Al-Nahar, Lebanon, Originally posted in Arabic on April 7
Last week, dozens of people stormed the Beirut offices of Al-Sharq al-Awsat, protesting against a caricature printed by the London-based newspaper just several days earlier. Published on April 1st, the cartoon depicted the Lebanese state as an April Fool’s Joke, and provoked widespread public anger among the Lebanese public.
It mocked the Lebanese flag and national symbols. It insulted the Lebanese people. The conformation inside the offices was even filmed and uploaded to the web, showing the protestors turning over tables and chairs and throwing papers in the air.
Let me start from the end: this behavior is harmful and dangerous. It serves neither our political cause nor our personal interests. It is our duty to defend freedom of speech in our country, even when we disagree with what is said. Too many times we paid a high price when others took our freedom of speech from us in this country; we must not do so to others.
At the same time, this insult will not go by unnoticed. It will not discourage the Lebanese people from standing tall and proud. We will continue fighting for our country, or identity, and the Arab collective to which we belong. We might be experiencing a long period of political instability, but our role in the region should not be undermined.
It is time we restore our old ties with countries we have grown apart from – particularly those in the Gulf, who own Al-Sharq al-Awsat. We might not agree with the criticism that is thrown against us, but diplomacy, not violence, is the way to serve our cause. – Naila Tawini