To begin with, some of this blog’s readers may be consulting this post from North America or from another location, including Lebanon or even Iran. If you happen to be Muslim, perhaps namely of Shiite Muslim faith, Bambi wishes you a Happy Ashoura. For those who may not know it, Ashoura is significant because it commemorates the sacrifices of Prophet Muhammad’s grandson, Mr. Hussain Ibn Ali.
This being said, Bambi came across a picture in L’Orient Le Jour (https://tinyurl.com/35azzsc3), which is shown below. It shows Lebanese women in the Hermel area, carrying the picture of Mr. Ali Khamenei, the Supreme Leader of Iran. The latter who served as the former President of Iran (1981-89) is a prominent religious leader since 1989 (https://tinyurl.com/2p8ya8tp). Please make no mistake, these young women are all from Lebanon. They most likely do not have any connection with Iran, except for the spiritual and ideological levels. Yet, they are carrying the picture of an Iranian politician and cleric (https://tinyurl.com/2p8ya8tp). Why, Bambi is wondering?
Before or following their walk in the streets, did any of these women pause, for at least one second, to think about the meaning of the gesture of carrying such picture? Of course, in life and in democratic countries, anyone is free to carry any picture. The issue is not about this. Indeed, Bambi’s question is strictly related to patriotic loyalty: why do these young women allow themselves to appear as being more loyal to Iran than to their own country? Is their choice wise and viable for Lebanon, which has been struggling with its multiple crises, and perhaps even for its existence? As a reminder, the latter is, once again, without a president of the republic and without a government. All this is happening within a devastating economic crisis, which is most likely among the world’s worst ones in 150 years, according to the World Bank (https://tinyurl.com/rbx4se6e). Last but not least, the gesture of carrying the picture of Mr. Khamenei sadly does not help Iranian women who have been recently fighting for their freedom.
To conclude this post, with all due respect to all, when will the Lebanese people put their own nation first, that is before any other foreign country and above any related ideology or interests? When will ideologies, religious or not, be under the banner of Lebanon?
