Colorado Springs attack is an eye opener

The Colorado Spring attack was a terrorist attack. A person fundamentally against abortion for most probably religious reasons chose for whatever reason to shoot passers by and a police officer.

Vicki Cowart, president and CEO of Planned Parenthood of the Rocky Mountains, said in a written statement. "We share the concerns of many Americans that extremists are creating a poisonous environment that feeds domestic terrorism in this country. We will never back away from providing care in a safe, supportive environment that millions of people rely on and trust."

This incident of violence against abortion clinics is not an isolated one : there have been at least 73 successful attacks on American abortion clinics since 1997, according to the National Abortion Federation. Not included in this count the numerous failed attempts. The violence includes action aimed at abortion providers themselves with different weapons, either shootings, stabbings, or acid attacks. In 2012 alone, there were four arson attacks on clinics in Florida, Wisconsin, and Georgia. Last September in Washington state an abortion clinic was set on fire.

Who are the people doing these actions?
Operation Rescue, Christian Defense Council, The National Right to Life committee who usually speak out against the organization's (Planned Parenthood) values are today showing support and condemning violence.
Yet one has to wonder if their violent rhetoric describing abortions as crimes and murder is not fueling these attacks.
Deeply religious people can consider that they do want to abide by the laws of the land that allows abortions. They take matters in their own hand by taking a violent action that in their belief is "accepted by God".

By any criteria the definition of this action falls under the term of "terrorism".
Surely not organized terrorism and surely home grown.
It is an eye opener. Intolerance and bigotry are the pillar of terrorism. It can happen within any society.
It is very sad and should give people ranting about the danger of admitting Syrian refugees to consider that extremism is possible within any society.
The only way to fight it is to promote tolerance and the value of freedom and democracy and not by fueling division by a discourse of intolerance and bigotry.

Crusade or fighting terrorism?

Russian President Vladimir Putin on Wednesday said Turkey's political leaders had been encouraging the Islamisation of Turkish society, something he said was a problem, Russian agencies quoted him as saying.
Speaking a day after Turkey shot down one of Moscow's jets, Putin said:
"The problem is not the tragedy we witnessed yesterday," the TASS news agency quoted him as saying.
"The problem is much deeper. We observe ... that the current Turkish leadership over a significant number of years has been pursuing a deliberate policy of supporting the Islamisation of their country."

By his statement Putin who had the Orthodox Church of Russia bless his actions is making a direct attack on Islam as a religion offending all Muslims around the world.

Putin forgot that the party ruling today Turkey is the choice of the people of Turkey. The Turkish society is overwhelmingly Muslim, including the Kurds.
On the other hand, Putin is the president that restored the Orthodox Church and ethnic Russian nationalism in the countries within the Russian sphere.

It seems that Putin is faithful to a belief shared by most extreme right European parties:  Islam is a terrorist faith and all Muslims are terrorists. The fight is between Christian values and Muslim values.

This clarifies why Putin has been attacking all Syrian factions that have Muslim names independent of their affiliations. Some of them are working hand in hand with the coalition against terrorism led by the United States.

But then why is he allying himself to Iran and Assad who are Muslims?
They are Shia Muslims and his Russian Muslims and those who drove the Soviet Union from Afghanistan are Sunni Muslims. So he seems to be prioritizing his crusade to be one against Sunni Muslims who constitute the overwhelming majority of Muslims around the world.

I am all for separation of Church and State and fighting the fundamentalists ideologies. But there is no way to win over Muslim fundamentalism with "Christian values".
Putin's ideology is the antonym of democratic values. His fight against terrorism is becoming a new crusade. This can have dire consequences by feeding the ideology of Daesh.

Hollande should beware of associating himself to such an undertaking, it would be an attack on the values of the Republic that take root in secularism.











source
http://www.reuters.com/article/2015/11/25/us-mideast-crisis-russia-turkey-syria-idUSKBN0TE0X820151125

Is Daesh wining the war?

When the Paris attack happened I wrote a post titled Why is Daesh winning the war.
Today, with the horror in Brussels, I saw a drawing by Tunisian cartoonist in solidarity joining the pain of Paris, Brussels, and Bardo.

I just want to say

How many times we have to say it, when will this madness stop? We would add to this drawing Istanbul, Ankara, Beirut, Baghdad, and many other cities and communities. No place is safe, nobody is spared. It remains important to note that their aim is to separate and divide according to narrow sectarian lines. They justify their existence by polarization and clash of civilization. The only way to fight them is to promote tolerance and inclusiveness.

and hope that we will see more efforts to solve the Syrian and Iraqi crises that are fueling terror by addressing the underlying causes rather than only indiscriminate brute force.

Original post was
Nicolas Hénin, a Frenchman was held hostage by Isis. quoting from an article published in The Gardian 

"In Syria I learned that Islamic State longs to provoke retaliation. We should not fall into the trap. They fear our unity more than our airstrikes" 

"Central to their world view is the belief that communities cannot live together with Muslims, and every day their antennae will be tuned towards finding supporting evidence. The pictures from Germany of people welcoming migrants will have been particularly troubling to them. Cohesion, tolerance – it is not what they want to see."

Quoting from an article in the Daily Mail 

Professor Greg Barton from Deakin University in Australia said: 

'They would have known that the documents would not have been atomised by the blast. It could be a way for ISIS to fan the flames of hatred towards migrants. Their recruitment would be helped by this suspicion of migrants'. 

Several terrorist operations around the world, culminating with this week's Paris events resulted in

• A Europe without borders was a dream come true, today we see walls rise around Europe and within Europe.
• EU countries alter the Schengen agreement and restore borders checks. I wonder if this has any security value. It is just that each European country wants to believe that his security forces are better at detecting terrorists.
• Syrian asylum seekers are blamed for the terrorist operations though the majority of the actors are home grown
• In Toronto a Mosque is put ablaze
• A leftist French government puts in place an emergency rule and declares security has priority over freedom.
• All over Europe extreme right politicians say at high voice what they could not say in the past "out with the Muslims, Arabs, and all foreigners"
• A US Democrat is requiring that the US withdraws the visa weaver for EU passport holders
• Donald Trump, presidential candidate in the US suggests that Muslim Americans should carry IDs that determines their religion. Maybe a small reminder of the Jewish yellow stars of the Nazi era?
• Another US Presidential hopeful, Ben Carson compares the Syrian asylum seekers with rabbid dogs

and and and ... people seem to accept blindly the bigotry forgetting ethics and values of democracy ...

Reading about the rise of national socialism, I find frightening connotations.

National Socialism (German: Nationalsozialismus), more commonly known as Nazism (/ˈnaːtsɪzᵊm/), is the ideology and practice associated with the 20th-century German Nazi Party and Nazi state as well as other far-right groups.

----------

sources:

http://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2015/nov/16/isis-bombs-hostage-syria-islamic-state-paris-attacks?CMP=share_btn_gp

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-3321632/Police-arrest-migrant-carrying-passport-Paris-suicide-bomber-sneaked-Europe-posing-migrant.html

Assad's Russian visit was a sorry spectacle

I have no long lost love for Assad, but his "Russia with love" meeting with Putin was a sorry spectacle. 

It is embarrassing to see a dictator grovel.

It is a sad day for Syria when its future has been sold to be played in a game of chess.

Supposedly he came to thank Putin "First of all I wanted to express my huge gratitude to the whole leadership of the Russian Federation for the help they are giving Syria," Assad told Putin.

Yet the Kremlin said it had invited Assad to visit Moscow, and kept the visit quiet until Wednesday morning.

The details of what Putin discussed with Assad at their meeting can not be revealed, the Russian leader's spokesman told reporters on Wednesday.

So it is not clear if he was summoned to come or if it was a courtesy visit.

What is certain is that the visit suggests that Russia, and not longtime ally Iran, has now emerged as Assad's most important foreign friend.

What is certain is that Putin used the visit to talk up the Kremlin's potential to help broker a political settlement to the crisis as he tried to show the West Russia has become a major player in the Middle East. Putin spoke to several regional leaders after meeting Assad. He talked by telephone to the kings of Saudi Arabia and Jordan, as well as the presidents of Egypt and Turkey to brief them on the details of Assad's visit.

What is certain is that Assad cannot play with Putin the tough guy game that he was playing with the Iranian. He will have to jump if the Russians tell him to jump. "Such details are of course unavailable," said Dmitry Peskov, Putin's spokesman, when asked if the subject of Assad's possible political departure and related issues were discussed.

They say a picture says a thousand words.

Assad was alone meeting with the Russian side I wonder why none of his team was accompanying him? 

was it because what Putin wanted to tell him was for his ears only? 

By the way the guy sitting on Assad's side was not somebody accompanying him, maybe a stand-in?

Assad can smile and posture as much as he wants.... Putin does not seem to be impressed...

I can even hear him thinking, you stupid person, we came to help and you are not being able to do anything on the ground! 

I can imagine myself telling Putin, all the Iranian four years support through Lebanese, Iraqi, Afghan, and Iranian militias did not help, did it?

Is non-violence relevant in today's word?

Meeting of Minds: Gandi and Haydar in today's world

was the subject of a panel discussion organized by the Embassy of India, the Lebanese American University & the Friends of Jawdat Haydar. It was held on October 2, 2015 at the Lebanese American University Business School.

It is a subject very dear to my heart.

Below is my intervention at the event as I was one of the four panelists.

---------------

Today, the 2nd of October, is Ghandi’s birthday, commemorated as the International Day of Nonviolence. 

Non-violence? The word sounds a bit out of tune in the midst of the violent turmoil all around us. In our country, our region, the shores of the Mediterranean, central Europe, Myanmar, Ukraine, and, and, and, I could go on for hours mentioning clash points around the world.

The famous image of Ghandi, a thin man draped in white talking about peace and love relays the impression of an ethereal being, a sort of saint. The image of Jawdat Haydar, an attractive old man sitting in a garden pondering about love and peace translating his thoughts into poetry relays also the impression of an unearthly being.How can these persons and their belief in non-violence be relevant to the actual craziness and cruelty surrounding us?

In order to accept, or negate their relevance, we need to correct their schematic image.Both men were thinkers, but also “doers” who lived in eras where brutal colonialism reigned.

Gandhi's early life experience shaped his social activism and awakened him to social injustice. After witnessing racism, prejudice and injustice against Indians in South Africa, Gandhi began to question his place in society and his people's standing in the British Empire.He later on became the leader of the Indian independence movement. Employing nonviolent civil disobedience, Gandhi led India to independence and inspired movements for civil rights and freedom across the world. In his own words he viewed himself as

“a soldier, though a soldier of peace“

In 1920 he wrote in his publication “doctrine of the sword" he clearly defined his views

Non-violence in its dynamic condition means conscious suffering. It does not mean meek submission to the will of the evil-doer, but it means putting of one’s whole soul against the will of the tyrant. Working under this law of our being, it is possible for a single individual to defy the whole might of an unjust empire to save his honour, his religion, his soul, and lay the foundation for that empire’s fall or its regeneration.’ – Mahatma Gandhi 

 Haydar is a man from the Middle East who was a migrant to the new world, who came back to become an educator, public figure and opinion leader. He witnessed wars and civil wars, yet succeeded to create an oasis of peace within the turmoil of the region. He was awarded a number of medals for his humanitarian work, among them the Pope John XXIII award, and the Antakia’s Patriarch Alexander III medal.

In the thirties the Arab world was suffering under the yoke of British and French occupation, and Haydar, who had himself as a child felt the sting of Ottoman occupation, knew the value of liberty and liberation. Serving as director of Al-Najah College in Nablus, he was touched by the Deir Yassin massacre. His outcry was not the classical call to arms of the era, but showed his early commitment to conflict resolution through mediation and international law. 

My old father was killed at Deir Yassin,My mother, my sister were also slain,The world was blind but the blood I have seenGushing out from those dearest hearts again.The UN should have been the sword to shieldThe rights of man and his integrity,The heavily armed brigade on the fieldTo smash the oppressors of liberty.But tis a tavern for talk, wine and dice,The Superpowers take their drinks and go,The small and weaker nations pay the priceThen come Sam and the Bear to close the show.

His words resonate strangely in my ears as relevant to today’s UN failures to mediate conflicts

In his upper management role at the petroleum company IPC, he became renowned for fighting corruption and nepotism.

Who are they?Who fight for the rights of man and they abuse themThey break all the laws and pretend to protect themThey eat the fish and they sell the scales a dear gem(...)

Again a very contemporary concern

With the onset of the Lebanese Civil War, amidst the violence, he retired to Baalbeck working hard on creating an oasis of sanity by his writings and everyday actions.His anguish and pain is best expressed in his poem

Balls crossing ballsOf hopes and fearsTouching down and up again On the field of destiny.Our men are playing A bloody match today Our children are crying Stop it, stop the game Their cries echo bulletsAnd rockets the speed of levin bursting in flame.(…)Leaders enough quarrels and bloodshed Enough bluffs rivering in our earsEnough thatch veiling your hatePull down the tents pitched for gain Pull down the tents of shameGo straight and let the ball of hopes Outweigh the ball of fears

Collectively, Haydar’s poems do constitute a relatively consistent outlook on life, which may be summed up in fairly simple terms: Peace should be mankind’s collective goal; love informed by reason should be its main aim. These were the qualities he most admired in Mahatma Gandhi, the man whom Haydar seems most to have sought to emulate.

Peace but the glory of a real lifeKeep it in your mind, live it in your strifeTis the treasure of belief in your storyIt is the vim of faith in your glory 

An important point to note briefly when is that both men condemned man’s aggression against nature. Gandhi said

"Anyone who fouls the air by spitting about carelessly, throwing refuse and rubbish or otherwise dirtying the ground, sins against man and nature."

For Haydar it was a crusade that haunted him all through the last decades of his life

O world, just once listen and be awareOf the damaging noise and the thick smokeThe strong reek of powder in your big noseCan’t you smell, can’t you foresee the death stroke?  

At this point I want to draw the attention to the subject matter of the comparison. Ghandi’s importance is well known even if we disagree about his relevance today. 

But why Haydar? What is his importance and relevance? 

Ghandi comes from a culture where Ahimsa or non-violence is an important tenet of 3 major Indian religions, Jainism, Hinduism, and Buddhism.

Haydar roots are Arabo-Mediterranean, a culture that historically has no connections or connotation of non-violence. He is almost unique in his philosophy in a region plagued by violence.

Now that we defined non-violent action as a technique by which people can wage their conflict without violence. It consists of acts of protest and persuasion, noncooperation and nonviolent intervention designed to undermine the sources of power of the opponent in order to bring about change. Let’s try and explore the relevance of non-violence today.

There are numerous examples of successful non-violent revolts through history, from the early Christians versus mighty Rome to Martin Luther King. There are some examples of unsuccessful ones such as the Prague Spring.

If we look closer to home we see

• The Egyptian Revolution of 1919 who led to Britain's recognition of Egyptian independence in 1922, and the implementation of a new constitution in 1923. It was a civil disobedience against the British occupation that started as strikes by students and lawyers, then communication and transport workers, and eventually all Egyptian government personnel.
• The Iranian 1978 revolution against the Shah is another example of success. Between August and December 1978 strikes and demonstrations paralyzed the country. The Shah left Iran for exile on January 16, 1979.
• In Palestine the first Intifada that was peaceful, it resulted in the Oslo accords, the second failed when it became armed.
• In Egypt and Tunisia the Arab Spring protests led to the fall of the Presidents in these two countries.
• In Syria all was lost when after 9 months of non-violent demonstrations the opposition armed itself.

By these concrete examples, the discussion is open as to relevance and applicability in today’s world of Mahatma Gandhi and Jawdat R. Haydar belief in non-violence.

Obama/Putin: it is becoming grotesque

I have been refraining from writing for a long period, I am utterly disillusioned about the “age of Aquarius”, but lately the Iranian, Russian, and American “bla bla bla” I am hearing pierced my sel-made cocoon.

It is becoming grotesque. 

Putin coldly asserts that the Syrians are fleeing Daesh, not Assad. I wonder if he saw the pictures of what barrel bombs dropped on civilian areas do? The UN said that the barrel bombs kill more civilians than any other weapons. These barrel bombs are carried by planes he is still supplying to Assad.
Obama coldly acknowledges that Assad is dropping barrel bombs on civilians. He does not mention what he did to stop barrel bombs - sometimes filled with chlorine - that are the biggest killer of civilians in Syria today? Among other pandering he is refused to assist in the creation of no-fly safe zones where civilians can live without fear of the death dropping from the skies.
Rouhani of Iran coldly declares that Iran re-established democracy in Iraq and now is acting to do the same in Syria. Here I prefer not to comment. But then he goes on demanding that US behaves better with his people so that they can cooperate. And Americans nod their head in agreement awed by the power of Iran… burlesque… no?!
Then all of them followed by the European poodle declare their war on Daesh!

This war is viewed by many in this doomed region of the world that happens to be in majority Sunni as a Christian/ Shia war on them. That is the sad reality that will keep on fuelling the furnace of fundamentalism.

Did I tell you about a Syrian friend of mine who happens to be a secular Sunni, meaning not veiled and not practicing who has a 13 year old boy who does not pray or fast and who decided to join Daesh?! The boy feels cornered and he views Daesh as the only people who can give him back his dignity and stench his rage at the Obama, Putin, and “West” stupid uttering. She does not know what to do and how to deal with it. Any mother of a teenager can understand her anxiety.

Her, and any one of us who ever believed in “democratic values” are victims of the fall of ethics we are witnessing today in international politics and the failure of the United Nations to protect civilians and hold war criminals accountable.
Four years ago, the same people who today are ready to fight with Daesh or whatever extremist group that mushrooms were taking to the street praising the US and Western values. One more missed opportunity for a doomed region, one more betrayal that leads to chaos.

If  it wasn’t so sad it would be Kafkaesque.
Sorry for ranting, but it is becoming too much to bear.

In remembrance of the forgotten children of Ghouta

A team of UN chemical weapons inspectors have confirmed that the nerve agent Sarin was used in an attack on the Ghouta agricultural belt around Damascus on the morning of 21 August. 2013.UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon told the UN Security Council that he believed the attack constituted a war crime. The UN report, he said, detailed the "most significant confirmed use of chemical weapons against civilians since Saddam Hussein used them" in Halabja in 1988.

That was two years ago.
Until today nobody was held responsible, even investigations were not launched.

Obama and Putin agreed that the only punishment was to confiscate the weapon of the killer and let him free to kill more and more children.

Assad gave up his chemical weapons and improved the techniques of indiscriminate barrel bombing.

Almost exactly two years after the devastating chemical weapons attacks, Assad targeted the same region and the world did not take action.
"The government's bombing of (Douma) yesterday is devastating," The UN's Syria envoy, Staffan de Mistura said. "Hitting crowded civilian markets killing almost one hundred of its own citizens by a government is unacceptable in any circumstances."
Sunday's series of raids on the town of Douma was one of the bloodiest regime attacks in Syria's four-year war.

A Syrian father who lost his son in the horror of  the two years after declared

"I do not understand why they got rid of the chemical weapons. They were more humane that the actual barrel bombs the regime is using. At least chemical weapons did not blow the children to pieces. Those whose children were killed by Sarin two years ago were able to hold their children and kiss them before burying them. I was not able to. My son was torn to pieces by the barrel bombing."

Is saying “unacceptable” an acceptable response?

“UN Syrian Envoy Condemns 'Unacceptable' Air Strike Massacre »
Monday 17, August, 2015

This came after the Syrian regime deployed yesterday 'scorched earth' policy in 10 strikes on busy market with death toll nearing 100 among which 35 children. Another 240 people were wounded, and the death toll continues to rise as those in a serious condition succumb to their injuries.

"The government's bombing of (Douma) yesterday is devastating," The UN's Syria envoy, Staffan de Mistura said. "Hitting crowded civilian markets killing almost one hundred of its own citizens by a government is unacceptable in any circumstances."
Sunday's series of raids on the town of Douma was one of the bloodiest regime attacks in Syria's four-year war. They came almost exactly two years after devastating chemical weapons attacks on the same region that much of the international community blamed on the Syrian government.

An AFP photographer described the attack as the worst he had covered in the town.
“He saw dozens of bodies lined up on the bloodied floors of one of Douma's makeshift clinics, as medics struggled to treat waves of wounded.
Two young boys with bloodied faces sat on a stretcher as they awaited treatment, one resting as though exhausted while the other cried.” (http://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/199558#.VdHlsPmqpBc)

The least to say is that the reaction from around the world is lukewarm.
It is as if the world does not care.
I can hear some asking me "what can the world do? it is a civil war"

No it is not a civil war. Assad is a dictator barrel bombing his people; a dictator who would have collapsed long ago, if it was not for the support of Iran and Russia. Iran has boots on the ground and Russia holds the door of Security Council and supplies the weapons.
He is a dictator who bowed to international pressure and handed in his chemical weapons when the US threatened to intervene.

The “West” is playing the game of protecting their interests. The UN is a cowardly lame duck. The world turns a blind eye to Assad's terrorism and war crimes.
Syrians seem to be unlikeable victims and ethics in politics are no more in fashion.

I am ashamed to live in such an era....

I conclude with a heart-breaking message from a Syrian father who lost his son in the horror of 16 August 2015

"I do not understand why they got rid of the chemical weapons. They were more humane that the actual barrel bombs the regime is using. At least chemical weapons did not blow our children to pieces. We were able to hold them and kiss them before burying them"

Racism has no borders

Today a young white man who believes in South Africa's Apartheid and Rhodesia's models enter a church where African American people pray to shoot them indiscriminately. 

This happened in South Carolina, Unites States. A country with a history of proactive anti-discrimination action. A democratic country where the rights of minorities are guaranteed by the constitution and where the rule of law is upheld. A Country where wealth, hope, and the pursuit of happiness are almost a religion.

How then are Americans surprised to see young people joining fundamentalist movements that are fascist and racists in nature. The actions of these organization are mass hate crimes.

How can they be surprised when these crimes are committed by young men that live in countries where there is no rule of law and where hope is a rare commodity. 

Hate and violence are a human reality that we need to fight; it is not restricted to certain societies and cultures. 

It is a curse and plague of all humanity.

I wonder if this is clear the so called "western civilization".

Obama on Yemen

Just heard an American analyst on Al-Jazeera saying that Obama does not care who governs Yemen, what is important is the stability. 

He then added, Obama prefers to have in Yemen a democratic process rather than a dictator. And given that the Houthy represent the majority of the Yemenis they should be part of the process. 

It is not the first time I hear this analysis. 

Do they think we are stupid? or are they stupid? 

Hadi became president of Yemen through a transparent internaitonally observed election tha followed a peaceful revolt that unthroned Abdallah Saleh who was a dictator. This is a fact, the guy is legal and not a dictator. 

In addition the Houthy represent less than 50% of the Houties who are a minority of 10% of the population, so how can he represent the majority of the population? 

Their strength comes from their alliance with the ousted dictator Abdallah Saleh who was in control for 30 years of the army. His control over the army remained even after his ousting. He worked to undermine Hadi and finally went to Iran to make a deal. The result was an unholy alliance between old foes, Saleh and the Houthy.

The Houthy are backed by Iran and have been through the unlawful use of weapons undermining the democratic process. Iranian officials have themselves declared that they aim from their support of the Houthy to emulate the Hezbollah experience in Lebanon. Meaning the creation of a state within the state. And independant force that would take its lead from Iran.

These are facts and not analysis. 

So can somebody explain the ethics or soundness of the Obama and UN positions? 

Again is it lack of understanding? or smuggness? or just bad will?

Is the Fourth Wave a regression to the Dark Ages?

The world of today is frightening. 

We hear supposedly intelligent people repeating like parrots Samuel P. Huntington’s theory of the “clash of civilizations” or Hans Köchler’s theory of “dialogue of civilizations”. Does anybody realize what this means?

It is determining the identity of people by their culture or religion. It is accepting predestination and stagnation. You are ruled by where you are born and do not have a chance to change, this is what it means.
It is the same belief that ruled Europe prior to the Renaissance and the age of Enlightenment, the concepts that were theoretically behind the war of roses, the 100 year war, the inquisition, and the crusades.

It negates Sartre, Rousseau, Marx, Adam Smith, Ricardo, and Washington. It negates the industrial revolution, the third wave, and globalization.
It negates the nation-state and globalization.
It negates democracy as it says there is no mobility between religions, ethnicity, and cultures.
It destroys the theory of power struggle based on resources and economic development or class struggle.
Let us not forget that we often talk about class culture so it promotes the caste system.

According to many

• Now it is Daesh against the world because Daesh represents the Levant Muslims and the Western Christian civilization represents the World. So it is a clash of civilizations; Levantine against Hellenic.
• Now it is also Daesh representing Sunni Islam against Iran which is Shia Islam; so it is a clash of cultures; Arabs against Persians.
• Now it is Daesh representing the dark skinned people of the MENA against the fair haired people of Europe, so it is the clash of ethnicity.

I could go on forever…

Sadly, many people believe that the struggle is a clash of cultures or civilizations.
They cannot see the underlying economic and social instigating factors.
They do not see the “game of nations” part where national interests overrule ethical or humanitarian considerations.

Finally, if it is a “clash of civilizations”
can somebody explain to me the reason two young Lebanese Christians are today fighting with Daesh?
can somebody then explain to me the reason many Germans of Germanic descent are today fighting with Daesh?
can somebody then explain to me the reason why young men who never prayed in their life are today fighting with Daesh?

Yes the world is a frightening place when we are plunging willingly into a new Dark Ages period.

Traveling on Lebanon's mountain roads

I have been for the last few days spending my time (4 to 8 hours a day) on the road trying to reach the Bekaa valley. 
Though I visit the country often, I usually live in the confines of Beirut. So it was an interesting though tiring experience.
What I discovered is a mixture of emotions, memories and disappointments.
The country has a definite charm as to scenery. Mont Lebanon under snow is lovely.
One cannot also be except amazed by the number of micro-climates you experience in Lebanon within a distance of less than 100 kilometers. 
It is a blessing of nature that can be a golden mine for tourism.
Looking closer one sees the levels of pollution personified by the black that smears the snow not only by the side road as everywhere in the world, but up to tens of meters from the road which is dismaying.
While sitting in the car in a traffic jam that one rarely experiences in cities not to talk about internaitonal roads, one cannot except wonder why is the infrastrure so decrepit. The roads were perfect for the 1970s of the twentiest century. They are insufficient for today in view of the number of cars and the traffic levels. In addition they are badly maintained and badly policed.
And where is the railroad network that would solve many of transport and traffic problem?!!
I started dreaming of sitting in a wagon and reaching the Bekaa in less than an hour....
Yet the problem also lies in the Lebanese culture of refusing to stay in line. On a road of two lanes, drivers insist on overtaking thus blocking the road for car coming the other way. 
The result is a jumble and blockage that takes hours to resolve....
Conclusion: Lebanon is a beautiful country where the people elect incompetent government.
The country is plunging into underdevelopment and its citizens still live in the haze of the "Switzerland of the Middle East".
A total state of delusion.
I love this country but I have to say that it is unlivable. 

Happy birthday my love

On this day in 1952 a shooting star was born. It soared to the skies touching each and every person lucky to walk its path. Its shine was too intense to remain. Lucky was every person who bathed in its light. I was the luckiest of all. The ninth of January remains the day that made my happiness and bliss a reality. My star still guides me, soothing the pain of separation. Happy birthday my love!