The Winds of Freedom in the Land of the Cedars
Wake up call- I
By: Camil Bhersafi
May 13/07

Over the millenniums, Lebanese people traveled the world, built empires, helped to shape and create civilizations. Our conquest was based on the respect of the dignity of the human being, and our deeds were profoundly based on communicating, educating, creativity, trade and openness.

Our love for discovery and adventure made us ride the high seas, throughout our seven thousand years of history. But no matter how far we traveled, our nostalgia to the homeland, kept us going back to our ancestral home. Some while alive to walk the thin line between heaven and earth in the land of the cedar of God, and others to meet the Creator. It is much closer over there, after all isn’t Lebanon God’s garden on earth, and the land where Jesus walked and made his first miracles?
It was this sense of independency and the love for freedom, that linked us deeply and heavenly to the freedom of our beloved country, Lebanon. So when this freedom was hijacked with all what it represented from history, sovereignty, identity and faith, our nationalist compatriots in Lebanon and the Diaspora, set their sails once again, and sailed toward liberating Lebanon and succeeded. But since hopes and dreams can not be fulfilled easily, our compatriots worked hard, hand in hand, vigilantly with great understanding, throughout the great distances, differences and the immense sacrifices and persecution to achieve the dream, that did come for most of us, but it was a nightmare for others.

This journey of resistance and liberation didn’t start with (SALSA), 1559 or the assassination of Rafik Harriri. It started in the fifties when Arab nationalism moved to devour Lebanon’s identity. It started in the early seventies when Syrian smuggled their Palestinian brigades into Lebanon, then invaded the country in 1976 under all kind of hypocritical, malicious, manipulative reasons and promises, with the help of some of those in the so called: “March 14th movement” and most of those in the “March 8th coalition.”

This journey grew bolder more intense and more focused in the nineties, till Lebanon was finally liberated in 2005, but this journey can not be stopped now because the challenges ahead are enormous.

This journey will not stop until a true democracy is erected in Lebanon, and the 10452 km2 are fully protected, geographically, politically, economically, culturally and the Lebanese Identity is fully preserved, without any debate or misinterpretation, and the Christian forever feel at home with all their rights protected, and not some kind of second hand citizen like in the surrounding region.

This journey will not stop until all the militias are disarmed including the Hezbollah “God doesn’t need an army” and the Palestinian naturalization is eliminated definitely without arguments, agreements or any political Hippocratic justification.

This journey will not stop until some of the so called Lebanese Christian leaders are stopped from their madness, bickering, miscalculated actions, irresponsible and irrational behavior and unjustifiable agreements, that’s been going on for two decades.

And lets not be confused or mistaken, these leaders didn’t liberate Lebanon, but the enormous sacrifices of the people of Lebanon.
To these leaders we say the victory achieved in 2005 is not yours to gamble with or to jeopardize any more. We refuse to believe that you have more knowledge, you know better or you are entitled to think on our behalf.

It is us, the people of Lebanon, who fought hard for decades, who have the ultimate right to think, to organize, to set the agenda, and your only duty is to execute the plan. To these leaders we say: Your positions and titles are made and given to you so you serve the interests of our people and the country and not your own.
We have given you too many chances for twenty years, but you have failed us and betrayed our cause time and time again. Your games, your manipulation and greed for power and for wealth are way being exposed and your last chance for redemption to prove any kind of remorse, regret, maturity or a good will toward our people has run out, and that’s only demonstrates, a failed leadership, an undisciplined mind, selfishness and treason.

At this moment in time, and after two years of watching your actions, listening to your speeches and monitoring your behavior, We feel obligated to act, and We don’t care anymore, which leader started the argument first, who acted or reacted? Who has the majority or the minority? Who’s being cornered or not? Because the country is on the verge of a big explosion and the Christian are loosing left and right now more then ever.

In this time of our history, we need true leaders, like Bachir Gemayel and Camil Chamoun, just to mention a few. Leaders with great visions, who can stand by their principals, who can understand and compromise with other leaders, groups or parties for the sake of all. We believe that a leader is someone who knows when and how to act, and knows how to use his speech to reach every member of our community. We believe that a leader is someone who never forgot the blood of out martyrs “Honestly”, and never ever forget or forfeit his comrades, and always remember and learn from history.

We believe that a good leader is someone, who can lead toward a better future, and not toward wars and destruction.
Today, unfortunately, most of the so called Christian leaders haven’t shown any of these characteristics or the will to do so. Instead, they wasted our people’s sacrifices and achievements for the sake of a title, for wealth, for useless positions, and most importantly, they haven’t learned anything from their past mistakes, and that, divided we lost our country and failed miserably in the last fifteen years, but united we stood our ground throughout the ages, and we managed to liberate the country from all aggressors time and time again.

I’m not writing this article to be politically correct or to please anyone. I don’t care if someone is going to be offended or tickled. Instead I would like to extend an honest invitation to the followers of these leaders to reason and dialogue with their “Rayes” so they can boost their visions if they still have any left, and to put a stop to their arrogance and stubbornness. Believe me; (these Rayes) don’t know better, and without your (followers) cumulative knowledge, support and help they are nobody. Think about it, deeply and reasonably, we liberated our country without their help, without their support, and we were more united and much stronger, and it didn’t matter to which political party or organization we belonged to.

Unfortunately, their selfishness and arrogant behavior made us loose all what we struggled and hoped for, a better Lebanon, after the new independence. Their bickering, miscalculated actions and agreements brought destruction to our country during the summer of 2006. While under their nose and knowledge, the Christians are loosing their governmental position to their allies, one after another (47 so far).

Lately we hear and see Iranians, Saudis, Egyptians, Syrians and their Lebanese proxies negotiating with the world leaders on our behalf, while the Christian leaders are no where in the picture. It doesn’t matter how much the media will try to convince us otherwise, with useless and Bias explanations, and selfish reasons.
Well, the hell that is not acceptable, We are the ones, the Christians of Lebanon, who resisted, fought and endured all kind of inhumanity for thirty years to free Lebanon, and not those who were embedded with the Syrians, shedding our blood and sucking our country dry.

It is a shame and forbidden for any leader to drag us and the country into any kind of miscalculated confrontation again, like in the eighties, or after the assassination of Minister Pierre Amine Gemayel, or the incidents of January 2007. The stakes are high and the wounds are not healed yet. Also, the Syrians agents, the Iranian, the radicals and their proxies, are still playing on both sides of the spectrum within the March 8th and 14th coalition.

For all the reasons mentioned above, and because these Christian leaders didn’t leave for us any other options, and most importantly for the sake of our history, our Christianity and our Lebanese identity, the time has come to stop blindly following and believing in such a kind of leadership. Before they lead us again, into the mayhem and the uncertainty, as they did before. They are not worthy to trust them with the future of our country or the future of our children any more.

For all the reasons mentioned above the time has come for the Lebanese people to wake up and judge these leaders publicly, by their own actions and records. Not by sentiments and emotions, and make sure that, these leaders will ask forgiveness from our people, our martyrs and our saints, for a thousand years to come.
To our immortal and heroic Lebanese people we say: Don’t be afraid or despaired, we went through hardships, wars and occupations before, and we bounced back to life, much stronger, and more determined throughout our history.

Now, let the Light of truth guide your journey, Wisdom widen you vision, Justice enlighten your judgment and Courage empower your stand.
Long live free eternal Lebanon with the blessing of our saints and the memory of our martyrs.

Toronto, Canada