درس اليوم: صمود

July 23, 2006 at 9:29 pm · Filed under Arabisms, Seriously

I was particularly upset when I saw these images because it wasn’t too long ago that I was the same age as these girls, and I know that I would have been too scared to look at such tools of mass destruction to let alone sign them.

Meanwhile, the Lebanese children are expressing their feelings with a different approach.

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The Arabic part says:
“Today’s Lesson: Endurance.”

+ Sabbah




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  • oleander

    maybe steadfastness or perseverance are better translations for صمود

  • Chris

    It just reminds me of “All quiet on the western front” by Remarque.

    The school schouldn’t be a place for propaganda, because the kids will pay the price in the end.

  • me

    Chris, “propaganda”? It is life or death for those children. You do not see it from your leather chair, do you?

  • Katie

    It’s not quite what it looks like! Or so says one lady who knows the people who were there taking pictures. Read this:

    http://ontheface.blogware.com/blog/_archives/2006/7/20/2142505.html

    Hope that gives you some hope.

  • http://discoveringlifelife.blogspot.com Linda

    and its not like this was the school deciding the lesson of the day. many people who lost their homes in lebanon are staying in other homes or places that can carry many people, like a school. thanks for the post Roba.

  • http://andfaraway.net Roba

    Chris, I agree with you. School isn’t a place for propoganda.
    This isn’t school though. School is out now in the Arab world which is all “enjoying” the summer holidays, this is probably one of the makeshift homes made in schools by the Syrian and Lebanese governments to accompany the thousands of now-homeless Lebanese.
    My bet is that these children are probably just entertaining themselves using the facilities around them.

  • Chris

    Linda, you are right, it was hezbollah who was deciding the lesson of the day, not the school.

    @me:
    Yes, propaganda, that’s all the photo is about. You would understand me better if you’ve actually read Remarque. But you haven’t, did you?

  • Chris

    Hi Roba, I agree with you. It’s the kids who are suffering in the first place, the israelis and the lebanese. And that really bothers me, although I might be biased in this conflict (I have to admit).

    I forgot that there’s school holiday in Lebanon (as well as in Israel) at the moment. However I’m stunned that these kids know the names of Iranian missiles.

  • http://indiscretions.blogspot.com Natalia

    It irks me when children are used as props. Shouldn’t we all be worrying about their safety instead? I mean, I know I am. My close friend’s sister was just evacauted from Beirut. She’s lucky… she’s American.

  • me

    Chris, why do you assume I didn’t? I’m curious…

  • http://ramiabur.blogspot.com Rami

    Chris,

    “I’m stunned that these kids know the names of Iranian missiles”

    Will knowing names of American missles make it better for you? Go read the comments of Israelis all over the blogsphere, newspapers, chat boards…etc, they speak of missle names and strategy like they speak of flowers in a garden.

    At least you admit you are biased (as a sort of disclaimer, or to discredit criticisms levelled against you), but how do you still see yourself justified in passing judgements? Explain that.

    And, I also think you are desperate for a Lebanese “children writting on missiles” image. I think those images were a major flop for the Israeli “hasbara” efforts, weren’t they?

  • Chris

    @Me:
    I got the impression from your anwser. Maybe I’m wrong?

    @Rami:
    Children shouldn’t write any names of weapons on blackboards. Do these children read the papers, visit internet chatboards etc? I think they are too young to be well informed. Do they know why there is war? And I really do not believe the children did the blackboard painting containing the names of weapons w/o the help of adults. So for me this is pure propaganda, nothing else.

    I am not desperate in seeing children writing stuff on missiles, but there are worse pictures of arab kids, e.g. with (fake?) explosive belts or children soldiers of hezbollah parading in the street. These pictures are used as propaganda by Hamas and Hizbollah, too. So arab kids drawing flags on missiles or on blackboards really is an improvement for me.

    I think it’s a matter of fairness to say that I am biased. And I am biased because I am sick of the stupidity of hezbollah and the like, who are taking the whole Lebanon hostage. I am sick of their actions wich leads to destruction, death, poverty to the people they claim to support. And I am sick of pro-hezbollah-demos in western cities calling for nukes on Israel. Therefore I can’t be neutral any more.

  • http://andfaraway.net Roba

    Chris, allow me to intercede- I do not think the matter is a matter of neutrality. I myself cannot take the actions of all the Islamist parties who are playing a part in the ravaging of our countries and who play a role in the “backward” mentalities of a lot of our population.

    Just a few months ago we here in Jordan were affected by their retardedness.

    Personally, I think this is an issue of humanity. Yes, Hezbollah played a stupid and uncalculated move by kidnapping the soldies (resulting in a war that I believe was lost before it even began), but the Israelis are playing an evil role by ravaging an entire country to the ground- and Lebanon from all countries! They have just started standing on their knees after their civil war…

  • Chris

    Yes, it’s really a pity that it’s the Lebanon now. I’m totally serious, because I thought it could be kind of a role model regarding democratic reforms in that regions.

    But: Instead of disarming hezbollah, Lebanese politicians decided to integrate hezbollah in the leadership of the country. Of course everybody feared a new civil war if there had been serious attempts to disarm hezbollah. But it’s not wise to avoid a civil war by letting a terrorist organization operating freely, be letting hezbollah attacking a neighbour country during the 6 years since Israel withdrew. It was pretty clear that avoiding a civil war at the cost of the civilians of the neighbour state would not work forever.

    I am asking myself how and who could’ve helped the Lebanon to deal with Hezbollah in a better way. Did the UN fail? I think so. What should have been the role of the Europeans, or of the US, or other moderate arab countries? The current crisis could have been avoided, I am sure, with more help, maybe more pressure from abroad. UN resolutions are just meaningless pieces of paper.

    I can understand that you are talking about humanity. But there are reasons behind the fierce reaction of Israel, wich lie in the former withdrawals from the Lebanon as well as from Gaza, and the announced withdrawal from the west bank. Deterrent has become more important now. The message is clear: Don’t even think about violating the borders of 1967, the reaction will be very painful for you.
    And I can understand that, there are too many extremists in the region who are keen on wiping Israel off the map, no matter how peaceful the Israelis are.

    But let me say this again, it’s a pity that many Lebanese now have to suffer for the wrong decisions of their leaders.