Lebanon’s Christian Politicians Agree to Disagree

 

    

Beirut – Naharnet — Intra-Maronite squabbling have dominated the political theater in Lebanon recently, reflecting a competition on who represents Lebanon’s Christians and defends their interests.

The row, pitting mainly Gen. Michel Aoun’s Free Patriotic Movement and Samir Geagea’s Lebanese Forces, followed a statement by Maronite Bishops accusing Premier Fouad Siniora’s government of violating the constitutionally-guaranteed freedom of belief, selling the nation’s lands to foreigners and recruiting security officers by contracts without going through the series of required tests.

The Bishops, in a statement released after their monthly meeting Wednesday, were critical of a government decision to join a treaty on Children’s rights in Islam.

The decree, which formalized Lebanon’s membership in the treaty, stated clearly that it should not contradict the rights of non-Muslim Lebanese children and other civic laws related to freedom of belief for Lebanon’s population that belongs to 18 different sects. Nevertheless, the Bishops said in their statement it is “not acceptable that prejudiced (sides) act to wreck this partnership” between the various Lebanese communities.

The statement also said the various Lebanese governments have legalized the sale of seven million square meters of Lebanese property in 14 years to non-Lebanese owners. Such a trend, they warned, could lead to selling out most of Lebanon and Lebanese citizens would “one day find out that they are strangers in their country.”

Christian opposition leaders invested the Bishops statement to hammer the Siniora government as acting against the interests of Lebanon’s Christians and the nation as a whole. The campaign aimed at cornering Christian members of the March 14 majority alliance that backs the Saniora government.

However, Geagea, an outspoken leader of the March 14 majority alliance, denied charges that the cabinet is acting against the interests of Lebanon’s Christians. The Christians, Geagea said, were divided along two basic attitudes to deal with domestic politics.

“One (attitude) intimidates the Christians and implies to them that the world is being knocked down on their heads,” Geagea told the daily An Nahar Friday. The other attitude, according to Geagea, concentrates on the fact that “the stand of the Christians has been weakened over the past 15 years. This does not mean that the Christians cannot rise again,” Geagea added. “The Syrians broke the Christians’ back, not premier Siniora,” he declared.

Commenting on the Muslim Child’s treaty, Geagea asked: “What does it have to do with us if Muslims want their children to follow the Muslim rights charter?” Geagea’s Lebanese Forces is represented in the government by Tourism Minister Joe Sarkis.

“Had we not been part of the government, Christians would have had more worries,” Geagea commented, in reference to charges made by the FPM. Social Affairs Minister Naila Mouawad, another prominent member of the March 14 majority alliance, also defended the Siniora administration against charges of anti-Christian attitude.

MP Antoine Zahra, who represents the Lebanese Forces in Parliament, also said in a radio interview Saturday that charges by certain Christian circles of attempts to “Islamize” Lebanon are not true. “No one is trying to Islamize Lebanon,” Zahra told Orient Radio. “The government is even ready to consider whatever complaints Christians have.”