Why we are overcome with sheer anger in Lebanon

By; Nayla Tueni

Al-Nusra Front’s emir in Qalmoun, Abu Malek al-Talli, called on his supporters via an audio recording to support their brothers in [Lebanon’s] Tripoli and threatened to ignite chaos in Lebanon.

We were overwhelmed with anger upon hearing this call and we will not push aside this anger, especially upon realizing that some parties, both inside Lebanon and beyond its borders, try to impose on its population.

No honorable Lebanese citizen can but revolt against this threat which targets all of us regardless of our sect, hometown and political affiliation. Supporting the Syrian revolution to topple a tyrannical regime does not at all mean supporting Islamized terrorism which is more tyrannical than the Assad regime. Al-Nusra and ISIS cannot be alternatives to the Syrian regime. There is a dire need to find a third power within the core of the revolution.

No sane man

No sane man in Lebanon can but stand behind the Lebanese army because the alternatives are ISIS and al-Nusra. The alternative will be the destruction of Lebanon all over again. It will be the restoration of 1975’s bitter experience when hesitation (to avoid using the term “conspiracy”) prevented the army from performing its role and thus weakened it, leading to its division which in turn divided the entire country.

This is the bitter brew Lebanon must drink from. Lebanon has tasted its bitterness before and it has been capable – until this day – of dissociating itself as much as possible from Syrian events. It is true that some parties have certain reservations regarding the army and the security forces but truth be told, exposing these problems at this phase is considered a form of backstabbing. Criticizing the army over its so-called excessive use of power seems to be some sort of cover for terrorism as it’s not possible to impose control in Tripoli and the north or to protect civilians and prevent the establishment of an illegal statelet by distributing flowers!

Last week’s unrest in Tripoli reminded us of the Nahr al-Bared battles. That military feat lasted 105 days in 2007 and cost Lebanon 168 martyrs and hundreds of injured people. The situation ended up in a shameful political settlement in which Shaker al-Abssi and his supporters were allowed to escape. This shameful settlement led to the deterioration of the situation and to chaos and disobedience. This worsened in more than one area and more than one political party made use of it. This situation, in addition to several other factors, has paved the road to what we are currently suffering.

This article was first published in al-Nahar on October 27, 2014.

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MP Nayla Tueni is one of the few elected female politicians in Lebanon and of the two youngest. She became a member of parliament in 2009 and following the assassination of her father, Gebran, she is currently a member of the board and Deputy General Manager of Lebanon’s leading daily, Annahar. Prior to her political career, Nayla had trained, written in and managed various sections of Annahar, where she currently has a regular column. She can be followed on Twitter @NaylaTueni