Persiflage & Paroxysm

Who constitute the most powerful class in Lebanon after the super rich and feudal lords? Not elected officials certainly, rather it's clerics of all faiths. Think about it, they are not elected by the people yet they decide on vital matters such as marriage rites, death rites, inheritance law, they have political power and a sizable popular following. Those at the top of religious establishments often administer large tracts of land and dispose of these properties as they see fit and therefore have immense economic power too. They are not answerable to parliament like government ministers are, they are only answerable to God. So, when people call for civil marriage to be instituted in Lebanon , they should first know who they are up against and whose power they are in fact challenging! It’s very medieval, I know, but there it is, we are a very medieval society where a career in the clergy is still a very good bet, probably better than a career in the civil service. W...

The late great President Fouad Chehab tried with all his might to bring our country and its people into the modern age. He tried to build the fabric of a modern State and succeeded to a large degree. Unfortunately his term in office was limited. All one man could do was done, in the end it was up to the people to pick up where Chehab left off. Instead, we regressed back into the welcoming, secure, and familiar womb of our sectarian groupings.   Back in 1970, Chehab gave his reasons for not standing for election for a second non-consecutive presidential term that year and the text of that declaration was an eye opener for me as I am sure it will be for you too. Three years later he was dead; cause of death a heart attack, although I suspect the real cause was heartache because the Lebanese people broke his heart by rejecting everything he ever stood for.   During the years of civil war and following that during the years of Syrian tutelage, people forgot Chehab, o...

While the proposed election law dubbed the Orthodox gathering law offers a simple solution to a serious problem, the fact so many voters are not fairly represented in the existing electoral system, the medicine in this case will likely kill the patient.   I am a Latin Christian from Ras Beirut, I am classified under the broad umbrella of ‘minorities’ which means my vote has little to no impact in my district, or so I’m told. The fault does not lie with the democratic process itself, it lies with the way parliamentary seats are distributed on a sectarian basis for each district. Instead of any citizen from any sect running in any district to be elected (or not) by any citizen of voting age in that district no matter what their sect based on the principle of ‘one-man-one-vote’, our system makes voting for some almost pointless.   Our system is so convoluted that understanding it is like trying to correctly guess which one of the three cards on the table is the queen...

Lebanon and its financial system are under close scrutiny from international agencies, the United States and the European Union. New rules put in place to regulate the movement of money in to and out of the financial system have tightened the screws on anyone thinking of filtering their ill gotten gains through local banks and financial institutions, or to use the local financial system as a conduit for funneling funds to terrorist organizations. Since the case of the Lebanese Canadian Bank (LCB) first made headlines, local banks and their umbrella organization the Association of Banks in Lebanon (ABL), have been frantically shoring up their defenses and internal procedures to comply with international requirements in an effort to allay concerns of international organizations and the world,   in particular the US and the EU. But is this enough to ensure overwhelming and voluntary compliance from local financial institutions, or will we see another LCB-like case emerge before ...

Astrology is not science; even calling it pseudo science is over generous. In Lebanon today the business of astrology and the pronouncements of astrologers have metamorphosed from a mere fair ground curiosity, a New Year’s Eve amusement, to a much debated issue. People are taking the words of the soothsayers more seriously than ever before and serious journalists and media are reporting on the utterances of these prognosticators. In compelling video montages local TV channels compare what the soothsayers predicted a year ago with events over the past year in such a way that makes the rational mind question whether there is actually something to this so-called science. Rest assured all rational and scientific minds, you are not through the looking glass and this is not wonder land. The events and occurrences that the soothsayers appear to have predicted accurately are part of the stock and trade of the side show palm reader. Their secret is to study their subject’s psychology,...