Hopelessness

July 16, 2006 at 11:31 pm · Filed under Seriously

The Lebanese, who have just just started standing on their own two feet, are being butchered and massacred ruthlessly.

I don’t think I have ever felt so much hate in my life.

This hate isn’t towards one group, it is towards all sides involved; Hizbullah for flexing their muscles in a shirt too big for them, Israel for being the ruthless, inhumane war-machine that they’re so good at being, and most frustratingly, us Arabs collectively for being so darn pointless.

I just HATE the fact that we happily partake in needless boycotts, participate in violent demonstrations, and go ahead burning embassies over a goddamn cartoon but shrug helplessly at massacres that are killing our blood a few hours away from home. I know that our blood’s been worthless to the rest of the world for a while, but when did it become so worthless to us?!

Damnit. We really have no idea what to yell about do we? We just want to yell. Release the energy every once in a while. This time the energy happened to be released over a cartoon- it came, it went, ta ta rage. Whoof. But now that we have something worse screaming about- it’s like, ah, too late amigos, we’re out of steam. Let’s wait till McDonalds designs an icecream cone that looks like the word “Allah” and then we can have another pissfit.

Ah.

I’m losing hope.




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  • http://moey.wordpress.com Moey

    speechless again..

  • http://discoveringlifelife.blogspot.com Linda

    Roba i think you said it best. as long as arabs do not organize themselves and use their energy for the right situations, we cant expect anything else from the rest of the world.

    i am losing hope too.

  • http://omars2cents.blogspot.com Omar

    wait wait..
    Are you saying the cartoons are less important than civilians dying daily in Lebanon.

    ;)

  • http://cafelulu.blogspot.com lulu

    Thank you for those words; you hit the nail on the head regarding our misplaced priorities. What a shame that we are too cowardly to stand up and protest/make our voices heard when it’s our own being killed mindlessly.

  • http://www.blogger.com/profile/9588418 Craig

    I know that our blood’s been worthless to the rest of the world for a while

    Roba, I don’t know why you say this? When has the “rest of the world” spilled Jordanian blood? Or Palestinian blood, for that matter? You’ve even had the support of the rest of the world (minus the US) on the Palestinian issue all these years. And you still do. I really don’t understand where that comes from. From where I’m sitting, it looks like Arabs consider non-Arabs to be fair game. Westerners have been targets of Arab terrorists for most of my life – and I’m a lot older than you. Until 2001, the west never hit back. I know you probably don’t agree with me, but that’s the way I see it. I was a 19 year old Marine when Hezbollah murdered 241 US troops in 1983, including friends of mine. We didn’t hit back, then. We left, instead. Hezbollah won. That attack – that “victory” over the US – made Hezbollah what they are today.

    but when did it become so worthless to us?!

    I don’t know. Do you? Could I find any programs on Arab television that glorify martyrdom? That preach hate and death against non-muslims? When you teach children that the best they can do in this life is give up their life fighting “enemies of God” then what do you think the result is going to be?

    I’m sorry you are losing hope. I lost hope in humanity more than 20 years ago. I’ve been trying to find some, again, recently. Believe it or not, your loss of hope has encouraged me. And I thank you for that. Maybe all hope is not lost as long as there are people willing to reconsider the status quo.

  • http://www.arabesquerhabsody.com/blog/ Ohoud

    You know that yesterday there was a peacefull demonstration in Indonesia?

    One thought came to my mind: how lame we are:)

    I have my hopes up high;hamdilla; when I see how brave people are, how strong they still are while hundreds of them are being killed with cold blood, I feel ashamed to lose hope

    God bless Hassan Nassrallah, nobody has given him credit for forcing Israel out of lebanon.and now he’s judged of “irrational” acts.

    And when are the rational acts exactly? when arabs are watching the massacres in Gaza and crying at their homes? when the US legitemises Israel acts since its targeting “terrorists”??

    Linda: there will never be aright moments. You should know that by now. ARABS ARE COWARDS. Allahuma illa nafsi;)

  • Susu

    Ruba you say you have so much hate for “Hizbullah for flexing their muscles in a shirt too big for them”

    But you all forget this is the same Hizboullah that flexed their muscle in the same big shirt and was able to liberate the south where the likes of you stood by and let the Shites of the south fight and die alone. Funny how everyone was taking credit for the liberatin of the South and Hizboullah was generous enough to accept sharing their (yes, THEIR) great victory over the jewish militants.

    Way I see it, Hizbouallah earbned the right to free the prisoners. We did not give them the eight, they earned it alone. And if Arab thugs and dictators can betry our prisoners and give up our land and walk all over our rights, Hizbouallah is the only true leader that deservs, if not our support, at least our inaction. Yes, our inaction is sometimes the best gift we give those guys because the only action they have seen from our country is to provide cover to the Israelis.

  • Susu

    Craig the Jerk: “Westerners have been targets of Arab terrorists for most of my life”

    Really? assuming your false statement above is true, i wish to remind you that for centuries the West helped itself to third world resources and slaughtered millions of non-whites, all the way to the callous cold-blooded murder of 500,000 Iraqi babies, the genocide in Palestine and now the destruction of Lebanon. So it sickens me when you play victim to the people you have for so long brutalizes and suported their enemies.

    Craig the Jerk, you roam the Jordanian blogs posting offensive one-track-minded posts. YOu must be a proud extremist jew, always the victim of those you have been so cruel to. But narcissim is one of your traits.

  • http://www.al-ordon.com/blog Hani

    Roba, perhaps this is one of the greatest words I came to read on this tragedy, but, ‎Hizbullah?! No, I don’t think they saw it coming, not this hard… they were trying to free ‎their prisoners who are almost forgotten by the rest of the world!‎

  • http://www.ravinglooney.com Raving Looney

    Shut up you dirrrrrrrrrty muzza. Take your punishment in the name of Islam.

  • Perry

    “the callous cold-blooded murder of 500,000 Iraqi babies”

    The Arab mind is a terribly wasted thing.

  • Adrian from Denmark

    My eyes catched exactly the same line as craig focused.

    Before in time I was one of the pro-palestine europeans that Craig mentioned.
    I always felt sorry for the victims in the conflicts, ’cause it’s clear that mostly civilians are dying, and back in time I put the blame on Israel.

    However, I have changed my mind recent years, and let me tell you why.

    Everytime there were some possible solution to conflicts and we (europe) and you (midesat) could join TOGETHER, you ratted out (Oslo talks being the best example, but you also failed to disarm Hizbollah, and failed to make a peacetreaty with Israel like egypt did.)
    You HAD my support, but each time you fail in the partnership we had about peace, you start whining and blame “the world”, instead of stoppin a secand and ask yourself “Is it REALLY the world to blame, or is it ourselves to blame becasue we didn’t disarmed Hizbollah?”

    If the world that you feels fails you these day should support your side once again as so often before, will you then do something crazy (again) to fuck up the situation, and then blame the world but not yourself once more?! I think you will…

    Gaza was also free for Israeli occupation for one long year. The got it the way they wanted. They used their freedom to launch rockets and kidnapp soldiers from Israel.
    They FUCKED GAZA UP AGAIN and they too blame the world.

    Why should I as a dane care at all?
    You are like a child that created conflicts with other kids in the year, and then when other kids gets angry at you, you blame the bigger kids for not helping you solve what you fucked up yourself.
    Grow up.

    - Take responabillity for your own country.
    - Stop blaming the world for something that’s none of their business.
    - Disaram Hizbollah.
    - Make permanent peace with Israel.

  • Adrian from Denmark

    @Hani

    >> No, I don’t think they saw it coming, not this hard… they were trying to free ‎their prisoners who are almost forgotten by the rest of the world!‎

    They ALREADY SAW what happend in Gaza because of one soldier, so of course they knew what would happen.
    Hizbulah wanted the conflict, they created the conflict, and they got exactly what they wanted.

    I see you are also one of the “Oh, the world have forgotten” us types.
    Poor little thing you are.

  • http://www.black-iris.com Nas

    …organize a mass protest or join the one thats held almost every week now from the downtown mosque.

  • http://www.blogger.com/profile/9588418 Craig

    Roba, why do you have moderation on your blog, and then let a racist personal attack like Susu’s through?

    I’m sorry I broke my resolution not to post on Jordanian blogs. See how she calls me a jew? And attributes these “jewish” character traits to me?

    I’ve never had a more racist comment applied to me in my whole life. The only thing that makes it funny is that I’m 100% anglo-saxon ancestry.

    Enjoy your bigot commenters. Whatever sympathy I felt for you which prompted me to comment here is gone. If you didn’t have moderation, I’d blame only Susu. But since you do have moderation, I blame you for that racist attack. You must be a racist too, if you don’t have a problem with that.

  • Susu

    “I’ve never had a more racist comment applied to me in my whole life. ”

    Craig the Jerk: you always outperform yourself. you pathitic show of victimization is causing me to hurl. What to hear more racist comments? stop by the refugee camps of those you have ethniclly cleansed to clear space for jews, or interview relatives of the the little children you have burned to death in Marwaheen. You callous, sick, sorry excuse of a human being.

  • Mohannad

    Prof. Charles Harb, AUB wrote in the Guardian today:
    What is happening in Lebanon is a tragedy for a people who have been made to suffer a great deal in the past three decades. A tiny country with a war-weary population and great pride is being made to pay once more for the incompetence of Arab rulers, the arrogance of a superpower and the self-righteousness of the Israeli state.

    http://www.guardian.co.uk/israel/Story/0,,1822178,00.html

  • Caramella

    I am pained, really pained by the stereotypes and the judgmental attacks I’ve been reading in comments on the blogosphere the past week.
    What is wrong with people?

    Why do we hurry to fight without being attacked?

    I am a Jordanian, and I felt personally offended when I read Lulu’s comment. Everyone has a right to express whatever view they have, as long as they do it in a civil manner (which Craig did). There’s always a more courteous way to “disagree”, and at least it makes whatever you have to say worthy of being listened to. That rude, offensive comment should have never been allowed to appear.

  • http://andfaraway.net Roba

    Craig, I agree that what I said was unneccessary. It was said in a moment of anger and I take it back. As to worthless to us, I am not refering to suicide bombers as I will never understand the Islamist mentality or merge myself in the same category as them by refering to them as “us”. I am against violence in all its forms, regardless where it is taking place or who it is affecting.

    Furthermore, I do not have comment moderation. Do you find your comments being moderated?
    I also will not have comment moderation. I do not agree with Susu’s opinion at all, I agree more with yours, but like Caramella said, everyone has a right to express his or her view. Deal with it.

    Adrian, don’t be so quick in making assumptions. I actually agree with you, for the most part anyway. Which is why I’m so angry at us at the moment.

  • http://timeo.blogspot.com Loreley

    If you don’t lose hope, I (and many with me in Israel) won’t either. And this is what it boils down to, I think.

    I’m sorry you hurt.

  • http://halalhippie.blogspot.com halalhippie

    Well said, Roba…
    So much anger, it destroys all that is good in us. Like Adrian, I can only watch the news up here in DK and shake my head in disbelief.

    Stay sane

  • http://www.fk450.jeeran.com Fadi K

    Hello Roba , I am loosing hope as well. The Killing of innocent victims is driving me crazy, being Lebanese , Israeli’s or what ever. I hate to say it but our one way valve type of thinking started the fire at the wrong time. We should all be responsible for what we do.

    Things are closing in on us from every where and you get Hizbollah start the fire! I still can’t justify it at all! There are a million things to take care of rather than pushing the middle east into a war that will destroy another generation and eventually bring more suffering into the Middle East.

    This will never end unless we work harder!

    Take care and I hope your relatives in Lebanon are all alright and safe.

    Fadi

  • Yasmine

    This is just insane, why can’t we just all live peacefully and put the past behind us? I’m a Palestinian and I would be willing to live peacefully with the Jews if it means that no more innocent people would be killed, this is reality, this is what we should do until we are capable of putting our heads together, coming up with a plan that we are able to see through. You can’t gamble with people’s lives. we talk and talk but when someone close to us dies in one of this incredibly insane attacks we’ll start thinking differently, life is life, there is no excuse whatsoever for taking it forcefully no matter what cause you believe in, Israel- America- Hezbollah- The Palestinian issue… violence will never be the answer, we need to get educated, the answer is not in a bomb, its in education and communication and tolerance and faith and peace. Jihad today, is not about holding a weapon or blowing urself up, its not about fighting with blood, its about being smart and knowing how to win ur rights without shedding a drop of blood- this will always just go on and on in a never ending circle… Jihad is about making non Muslims respect your religion as was the case when the prophet was alive, it’s not about terror. but what about the innocent people that just wake up to go to work and dream about their annual two week holiday? Its people like this that got killed… please look at the bigger picture, and judge people by their actions, not by their intentions. As long as the Arabs are so separated by their opinions and their beliefs, they should put politics on hold, until they can be responsible for what they inflict on these random innocent people by their haphazard attempts in taking a stand.

  • http://www.diasporicdiscontents.blogspot.com S

    The Arab-Americans in NY ARE taking action, so at least you can rest assured that we’ve got our priorities set here. Don’t lose hope…

  • Susu

    “I’m a Palestinian and I would be willing to live peacefully with the Jews if it means that no more innocent people would be killed,”

    You keep forgetting that the jews don’t want to live with you. DUH!!! that’s the core of the conflict. where have you been? why do you think more palestinains live outside of palestine? wny do you think the occupation never ended and israel does not want to annex the West Bank and Gaza, but prefer to digest the land on an as-needed basis, as they force the non-jews out? havent you heard the jews talk about the demographic threat? do you know who is the demographic threat? THAT’S YOU BABY!! THEY DESPISE US. WHY DO YOU THINK THEY HAVE NO PROBLEM SLAUGHTERING HUNDREDS OF NON-JEWS OVER THREE CAPTURED JEWISH MILITANTS?

    Do you think your plea for peaceful co-existance would be reciprocated? you are very naive and obvioulsy terribly out of touch.

  • http://www.iread.blogspot.com manal y

    hi roba i wanted to leave a comment on this blog but i ended up with
    so many words, and then decided to blog it on my blogsite,
    read what i had to respond to some comments…
    althought i would love that our comments would be free of accusing and
    cursing one another. and what yasmine said about Jihad is so beautifull and so true. i pretty much agree with all she said.

  • http://caramaena.blogspot.com/ caramaena

    I also agree with Yasmine’s comments.

  • http://hareega.blogspot.com hareega

    Craig… the history of the Middel East conflict began way before any of us was born. I’m sure you know it but let me remind of how the Europeans agreed to “get rid” of the JEws by encouraging their immigration to Palestine in 1917 and when the Britons left in 1948 they allowed ISrael to declare their independence. The US was the first country to support the foundation of ISrael against the desire of all countries in Europe and many US politicians themselves. In 1967 ISrael occupied the West bank and Gazza and Julan heights and these are referred to now as ISrael. Again Israel refused to comply with tens of UN decisions and challenged the world and decided to stay. The Arabs were too weak on all levels to get their own right by themselves.

    My whole point from this lecture is to show you that Hizbullah and Hamas are all new movements. All countries in the modern world had movements which used to violence to free themselves from the occuiper. I do not support this but people should realize that Israel is not that innocent country which is trying to defend its borders. It’s an occupation that has always been supported by the US government. I hope American realize this fact because I’m pretty sure they would never approve any of the crimes that Israel has done.

  • http://andfaraway.net Roba

    Yasmine, beautifully said.

  • Susu

    Roba, i am shocked that you removed my post. amazing for someone who claims not to censor. you sound like the official regime, saying onething and doing something elese.

  • http://andfaraway.net Roba

    Susu, I did not remove anything. WordPress has this user moderation feature where it moderates users. You must have used a different email address when commenting using other comments.

  • Yasmine

    susu, i am not naive and i believe that i can change your mind. if you are up for a debate contact me at yak75@hotmail.com

  • Hidden

    Did you think that waging war on otherse was cost free or that we’d send you all ponies and cotton candy? Hmmm – maybe the arab world should rethink its policies on wiping out the Jews.

  • FreeThinker

    WOW, the sheer hypocrisy of some of the posts here is truly stunning. All of this complaining that thousands of innocent civilians are dying in lebanon, while thousand and thousands of Iraqis are being murdered by Sunni terrorists and the Muslim world is silent. When Jews do the killing its an uproar, when ‘heroic resistance fighters’ walk into a school and execute an entire classroom all of you fall silent. Your one-sided outrage betrays your true motives: to see the destruction of Israel.

    Hezbollah has been sitting in South Lebanon for 6 years with no Jews to kill and needs an excuse to justify its own existence. God knows that building schools and developing a functioning state are not as satisfying as dragging your entire country into a war against the evil Jooooz. Hezbollah and their Iranian masters are the modern incarnation of the Nazis and they will bring ruin and destruction on the entire region. As long as the Muslim world cannot stop hating the Jews more than they love their own children their will not be peace. Meanwhile, Israel will remain a succesful state while the glorious and brave Arab nation will continue to rot.

  • FreeThinker

    To answer your question explicitly, your blood became worthless to yourselves when you remained silent at the true massacres and slaughters that were being perpetrated against the Kurds under Saddam and against the Iraqis now.

  • http://hareega.blogspot.com hareega

    Free Thinker… Israel is standing strong ONLY because of the support it always got and is still getting from the US government and from the taxpayers money. IF it wasn’t for the US Israel would not have existed in the first place. A great portion of the land they claim to be ISrael now is an Arabic land not according to me but according to UN # 242 in 1967 that even the US did not veto.

    I am against Saddam Hussain and all the crimes he committed against his people. I am against the killing of innocent people including soldiers, therefore I find Israel a much more evil country and government than Hamas or Hizbullah.