The Lebanese National Anthem (with Lyrics)

 

All of us! For our Country, for our Flag and Glory!

Our valor and our writings are the envy of the ages.

Our mountain and our valley, they bring forth stalwart men.

And to Perfection we devote our words and labor.

All of us! For our Country, for our Flag and Glory!

All of us! For our Country

Our Elders and our children, they await our Country’s call,

And on the Day of Crisis they are as Lions of the Jungle.

The heart of our East is ever Lebanon,

May God preserve him until the end of time.

All of us! For our Country, for our Flag and Glory!

All of us! For our Country

The Gems of the East are his land and sea.

Throughout the world his good deeds flow from pole to pole.

And his name is his glory since time began.

The cedars are his pride, his immortality’s symbol.

All of us! For our Country, for our Flag and Glory!

All of us! For our Country^[4][5]

Homeland’s portrayal of Lebanon

A famous example of negative stereotyping of Lebanon, was the recent portrayal of Lebanon in the hit US series Homeland.

Although I am a massive fan of the programme, Homeland portrays Lebanon’s famous Hamra Street in West Beirut, as downtrodden, in need of new infrastructure and swarming with militia.

However the reality couldn’t be further from the truth.

It prompted a reaction from Lebanon’s foreign minister Fady Abboud. “This kind of film damages the image of Lebanon – it is not fair to us and it’s not true, it is not portraying reality.”

The Lebanese government even threatened to sue the producers of the programme.

Is this justified?

Have a look at these images and let us know.

 

 

Homeland’s portrayal of Lebanon prompts Beirut to consider a lawsuit. 

Lebanese hit out of Homeland ‘lies’ in depiction of Lebanon 

The National Pact

The National Pact is the unwritten agreement between Maronite  President Bechara El-Khoury and the Sunni Prime Minister Riad Al-Solh. Agreed to in   1943, it laid the foundation for the modern confessional Lebanese state.

Essentially the pact stated that:

–       Lebanon is an independent state.

–       Arab in character but not to seek alliance with the West or the Arabs.

–       The President must be a Maronite Catholic.

–       The Prime minister a Sunni Muslim

This established a delicate balance in the highly pluralistic Lebanese society.

This pact retains much of its form in modern-day Lebanon.

However the Lebanese Civil War (1975-1990) altered some of the Pact.

Lebanese celebrating the release of the Government, November 22nd, 1943. Leading to the National Pact.

How Lebanon Became Independent

In less than a month, Lebaon will celebrate its Independence Day. Celebrated annually on the 22^nd of November, it is a national day of celebration and remembrance of Lebanon’s independence from the French in 1943.

Lebanon’s independence did not come easily.

In 1941, France declared Lebanon ‘independent’ , however continued to exercise authority based on the ‘French Mandate’ agreed to following the fall of the Ottoman Empire in 1918.

In 1943, Lebanon’s first democratic elections saw Bechara El-Khoury elected President and Riad Al-Solh appointed Prime Minister.

The new Parliament amended the constitution by abolishing the article referring to the mandate, therefore constitutionally ending French control.

France reacted by arresting the President, Prime Minister and other cabinet ministers.  This act further galvanised public opinion towards independence. Both Christians and Muslims marched in favour of this.

With international pressure mounting France eventually relented and released the President and Prime Ministers on the 22^nd of November 1943.

Since then, this day is celebrated as the start of Lebanon’s independence.

The first ever Lebanese flag.

Is unity the start to people looking beyond the headlines? What is your view? Does the media underestimate Lebanon’s unity?

Lebanon selected as guest of honour at Sharjah International Book Fair 2013

We don’t really read things like this in the media! Lebanon needs more attention on its positivity! Agree?

http://www.ameinfo.com/blog/real-estate-&-property-management/expo-centre-sharjah/lebanon-selected-as-guest-of-honour-at-sharjah-international-book-fair-2013/

The media does not seem to show these photo’s of respect in Lebanon. The Christmas Tree right next to the Mosque, shows the positivity in the country, rather than the negativity the media reports about.

Religion and Culture

There is more to Lebanon than the way the media says. The celebrations of all different religions and culture is present every day. The following article is an example of the way the culture of Easter is celebrated.

http://globalvoicesonline.org/2012/04/08/lebanon-palm-sunday-and-easter-celebrations/

Respect to all the religions.

Is it about time the media had a read of Khalil Gebran?

The Original Lebanon – Phoenicia

The Phoenicians are the original Lebanese, who occupied the coastline of Lebanon for thousands of years.

The most famous cities Byblos (known as Jbeil in Lebanon) and Tyre (known as Sour in Lebanon) remain standing to this day and are an active, vital part of modern Lebanon.

Phoenicia was never a single nation but rather divided into independent city-states. These would occasionally clash, leading to one city-state dominating the other. Although they would collaborate for leagues and treaties.

The Phoenicians are mostly famous for two things.

The first is their famous enterprise maritime trading culture that lasted until 300 BC. It helped spread the Phoenician empire as far as Carthage, the city the Romans famously burnt to the ground, and proved very profitable for to the Phoenicians.

The second is their use of an Alphabet. The Phoenician phonetic Alphabet is believed to be the first widely used language in antiquity. Historians generally believe it is the ancestor of all modern alphabets.

It was discovered in the 19th century and originally believed to be a sub-text of Egyptian hieroglyphics.

As the original Lebanese, historians and archaeologists have found that many Lebanese, Christian and Muslim, can trace their ancestry as far back as the Phoenicians!

The Phoenicians were eventually conquered city-state by city-state by Alexander the Great. The siege of Tyre, which Alexander the Great used to conquer Tyre remains standing to this day.