New Dhimmi in the Middle East Neighborhood
- Mary Elizabeth Hansen
Syria continues to maintain a chokehold on the throat of Lebanon. For more than a dozen years now, Baathist Syria has occupied its neighbor. The hands of Syria are everywhere in Lebanon, militarily and politically. Economically, Syria has its hands deep into the pockets of the Lebanese, draining the once prosperous country of its wealth and financial security.
The Lebanese Christians, in particular, have suffered greatly since the occupation of Syria. Once Lebanon was almost evenly divided numerically between Christians and Muslims. Politically, economically and socially Christian Lebanese enjoyed the most vibrant community of the Islamic-dominated countries in the Middle East. The confessional ratio is now estimated to be 60/40 in favor of Muslims, although those figures vary by different studies. With the loss of political and economic power, Christians have emigrated from their native Lebanon in alarming numbers since the Syrian occupation.
Christians living in south Lebanon have been particularly hard hit in the last three years. In May 2000 Israeli Defense Forces and the South Lebanese Army withdrew from the area, leaving the remaining Christians to be punished for supporting the IDF and SLA. Conditions for the Christians in the area are similar to conditions of other non-Muslim groups living in Islamic-dominated areas. Historically, the Christians of Lebanon escaped the humiliation of dhimmitude. As of July 2003 it can be stated, sadly, that the Christians of south Lebanon are descending into dhimmitude.
Hizballah, politically, militarily and socially, dominates the area. Sidon, where the American nurse, Bonnie Weatherall, was murdered last November by Islamists, boasts a mixture of swastikas, Hizballah flags, and banners with the photo of the late Ayatollah Khomeini displayed throughout the city. It is estimated that Iran funnels at least $25 million dollars, probably more, each month into the insidious coffers of the Hizballah in Lebanon.
Shiite villages in south Lebanon pay no taxes. There are other rewards, too, for their long-standing support of Hizballah. They are heavily funded, courtesy of the Hizballah, for their schools, social services and for shoring up their infrastructure. In Shiite villages, newly-built housing complexes stand empty, waiting for more Muslim immigrants to arrive, in order to further increase the Islamic population and marginalize the remaining Christians in south Lebanon. Mosques are also well funded with imams faithfully spouting the Hizballah/Islamist line.
Christians in south Lebanon, who do pay taxes, get nothing in return in the way of support. Roads into Christian villages are crumbling from lack of repair. The Christians themselves struggle to keep up their homes, their schools, their clinics and their churches.
Sadly, the Christians of south Lebanon are second-class citizens in their own country. They are dhimmi, just like the Christians of Iran, Jordan, Egypt and Syria. Yet, defiance is everywhere. Churches and personal property are cleaned and repaired whenever possible. Old women wear large crosses around their necks, the larger the better. And, the Christians of south Lebanon retain their faith and their hope. They dream of a future in which Syria leaves, Hizballah funds dry up and Lebanon is restored to the great country that it once was.