The first time I became aware of Lebanon was in the 1960s when TV star Danny Thomas spoke proudly of his parents’ homeland. He seemed like a good guy, so I figured that Lebanon must have been a good place.
What’s happened to Lebanon over the past half century is appalling. Let’s hope it’s not where the rest of the civilized world is headed.
From its origins as the Phoenician empire in 1800 BC to the early 1980s AD, Lebanon was a shining light in the Middle East. Blessed with great natural resources and good governance, the once French colony became known as the Switzerland of the East; Beirut was called the Paris of the region. Muslims and Christians worked together to create a vibrant capitalistic economy and tourist trade. Education flourished around open borders and a progressive, Western-style culture.
Hezbollah, with backing from Syria and Iran, began making trouble in the 1980s. They killed 241 Marines in their sleep in the U.S. Embassy in Beirut – men who were there to protect the Lebanese and provide stability in the region. Since then, the open, tolerant culture in Lebanon has been increasingly terrorized by Islamic extremists.
As Christians and moderate Muslims are killed, go underground or flee, the Switzerland of the East is fast becoming another Iran to the west.
This erosion of Western culture is also apparent in Europe where countries that once civilized the world are now drowning in welfare and hogtied by political correctness. Muslim immigrants pour in, and while the majority are peaceful and industrious, they include the few extremist who can cause great havoc.
It’s about time we understand the difference between tolerance and weakness of conviction. The diminished outrage over recent events in the U.S. - Sharia honor killings, Fort Hood, acts of terror, failure to deport criminals here illegally – makes me wonder if America is heading down the same path as Lebanon.
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