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What the Papers Say Part A (Russia)
July 28, 2006 Friday
THE CROSS AND CRESCENT OF LEBANON;
How to bring Christians back into the Crusaders' camp
by Nadezhda Kevorkova
Christians in Lebanon comment on the conflict with Israel; Political
logic would seem to suggest that there's no better country than
Lebanon for unleashing a major war in the Mideast: it has 17
communities, all of which have fought each other at some time in the
past. But the Lebanese aren't interested in an "Islam versus
Christianity" war scenario.
The Lebanese themselves are no longer concerned about the idea of war
between Islam and Christianity. But since this topic does cause
concern in political clubs around the world, particularly as applied
to Lebanon, we decided to ask some Lebanese Christians whether they
regard themselves as "new Crusaders."
In Lebanon, belonging to a particular community is a family tradition
going back a thousand years. Whether or not they're believers, people
have a strong awareness of which community they belong to. It's hard
to displace people whose ancestors have lived in the same location
for centuries.
The people of Lebanon include direct descendants of Phoenecians,
Greeks, Romans, Arimatheans, and Crusaders. Their heritage is in
their faces.
Long before politicians grew obsessed with the idea of a conflict
between civilizations, people in Lebanon were fighting wars and
making history, just as in the old days.
Political logic would seem to suggest that there's no better country
than Lebanon for unleashing a major war in the Mideast: it has 17
communities, all of which have fought each other at some time in the
past. But the Lebanese aren't interested in an "Islam versus
Christianity" war scenario. Right now, they're concerned with far
more prosaic problems: how to bury the dead while bombs continue to
fall, how to provide water, food, and mattresses for 600,000 refugees
in a nation of 4 million people, and how to keep children fed when
jobs and homes are gone.
* * *
I've stopped in the Armenian quarter of Beirut to photograph some
children. Within moments I'm surrounded by a whole press conference
of people - a truly international mix. Jennifer, a Christian, and her
family are from Syria. Akop, 19, is an Armenian. Yasir, 32, and his
children are Sunni Muslims. Tony, a shopkeeper, is an Orthodox
Christian.
They all have refugees staying in their homes. Thirty people are
living in two rooms in the Jamili family's home. There are no more
rooms to spare in the apartment. Madame Jamili tells us how shortly
before the bombing began, the refugees sought shelter at a United
Nations post. They weren't allowed to cross the threshold; United
Nations personel wouldn't even talk to them. While the people were
running back and forth seeking alternative shelter, the bombing
began. (And an Israeli air strike killed five UN peacekeepers on July
25.)
* * *
I approach an Armenian priest who is walking by with a friend. He
looks at my business card and flatly refuses to talk. Ten minutes
later, his friend catches up with me: "He's not a Lebanese priest,
he's from Jerusalem, and he fears he might get in trouble there if he
says anything against Israel - that's why he's afraid to talk."
So that's how it is. The Bishop of South Lebanon celebrates mass
under fire. Another priest is afraid of his own government.
* * *
Pierot Serhal, Maronite Catholic and a Lebanese member of parliament
representing Hezbollah, has been trapped since the start of the war
in his home town of Jezzin in southern Lebanon. He's a surgeon,
trained in Paris and working at the local hospital. The Maronites are
Lebanon's largest Christian community.
"We support Hezbollah because they're fighting. The idea that
Christians are against Hezbollah is Israeli propaganda. We Christians
are in a better position to know whether we're for them or against
them," says Dr. Pierot. "The late Pope John Paul II visited Lebanon
and called on Christians to live in peace with Muslims. But
aggression against our countries is pushing Christians out of here.
Iraq had 3 million Christians before the war - now only 100,000
remain. The number of Christians in Lebanon is declining, and that's
because of Israel, not Hezbollah."
He can't understand why the Russian Orthodox Church is keeping
silent: "The Orthodox know the problems of Lebanon better than the
Catholics."
* * *
I knock on the door of the First Baptist Church of the Bible in
Beirut.
Pastor Richard Saddak starts off by preaching some Gospel at me, then
moves on to current events: "Thirty-four people have been killed in
Israel, 19 of them soldiers. Over 350 people are dead in Lebanon, all
of them civilians, mostly children! Is that what they call defending
their country? How does it fit in with international law? Or do
certain countries feel free to ignore the law?" Pastor Richard was
born in Australia and teaches at the American University in Beirut;
English is his native language. "Bombing a dairy farm - what's that
all about? Do they feel threatened by Lebanon's bridges, churches,
yoghurt factories, or television stations? A Baptist pastor in
Merdjayoun needs heart surgery, but it's become impossible to get to
the hospital. This elderly man is having trouble breathing. Is he a
threat to Israel too?"
Pastor Richard points out that Israel and Hezbollah have always
exchanged prisoners. "Twelve years ago, Israel abducted two people
from the Bekaa Valley in order to exchange them for a pilot who was
shot down in 1967 and disappeared. Neither Hezbollah nor Lebanon
attacked Israel at the time. Why is Israel allowed to start a war
over two soldiers and call it self-defense? If they drop a nuclear
bomb in self-defense and wipe Lebanon off the map, would politicians
continue to keep silent? Politicians have forgotten the Sermon on the
Mount: blessed are the peacemakers."
* * *
Bishop Elias Kfouri of Tyre, Sidon and South Lebanon (Antioch
Orthodox Patriarchate) has his residence in Merdjayoun, a district
capital in southern Lebanon - right in the border territory which
Israel intends to purge and turn into a buffer zone.
Question: You're in a war zone. Why aren't you leaving?
Elias Kfouri: Many residents have been able to save themselves by
leaving. But a great many still remain. Around a thousand people in
Merdjayoun alone. Last Sunday I celebrated mass on the border, in the
village of Derminaz. About 40 people attended the service. How could
I leave? My flock is here. I don't fear for my own life. I'm worried
about the children, women, and the elderly who are unable to leave.
On Sunday, Monday, and Tuesday there was heavy bombing in Nabatiye
and nearby villages. Seven people were killed in Nabatiye on Tuesday.
Merdjayoun and surrounding villages are being bombed from the air
every ten minutes - hitting the homes of people, ordinary people. The
longest interval between bombs is half an hour. The planes are
constantly overhead. The Orthodox church of St. George has been
severely damaged. We're five kilometers from the border. There is
heavy fighting there.
Question: Is any aid reaching the people at all?
Elias Kfouri: Aid - yes, Greece is sending a great deal. The problem
is delivering the aid. Food products, medical supplies, water - many
villages don't have any of these. Israel is making it impossible to
deliver anything. The only remaining road is the one through the
Bekaa Valley. It's being bombed all the time. All the roads around
here have been blown up. The UN Security Council and the media should
make every effort to stop the blockade.
Question: Why are the Orthodox churches keeping silent? Why are
Christians around the world keeping silent?
Elias Kfouri: Ask the Russian Orthodox Church. The Russian Church is
our friend. I'm not sure they are keeping silent. Perhaps we're just
not hearing them? Bishop Nifon is in Moscow - he's an emissary of our
Church, a wise and effective bishop, the voice of our people. As for
Christians around the world, I'm cut off from information.
Question: Are you hearing any support from Russia and President
Putin?
Elias Kfouri: We love Russians and Russia. But you should ask
President Putin himself what he thinks of the situation in Lebanon.
Question: Many Western experts claim that Lebanese Christians are
hostile to Muslims in general and Hezbollah in particular.
Elias Kfouri: It's not true that Christians are against Hezbollah.
There is no such problem. All Lebanese are against Israeli aggression
and Israel's policies, not against Hezbollah. Individuals may have
their differences on political issues, but when you see someone
devastating your country, political differences are set aside.
Question: It is said that Hezbollah runs southern Lebanon. Do you
feel that's true?
Elias Kfouri: Hezbollah does not govern us. But people do trust
Hezbollah. We have municipal and village administrations, elected by
the people. If they don't perform well, the people elect someone
else.
Question: How dangerous would occupation be for Orthodox Christians?
Elias Kfouri: Israel is trying to start an occupation, and it may
succeed. I lived under occupation in the 1990s. They made no
distinctions between Christians and Muslims. Christians who disobeyed
the occupation regime, or showed resistance, were terrorized and sent
to concentration camps just like any other Lebanese. Now they're
bombing Christian homes and Muslim homes alike. A hundred Christians
have been killed in the Christian district of Sabkha. Many Christians
were killed in the village of Rnish. They were buried on Monday. On
July 19, thirty families sought shelter in churches in Rashaya. The
air-strikes spared neither the churches nor the people.
Beirut Airport, destroyed by bomb - was that for Muslims only? Only
for Hezbollah's use? In Lebanon, you can't divide people into
"Christians here" and "Muslims there." We're all intermingled. And
the Christians are fighting occupation alongside the Muslims. The
bombing campaign has brought the entire Lebanese people to the brink
of humanitarian and economic catastrophe. And all the Lebanese people
believe that Israel's actions, not Hezbollah, are to blame.
Source: Gazeta, July 27, 2006, p. 17
Translated by Elena Leonova
What the Papers Say Part A (Russia)
July 28, 2006 Friday
THE CROSS AND CRESCENT OF LEBANON;
How to bring Christians back into the Crusaders' camp
by Nadezhda Kevorkova
Christians in Lebanon comment on the conflict with Israel; Political
logic would seem to suggest that there's no better country than
Lebanon for unleashing a major war in the Mideast: it has 17
communities, all of which have fought each other at some time in the
past. But the Lebanese aren't interested in an "Islam versus
Christianity" war scenario.
The Lebanese themselves are no longer concerned about the idea of war
between Islam and Christianity. But since this topic does cause
concern in political clubs around the world, particularly as applied
to Lebanon, we decided to ask some Lebanese Christians whether they
regard themselves as "new Crusaders."
In Lebanon, belonging to a particular community is a family tradition
going back a thousand years. Whether or not they're believers, people
have a strong awareness of which community they belong to. It's hard
to displace people whose ancestors have lived in the same location
for centuries.
The people of Lebanon include direct descendants of Phoenecians,
Greeks, Romans, Arimatheans, and Crusaders. Their heritage is in
their faces.
Long before politicians grew obsessed with the idea of a conflict
between civilizations, people in Lebanon were fighting wars and
making history, just as in the old days.
Political logic would seem to suggest that there's no better country
than Lebanon for unleashing a major war in the Mideast: it has 17
communities, all of which have fought each other at some time in the
past. But the Lebanese aren't interested in an "Islam versus
Christianity" war scenario. Right now, they're concerned with far
more prosaic problems: how to bury the dead while bombs continue to
fall, how to provide water, food, and mattresses for 600,000 refugees
in a nation of 4 million people, and how to keep children fed when
jobs and homes are gone.
* * *
I've stopped in the Armenian quarter of Beirut to photograph some
children. Within moments I'm surrounded by a whole press conference
of people - a truly international mix. Jennifer, a Christian, and her
family are from Syria. Akop, 19, is an Armenian. Yasir, 32, and his
children are Sunni Muslims. Tony, a shopkeeper, is an Orthodox
Christian.
They all have refugees staying in their homes. Thirty people are
living in two rooms in the Jamili family's home. There are no more
rooms to spare in the apartment. Madame Jamili tells us how shortly
before the bombing began, the refugees sought shelter at a United
Nations post. They weren't allowed to cross the threshold; United
Nations personel wouldn't even talk to them. While the people were
running back and forth seeking alternative shelter, the bombing
began. (And an Israeli air strike killed five UN peacekeepers on July
25.)
* * *
I approach an Armenian priest who is walking by with a friend. He
looks at my business card and flatly refuses to talk. Ten minutes
later, his friend catches up with me: "He's not a Lebanese priest,
he's from Jerusalem, and he fears he might get in trouble there if he
says anything against Israel - that's why he's afraid to talk."
So that's how it is. The Bishop of South Lebanon celebrates mass
under fire. Another priest is afraid of his own government.
* * *
Pierot Serhal, Maronite Catholic and a Lebanese member of parliament
representing Hezbollah, has been trapped since the start of the war
in his home town of Jezzin in southern Lebanon. He's a surgeon,
trained in Paris and working at the local hospital. The Maronites are
Lebanon's largest Christian community.
"We support Hezbollah because they're fighting. The idea that
Christians are against Hezbollah is Israeli propaganda. We Christians
are in a better position to know whether we're for them or against
them," says Dr. Pierot. "The late Pope John Paul II visited Lebanon
and called on Christians to live in peace with Muslims. But
aggression against our countries is pushing Christians out of here.
Iraq had 3 million Christians before the war - now only 100,000
remain. The number of Christians in Lebanon is declining, and that's
because of Israel, not Hezbollah."
He can't understand why the Russian Orthodox Church is keeping
silent: "The Orthodox know the problems of Lebanon better than the
Catholics."
* * *
I knock on the door of the First Baptist Church of the Bible in
Beirut.
Pastor Richard Saddak starts off by preaching some Gospel at me, then
moves on to current events: "Thirty-four people have been killed in
Israel, 19 of them soldiers. Over 350 people are dead in Lebanon, all
of them civilians, mostly children! Is that what they call defending
their country? How does it fit in with international law? Or do
certain countries feel free to ignore the law?" Pastor Richard was
born in Australia and teaches at the American University in Beirut;
English is his native language. "Bombing a dairy farm - what's that
all about? Do they feel threatened by Lebanon's bridges, churches,
yoghurt factories, or television stations? A Baptist pastor in
Merdjayoun needs heart surgery, but it's become impossible to get to
the hospital. This elderly man is having trouble breathing. Is he a
threat to Israel too?"
Pastor Richard points out that Israel and Hezbollah have always
exchanged prisoners. "Twelve years ago, Israel abducted two people
from the Bekaa Valley in order to exchange them for a pilot who was
shot down in 1967 and disappeared. Neither Hezbollah nor Lebanon
attacked Israel at the time. Why is Israel allowed to start a war
over two soldiers and call it self-defense? If they drop a nuclear
bomb in self-defense and wipe Lebanon off the map, would politicians
continue to keep silent? Politicians have forgotten the Sermon on the
Mount: blessed are the peacemakers."
* * *
Bishop Elias Kfouri of Tyre, Sidon and South Lebanon (Antioch
Orthodox Patriarchate) has his residence in Merdjayoun, a district
capital in southern Lebanon - right in the border territory which
Israel intends to purge and turn into a buffer zone.
Question: You're in a war zone. Why aren't you leaving?
Elias Kfouri: Many residents have been able to save themselves by
leaving. But a great many still remain. Around a thousand people in
Merdjayoun alone. Last Sunday I celebrated mass on the border, in the
village of Derminaz. About 40 people attended the service. How could
I leave? My flock is here. I don't fear for my own life. I'm worried
about the children, women, and the elderly who are unable to leave.
On Sunday, Monday, and Tuesday there was heavy bombing in Nabatiye
and nearby villages. Seven people were killed in Nabatiye on Tuesday.
Merdjayoun and surrounding villages are being bombed from the air
every ten minutes - hitting the homes of people, ordinary people. The
longest interval between bombs is half an hour. The planes are
constantly overhead. The Orthodox church of St. George has been
severely damaged. We're five kilometers from the border. There is
heavy fighting there.
Question: Is any aid reaching the people at all?
Elias Kfouri: Aid - yes, Greece is sending a great deal. The problem
is delivering the aid. Food products, medical supplies, water - many
villages don't have any of these. Israel is making it impossible to
deliver anything. The only remaining road is the one through the
Bekaa Valley. It's being bombed all the time. All the roads around
here have been blown up. The UN Security Council and the media should
make every effort to stop the blockade.
Question: Why are the Orthodox churches keeping silent? Why are
Christians around the world keeping silent?
Elias Kfouri: Ask the Russian Orthodox Church. The Russian Church is
our friend. I'm not sure they are keeping silent. Perhaps we're just
not hearing them? Bishop Nifon is in Moscow - he's an emissary of our
Church, a wise and effective bishop, the voice of our people. As for
Christians around the world, I'm cut off from information.
Question: Are you hearing any support from Russia and President
Putin?
Elias Kfouri: We love Russians and Russia. But you should ask
President Putin himself what he thinks of the situation in Lebanon.
Question: Many Western experts claim that Lebanese Christians are
hostile to Muslims in general and Hezbollah in particular.
Elias Kfouri: It's not true that Christians are against Hezbollah.
There is no such problem. All Lebanese are against Israeli aggression
and Israel's policies, not against Hezbollah. Individuals may have
their differences on political issues, but when you see someone
devastating your country, political differences are set aside.
Question: It is said that Hezbollah runs southern Lebanon. Do you
feel that's true?
Elias Kfouri: Hezbollah does not govern us. But people do trust
Hezbollah. We have municipal and village administrations, elected by
the people. If they don't perform well, the people elect someone
else.
Question: How dangerous would occupation be for Orthodox Christians?
Elias Kfouri: Israel is trying to start an occupation, and it may
succeed. I lived under occupation in the 1990s. They made no
distinctions between Christians and Muslims. Christians who disobeyed
the occupation regime, or showed resistance, were terrorized and sent
to concentration camps just like any other Lebanese. Now they're
bombing Christian homes and Muslim homes alike. A hundred Christians
have been killed in the Christian district of Sabkha. Many Christians
were killed in the village of Rnish. They were buried on Monday. On
July 19, thirty families sought shelter in churches in Rashaya. The
air-strikes spared neither the churches nor the people.
Beirut Airport, destroyed by bomb - was that for Muslims only? Only
for Hezbollah's use? In Lebanon, you can't divide people into
"Christians here" and "Muslims there." We're all intermingled. And
the Christians are fighting occupation alongside the Muslims. The
bombing campaign has brought the entire Lebanese people to the brink
of humanitarian and economic catastrophe. And all the Lebanese people
believe that Israel's actions, not Hezbollah, are to blame.
Source: Gazeta, July 27, 2006, p. 17
Translated by Elena Leonova