To Resist Again or Leave?

By Dr Amine Jules Iskandar Syriac Maronite Union – Tur Levnon

On June 22, 1940, the French found themselves once again confronted with a brutal all-encompassing war: murder, impoverishment, famine, corruption, and collaboration were rife. Their country was invaded by Nazi Germany and a government in Vichy provided political cover for the occupier. It carried out the most despicable and wicked acts on behalf of the Nazi occupier.

Two diametrically opposing visions awaited the veterans of 1914-1918, and the men and women of later generations. Two choices that would decide over their future, two philosophies of life, homeland, heritage, and belonging. Tired of having had to face the Germans twice in 1870 and in 1914-18, not to mention the long centuries of interminable famines and wars, sometimes with the Germans, sometimes with England, they could have decided to throw in the towel. They could have lost hope convincing themselves that their parents had already sacrificed more than enough, or that France’s position between its two neighboring powers would never allow the building of a peaceful nation. They could have told themselves that they have given enough and that you only live once. That the future of their children had to be secured. They could have just left their country and emigrated. It had lasted too long and too many millions of people were killed or disabled in the Great War. The horror had to end. Life had to be resumed and renewed under warmer and more pleasant skies…

But the French took a different stance. They chose to resist and fight the greatest power of the time. They fought almost naked, stripped of their state, without an army and weapons, and often considered terrorists and outlaws by their own government. They had no guarantee of Allied intervention. They fought against fate and against the fait accompli. But they changed reality, saved their country and their heritage, and even transformed Europe and Germany.

Another example of resistance against an unequal enemy is that of East Timor. A small country of 10,400 km2, occupying only half of one of Indonesia’s 13,466 islands and populated by just 1.3 million people. This small country, which was invaded in 1975 by Indonesia – with its 270 million inhabitants – suffered between 150-200 thousand dead. But despite their demographic and territorial disadvantage, the East Timorese never gave up. 1.3 million against 270 million. The odds were ridiculous, and it could have easily made the Timorese choose for submission or emigration. But their continued and unyielding resistance and their uninterrupted interventions on the international scene finally earned them their independence in 2002. They also had the courage and dared to divide their island to ensure stability through cultural and religious homogeneity.

Talking about resistance in Lebanon today scares and shocks the politically correct people, especially when they imagine the possibility of an armed conflict. While there is no shame in wanting to bear arms to defend your homeland, as our ancestors did before us, this form of resistance is far from being the only one.

In recent days we have witnessed highly respectful initiatives on the part of private and religious institutions. The Syriac Maronite Church has resumed its role which it had always assumed during the centuries when our country did not have a State. The Holy Spirit University of Kaslik fixed tuition fees at the dollar rate of LL 1,515 while paying its teaching personnel partially in “fresh” dollars. It is clear that this therefore takes on the character of mission, struggle, and resistance. The Lebanese Maronite Order itself compensates for the deficits by its own means and by its direct relations in Europe, in the Diaspora and with the Western Christian community. Another worthy initiative is that of the Rosary Sisters Hospital, which provides completely free medical operations to anyone without social security coverage. This humanitarian effort is also made possible thanks to the support of French NGO Chaîne de l’Espoir.

To resist is therefore to help the Lebanese to stay. Because in a couple of years, when this terrible crisis is over, we will still have to be here to rebuild our homeland. It is not always done by arms. Resistance is what you accomplish when you do not pack your bags. Resistance consists of staying and fighting in memory of those who have fallen and for those who sacrificed themselves for us, for those who were forced to leave to support their loved ones here in the country, for students and young people who only dream of being able to come back. We resist whenever we endure endless queues for bread or gasoline. We resist every time we come up with unimaginable ways to make our institutions, our hospitals and cultural organizations, our neighborhoods, and our villages work. All this is unfair and harsh, sometimes appalling and heartbreaking. But a country is never a given, it is not a gift from a colonial power or mandate holder. A country has to be earned and won. And the sacrifices of the past do not absolve us from the struggles of the present and from permanent efforts.

To all those who are leaving and displaying their pride on social media and spew their disappointment at a dying Lebanon, please leave with dignity and in silence. Let us honor and celebrate our martyrs and resist again to save what you consider vain and obsolete. And above all, always remember that all these nations to which you emigrate, are the free lands of those who fought for centuries to deserve to have a country today.

Dr Amine Jules Iskandar is an architect and the former president of the Syriac Maronite Union – Tur Levnon. Amine Jules Iskandar has written several articles on the Syriac Maronites, their language, culture, and history. You can follow him @Amineiskandar2

For the article in French see L’orient le Jour

For the article in Spanish see Maronitas.org

The views expressed in this op-ed are solely those of the author and do not necessarily represent those of SyriacPress.

Also read from the same author:

Neutrality and Federalism

You have to know how to die to be able to live

A Port, a City, and a Mountain

Language in the Formation of Nation States

“KAFNO”: The Genocide on the Christians of Mount Lebanon during the First World War

The Mysterious Origins of the Language of the Maronites