A believer in peace and human dignity

Lament for a sick Arab world

Dec 21, 2015, 8:55 PM

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Samir Kuntar was Lebanese like me. That is nauseating but true.

The nauseating part is not simply that he was a repugnant criminal. After all, every country has its repugnant criminals. It is that upon his release from Israeli jail, he was given a hero’s welcome by Lebanon, and a year later he received the highest Medal of Honor in Syria.

When I note the hate culture among Palestinians, I am told that it is due to the “occupation”, whatever that means.

BS!

The Arab hate culture goes far beyond Palestinian society, and it is not due to any action by Israel. It consists of idolizing thugs and hating the “enemy”, whether it is the Jews, some Christian or Muslim religious sect, or some other tribe.

Israel is not the problem. Israel is the excuse.

When I see talk about Syrian peace conferences, I laugh, then I cry. There will be no peace in the Arab world until we face our past and our present, and there is sadly no sign that we Arabs have started doing that.

About the Author

Fred Maroun is a Canadian of Arab origin who lived in Lebanon until 1984, including during 10 years of civil war. Fred supports Israel's right to exist as a Jewish state and to defend itself. Fred supports a liberal and democratic Middle East where all religions and nationalities co-exist in peace with each other, and where human rights are respected. Fred is an atheist, a social liberal, and an advocate of equal rights for LGBT people everywhere.