Sarah Johnson (SIS '07) is an Arab Studies minor who spent the summer of 2006 at the American University of Beirut. She was at AUB when Israel attacked Lebanon in response to Hizbollah’s July 12 cross-border raid into Israel and the kidnapping of two Israeli soldiers. Sarah spoke about her experiences as a student during the July War at the forum organized by Arab Studies in September. Unable to return to AUB as a student because of the war and the decision to suspend the AU Abroad program there, Sarah is now a student at the American University in Cairo. She visited Lebanon in late December–early January and sent this description of the destruction caused by the Israeli bombing and the views of ordinary Lebanese about the events of the summer. See Sarah's Lebanon Photogallery.
Reflections on Lebanon
I made it to Cairo on December 28 and then immediately set off for Lebanon with another AU student studying abroad in Cairo. It was wonderful going back to Lebanon. I could barely contain my excitement after flying in. I met up with some Lebanese friends and rung in the new year in true Lebanese style at the Intercontinental Phoenicia Hotel. So I had a lot of fun in Beirut, but a more sobering experience involved heading to the south. Once we got to the southern suburbs of Beirut, even, there were absolutely enormous mountains of rubble that seemed to have been moved to one spot from their original locations. We saw our share of bombed out buildings, bridges and martyr posters in Tyre. You could definitely feel the tension in the air. We ended up in the Palestinian al-Bass camp, which was fascinating, but the conditions were quite depressing. Even in the north, in Byblos, there was a bombed bridge. It was just so frustrating because you see the bridge and wonder what use it was to bomb it; it seems to have no strategic importance whatsoever, all it does is inconvenience the average Lebanese person. It was the same on the Beirut-Damascus highway, where the strangest places had been bombed.
Before heading to the south, though, we went to the (Hezbollah) protests downtown. They were totally peaceful. We took lots of photos and went back later that night when the protests really got loud. At night, they shine spotlights on the parliament building and various speakers get on stage, so we stayed and watched that. There was barbed wire everywhere and tanks in case the protests got out of hand. The photos I am sending you to should speak more than I can say in words, really. Downtown Beirut was completely empty and I can understand why--nobody wants to eat dinner to the sounds of protesters cheering and speakers yelling about the government into sound systems that can be heard from long distances away. I am genuinely trying to learn more about the history of Lebanon--something I wanted to go back to AUB for so badly -- by reading from Beirut to Jerusalem by Thomas Friedman and Pity the Nation: The Abduction of Lebanon by Robert Fisk, trying to understand what French colonialism, Maronite dominance, Syrian interference, and Israeli incursions have led to.
Being an American meant that people were very curious about how I felt about the political situation in Lebanon. I got asked so many times what I thought about Nasrallah (leader of Hezbollah), to which I gave the safe answer, "I don't really know much about him." When I asked Lebanese, I got varied responses. A 22-year-old Christian, George, whom I met in Byblos, said he hated Nasrallah. A 31-year-old Muslim, Nadil, whom I later met in Byblos, said he thought Nasrallah was great because he was strong and honest. One of my cab drivers really liked him as well, but was quick to add that he "loved Israelis" — just not their military. A Lebanese man who has lived in Canada since 1976 told me that he hated what the protesters were doing to the country and that they were all outsiders to Lebanon who were wrecking everything. "We are not Arabs, we are Phoenicians," he declared. Yikes! I remember laughing rather uncomfortably at that.
I honestly wish I were spending the semester in Beirut after going. I love Cairo so far, but I really feel like Lebanon is where I ultimately want to be and the place to which I have the greatest attachment and interest, not only because so much of the Arab-Israeli conflict has played out in Lebanon, but also because of its general carefree environment and contentedness that exists despite all that has happened.
See Sarah's Lebanon Photogallery.
