What do Muslims think about "Israel and Palestinian Arabs living in harmony and peace side by side?

Several Questions about Lebanon?

• Hi, I'm a non-religious Canadian interested in your country's history and culture. I find Lebanon particularly interesting in contrast to the Israeli-Arab conflict, because it's the only majority Muslim country in the world with a very high non-Muslim population. Correct me if I'm wrong, but I feel it is this fact alone that makes Lebanon's standard of living one of the highest in the Arab World. Politicians continue to say Islam is a religion of peace, but I just can't accept that when the vast majority of Muslim countries in the world are undemocratic with appalling human rights records and hostility to non-Muslims. As long as atheists in Saudi Arabia live in fear, as long as Arab leaders blame everything on secret "Zionist plots", as long as bin Laden is considered a hero by many, I don't think the West will ever be convinced. Personally, I support independence of Palestinians through the three-state solution, and the right of Israel to exist and defend itself. I have a few questions to this regard: 1) Israelis usually say that Arabs hate Jews not for what they do, but for what they are (i.e. non-Muslims), and I think this is largely true, especially when we hear of suicide bombers killing schoolchildren and Hamas using its own citizenry as human shields. Is the only reason why Lebanese Muslims don't hate Lebanese Christians because they are more moderate compared to other Arabs, and the fact that both Lebanese Muslims and Christians speak Arabic? If it weren't for this commonality, would there be more severe conflict? 2) Does the Lebanese Civil War come to represent a deep but silent hostility between the two groups? How fragile is the current peace? 3) If Israel had not entered the civil war in 1982, would the PLO and the Syrians have won? Do Lebanese Christians tend to have a positive view of Israel? 4) Why were there so many different groups fighting during the war? Why were there so many complex alliances that were continually broken? 5) Why don't more Lebanese Christians and Muslims condemn Hezbollah, or at least its military wing, when its stated goal is complete destruction of Israel?

• Answer:

  1. Lebanese Christians and Muslims are one. In the past, the Muslims have had a tendency to side with the Arabs against the Christians, such as the 1958 attempt at a coup and during the civil war when they chose to side with the PLO over their fellow Lebanese, the Christians. However it's common to find Christians and Muslims who are friends with one another, go to the same hang out spots, some times even date and marry each other. The Christian/Muslim split is not based on hatred for each other, but rather cultural differences. The Muslims (except for those in the Beirut area) tend to be conservative-minded and very religious, but that doesn't make them bad people. They're actually really nice. Most Muslims have abandoned hope for a pan-Arab State or a Greater Syria. 50 years ago it would've been fair to say the majority of the Muslims opposed an independent country called Lebanon. That is no longer the case. Most Lebanese of all religions express a deep sense of pride for being Lebanese. 2. Right now, the issue is not a Christian Vs. Muslim issue. The current split is Sunni Muslim Vs. Shia Muslim, one group favoring Saudi Arabia and the Arabs and the other favoring Iran. The Sunni and Shia are so tempted to fight the Saudi Arabia and Iran's battle on Lebanese soil, and the Christians, us being the morons that we are, we decided to take sides. When in reality we should be playing the referee between the Sunnis and Shias, we're only contributing and when they fight it's going to hurt our community the most because we're not united. It takes one more big war in Lebanon to end the Christian community, many Lebanese Christians (more so than Muslims) are leaving Lebanon because of our country blows economically. The difference is Christians leave and don't return, Muslims leave and come back richer than ever. This is because it's easier for Christians to assimilate in western countries than it is for the Muslims. 3. Most Lebanese Christians recognize Israel as an enemy, and you'd have to as a patriotic Lebanese recognize Israel as an enemy. Israel murdered the Lebanese and occupied us in the same way as Syria and the PLO. However, we think more of Israel than we do of the Palestinian Refugees and the Syrians. With the exceptions of the Leftists, you won't generally find a Christian in Lebanon that hates Israel more than it does Syria (at least not historically things are different these days). Even those Christians who ally with Hezbollah suffered tremendously under Syrian occupation for opposing the Syrians. They may hate Israel more NOW, but throughout their lifetimes, it's Syria that affected them more. 4. Basically most groups sought out their own interests. The Sunni Lebanese hid behind the PLO and when the PLO was destroyed, they stayed quiet for the rest of the war. The Christians initially backed the Lebanese Forces (which was Phalangist-run) but as soon as Bachir Gemayel was killed, they started to split up into factions that fought one another. To this day their is a political split between the Christians which may as well be blamed on those who tried to run the Lebanese Forces clashing with one another after Gemayel's assassination. The Shia moved around a bit, first fighting the PLO but then turning their attention to fighting Israel on the same side as the Palestinians. I think the Christian stance was the most patriotic stance and they have always been among the top Lebanese nationalists, but they also had a tendency for being the most violent and the Christian leaders were so power hungry they caused inter-Christian violence that came back to bite them in the ***. They were so weak from fighting one another that they couldn't properly fight Syria or oppose the Taef Agreement. 5. How exactly does Israel's destruction not benefit Lebanon? That's Israel's problem, not our problem. I'm of the opinion that Hezbollah was a valid resistance until 2000, when Israel left Lebanon. They have no reason to be carrying weapons anymore. They need to absorb into the army, their weapons could be a good asset to our boys. Hezbollah's intentions aren't as evil as the west makes them sound, but last year when they attacked Beirut and used their weapons against the Lebanese civilians, they truly lost credibility in many eyes. For a while, even the Sunni Muslims who opposed Hezbollah politically didn't mind them remaining armed. However, last year was an eye-opener, and the Sunni have joined the right-wing Christians in opposing Hezbollah's military wing. Still, the Sunni leaders are too chicken to say a word, and again, the only people who openly state they don't want Hezbollah armed and that their should only be one army in one state are the Christian parties in the March 14 alliance. The Sunni leaders tried to oppose Hezbollah's weapons, and then May 2008 happened. So much for that. 6. Syria stayed because the world let them. Lebanon was sold to Syria by the USA and the Arabs in 1990 in exchange for help against Saddam Hussein. The only people who openly opposed Syria during the occupation were the right-wing Christian parties, and for that they faced punishment. Michel Aoun, a Christian politician who is now Hezbollah's ally, was an army general who fought Syria's troops until they finally beat him. He fled into exile until Syria left. And then Samir Geagea, leader of the Lebanese Forces, was imprisoned for refusing to sell his soul to Syria and was the only warlord to go to prison. This while all other Lebanese (AKA the Muslim political parties and a minority of the Christian parties too), including those who are anti-Syria now, were Syria's top agents for 15 years. Only when Hariri died did the Sunni finally feel like it was time Syria left. Read more into Rafik Hariri. He was a top Syrian friend for a longggggg time. The last few months of his life don't change his 14 years of being a loyal ally to the Syrians. Regards. EDIT: LOOOOOOOOL HAUTE COUTURE CHRISTIANS LIVE IN PEACE IN EGYPT? Are you serious? Up until recently they weren't even allowed to rebuild their churches without government approval. They get harassed and whenever some extremists protest they attack the Christians. The only Christians in the Middle East who have been left with dignity are the Lebanese Christians. Every other Christian in Arab countries lives under Sharia Islamic law. Christians are treated like 10th-class citizens in the Arab states. Don't even try to dispute this.