in front Jumblatt's painting of Vladimir Lenin. I think this is the second picture I have of Lenin and I on this site. Isn't there one of myself in Armenia somewhere? To the records!)

I got a chance to ask him: "Would you meet with President Obama? I mean, if he came to Beirut?"

He looked at me and smiled. I knew it was a loaded question, but a legitimate one at that. Let me do my best to paraphrase his answer:

"He [Obama] was elected on hope. That is a good thing. But I do not see any substantial changes from his predecessors’ policies in the Middle East. Take for example his stance on Israel, the same... Say what you would like about the ideology of Hamas, they are the only real Palestinians to fight for what is theirs... You have to fight for what is your's... Israel won't change... the US Congress is controlled by, how do you say (some American blurted from the back of the room, 'the Democrats?') no, no, the Zionist hoax. How could you expect any real change?"

All in all, coffee with Jumblatt was wildly entertaining, informative and something I will never forget. Thank you.