The New “Grand Liban”
By: Charles Jalkh (Freedom Fighter)
February 28/07

The struggle for Free Lebanon has reached its final conclusion. The lines are drawn in the sand. A Liberal multi-ethnic Christian-Sunni-Druze democratic pluralistic majority is facing an international pariah, a heavily armed ideological mercenary army that erected its state within our Lebanese state.

Perhaps it is time for us to admit, that we have lost irretrievably several hundred thousand Lebanese Shiites to 25 years of Syrian-Iranian mass indoctrination at all levels; economic, social, personal, and religious. Today, the “disconnect” between the Hezbollah Shiites and the rest of the Lebanese of all sects including moderate Shiites, is total. There is no use hoping for a settlement with Hezbollah whose leadership declared several times that they will never abandon their arms. We are faced with two choices; either attempt to conquer their state-within-the-state, or, disassociate ourselves formally from it.

Let us admit it; we do not have the foundation of a common nation. The multi-ethnic Christian-Sunni-Druze majority in Lebanon has nothing in common with the Hezbollah Shiites anymore. We have parted ways long ago in life style, aspirations, allegiances, even economics. We are liberal and they are fundamentalists. We are pluralists and they are single-color totalitarianism. We are tolerant, accepting of others, and believers in fair play, they teach hate, practice violence, and bully us with massive weapons of war stored within our civil areas. We are democrats and change our leaders with the seasons, they promote the cult of personality and unaccountability and rule by religious edicts. We thrive in democracy and celebrate our cultural diversity, they practice absolute rule and armed mobilizations. We champion individual liberties, they enslave the individual to the Umma.

We yearn for peace with all our neighbors including Israel for our children’s sake, they launch wars and cultivate hate in the hearts of their children. We thrive for prosperity in order to promote opportunities for the citizens, they rule by spreading poverty then harvesting hearts and minds through handouts. We celebrate life and liberty, they glorify the culture of suicide killing and call it martyrdom. We are loyal to our birthplace, they are loyal to 7th century Mullahs located 1000 kilometers away. We are peaceful unarmed citizens who are not even protected by our own army for fear of division, they are an ideological mercenary army armed to the teeth encamped around our neighborhoods and cities and commanded by black hearted murderous dictatorships from the dark ages. The barbarians are ready to sack civilization again.

We are not a common people with common heritage nor should we insist on a common future. I do not wish to oppress the national and cultural aspirations of the Hezbollah constituency. If they wish to have their Islamic state, then I say let them have a piece of land where they can erect it. Let them have their own state, conduct their own economic, foreign, and defense policies, let them try to join the UN. However, unless they change their behavior, chances are that at best, their republic would resemble “Turkish Cyprus” recognized by no one in the world except the Axis of Evil, or worse, it could become another Hamas-Gaza lawless zone. In a peaceful deal, we can even extend them cordial relations as they evolve towards democracy and show respect for human rights at the global standard. We can even exchange ambassadors. But let them finally be solely accountable for their war and peace decisions. We Lebanese are simply not willing to incur again the wrath of Israel because of Hezbollah. Democratic Israel has the full right to defend its citizens from the terrorists, and we Lebanese citizens expect our democratically elected government to be forceful in defending us from Hezbollah.

The US, EU, and the Arab world may not be in the mood to “reward” the axis of evil with a legitimate footprint in Lebanon and may seek alternative courses of action. The EU would not tolerate Iranian missiles potentially 1000 kilometers closer to Brussels. But many are also declaring that the solution lies with the Lebanese themselves. A peaceful solution is possible and involves territorial changes. It means ceding some land in the south and Bekaa with heavy Hezbollah populations, and separate ourselves from the Hezbollah state physically. Some may say Lebanon is too small to be divided, but do you really want to live in a nation with the likes of Hezbollah as your co-citizens? Just look at their gatherings, watch the crowd, observe the stony faces, the body language, and listen to the evil words of their leadership during their fiery celebrations.

We have nothing in common with the anti-civilization forces and it is not fair to impose them on us Lebanese as citizens of our nation. They have shown no loyalty to Lebanon and in turn we abdicate all responsibilities towards them. The Free Shiites who wish to join our ranks are cheerfully welcomed in the brotherhood of the Free. Every human being is a first class citizen in our homeland regardless of religious or ethnic roots.

The procession of Free Lebanon towards our promised land has lost many martyrs, stopped for many funerals, but despair not, the holy grail of Free Lebanon is finally within our reach. Today, we have a historical opportunity to shed the heavy luggage saddled upon us since Sykes-Picot a century ago then lately by the Axis of Evil, and establish a new “Grand Liban”, Grand in its human dimension but slightly smaller in geography. A multi-ethnic, liberal, democratic, and humanistic society filled with potentials for human accomplishment, happiness, and enlightenment. A new Lebanese Golden Age of peace and prosperity is awaiting us around the corner in a Land of the Free. We just need to dream and dare again.