Crucifying Dr. Walid Phares and the Facts
By Elias Bejjani*

November 03/11

It was very sad, extremely annoying and so frustrating to myself as a proud Lebanese Christian activist and to many, many of my own people all over the globe to observe that our honest and genuinely "patriotic Lebanese Christian Resistance Forces" (1975-1990) were unfairly blemished, and wrongly portrayed as an organization of terrorism and massacres in the heated debate that has been raging for weeks in the USA media between supporters and opponents of Dr. Walid Phares, the renowned American Lebanese Christian intellectual who immigrated to the USA in 1990. Phares's opponents are trying to crucify him on the basis that he was a member in our resistance after he was appointed as the Middle East Adviser for Mitt Romney.

While it is a given right and a legitimate practice for those who oppose or support Dr. Phares's appointment to this very critical and influential position to debate the issue and use all arguments, reason and defaults to advocate for their own stances and views, we strongly believe that it is not ethical, fair, legal or even humane in any way to falsely portray our Lebanese Christian Resistance Forces as a terrorist group and tag its previous or current supporters, members and leadership accordingly as terrorists or advocates for terrorism.

The issue here is not if Dr. Phares was a member in this resistance or not because basically there was no membership in this public resistance, but as far as we are concerned the issue goes much further than that when unjustly and viciously the Lebanese Christian Resistance is attacked in the USA media and falsely portrayed as a bunch of brutal murderers who committed massacres. No, No, these mere lies are actual atrocities against our people, and are not acceptable and have no ground in reality whatsoever.

It is worth mentioning that the ongoing Lebanese crisis and dilemma since the early seventies are so complicated even for the Lebanese intellectuals themselves to understand and explain due to the sophisticated fact that it is so interwoven and tied to the Israeli-Arab conflict, as well to regional, sectarian, cultural, educational and religious historical enmities, difficulties and contradictions. Also because of the expansionism and savage ambitions of many Middle East dictators and fanatics spearheaded by the Syrian Baathist regime, the mullahs of Iran, the terrorist group Hezbollah, the Palestinian armed militias, and many others.

In this piece I will refute and strongly criticize the rhetoric of both opponents and supporters of Dr. Phares's appointment for the superficial and naive manner in which our resistance was portrayed and dealt. The opponents tried to criminalize Phares for being a member in our resistance and the supporters fell in this trap and tried stupidly to cosmetically justify his involvement instead of explaining the reality of this great resistance.

Below are some facts that hopefully all those involved in the debate will grasp and accordingly correct their fallacies and wrong information about our resistance:

1- Our resistance was not an organization, a party, a militia or an army. It was all our people; yes merely all our people, men, women, children and the clergy. It was in every village and city where our people lived. The Lebanese Christians were forced to defend their own lives, faith, freedom, entity and the core of their existence after the PLO, Syria, the Arab regimes, many Muslim countries, and 10th of Islamic and Arabic extremist organizations militarily invaded Lebanon and waged a holy war against the Christians in a bid to erect a substitute state for the Palestinians and then use it as a base to attack Israel and fight the West.

2-The Lebanese army as well as the rest of the state institutions were either controlled by the invaders or helpless and unable to execute their obligations. Our people were faced with two choices: either to be killed and slaughtered like sheep, or to defend themselves and stand tall like their Holy Cedars. They did defend themselves and because of their faith, love for their country, dignity, sacrifices and heroism, were able to hold and remain in their country. Our resistance was always in the defensive and never ever in the offensive status.

3- Our people had to buy their own weapons and ammunition from their own pockets; not even one country in the world came to their rescue. Up till 1990, there was no membership in this resistance because all the residents of the Christian villages and cities, including the clergymen and nuns, were the resistance. Accordingly, every Christian residing in the regions that were not conquered by the invaders was an active fighter and a resistance member, each individual in his/her own capacity.

4- Due to a drastic lack of finances, Arab attacks on all levels, intimidation, imprisonment, forced displacement and exodus, persecution and ethnic cleansing, our resistance was not able to advocate for its holy and patriotic cause in any country, while our enemies who are now officially recognized and listed as terrorists in the Western and Free World and with their petrodollars (Wahabists, Kaddafi, Sadam, Iran, Yemen, Somalia, PLO, etc.) were able to exert a tremendous influence on world media facilities, governments and thinking tanks, especially in the USA, Canada and many European countries. They distorted and falsified facts and attributed to our resistance crimes and massacres like Sabra and Chatila, while covering up the hundreds of brutal massacres that they inflicted on our people and still do.

5- It is worth mentioning that the Sabra and Chatila massacre was not committed by our resistance nor by the Israeli Army, but by Mr. Elie Hobeika, a Lebanese forces military leader, and his men. Hobeika's stinking reality was unveiled after the Syrian army invaded and conquered all of Lebanon in 1990. He was a top notch Syrian agent, which simply means that the Syrian regime was fully responsible for this terrible crime. Seeing what the Syria regime is inflicting on its own people during the last months explains the identity of this butcher.

6- Christians in Lebanon are peace loving people, faithful, respect coexistence, honor human rights, and are enriched with a deeply rooted history of 7,000 years. More than two million Americans are Christian Lebanese descendents while 12-14 million Lebanese Christians are living peacefully, productively and honorably in almost every country in the world. Dr. Walid Phares is one of those people who carry the Lebanese message of peace wherever they go or settle. We honestly believe that he is a great asset to the position that is debated and not the contrary.

In conclusion, if we can tag our troops in Afghanistan who are fighting terrorism as dangerous to hold any position when they return home, than we can crucify Phares for being a Lebanese Christian who with his people were forced to defend themselves against all those who are now recognized worldwide as terrorists and our troops are fighting them all over the world.

Hopefully this explanatory message will make some difference for those involved in the Phares's appointment debate because our Lebanese Christian Resistance Forces are as noble and genuine as was the patriotic French Resistance and even more.


*Elias Bejjani
Canadian-Lebanese Human Rights activist, journalist and political commentator
Email phoenicia@hotmail.com
Web sites http://www.10452lccc.com & http://www.clhrf.com
Elias Bejjani's Face Book site http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=602442765#!/