Thursday, August 19, 2010

Leaving Lebanon

By Noha El Maraghi
Who would have thought that such a small country could be so complicated? The issues, culture and politics of Lebanon seem too big for its size. Then again Israel is pretty small and seems to stir up enough complications for the whole world. After travelling all over Lebanon and meeting with politicians, teachers, professors, religious leaders and the average person, there is an information overload in the mind. Everyone has different points of views and they all seem to be valid. Part of what makes the country so complicated is those different opinions and religious perspectives on how the country should be run. Politically it was an amazing adventure in search of truth and why things are this way, especially when it came to the issue of Israel. It was also very helpful to have a leader like Terry who has so much experience and knowledge. At the same time his method of giving you this information is like a friend explaining something as opposed to a higher authority.
Culturally it was amazing, with so many things to do and very friendly people. Of course the Arab culture is not unfamiliar to me, but one thing that I will really miss about Lebanon is how unique they are as an Arab country. People are strong willed and as different as their beliefs are they manage to live together. Lebanon is stuck in the middle; it is a clash of different cultures and religions that forms a unique country. One thing that I went and left Lebanon confused about is this aspect: many different religions trying to take a piece of the pie in running the country. I have not studied in depth secular and non-secular government, but so far I’m leaning toward secular governments. I believe that you cannot mix religion and government because you are going to have to pick one religion to apply and chances are half the population will be another religion. To me it’s a miracle that Lebanon could maintain its government with a system divided according to religion. It was the division of religion that caused the deadly civil war. I believe religion should be your relationship with God and should not be used as a political weapon as it is used so often in today’s world.
It didn’t hit me that I left Lebanon until we arrived in Cairo where I shed a tear, but I really hope to come back very soon, because it is one of the most beautiful places I have visited in all its aspects.

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