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LEBANON: ECONOMIC CONDITIONS PIT OPPRESSED MINORITIES AGAINST EACH OTHER
Al-Akhbar English, Lebanon
May 23, 2014 Friday
by: Paul Gadalla
Bourj Hammoud is not the first locality to witness the eruption of
racism and violence against foreigners and it won't be the last.
However, what makes this eastern Beirut suburb unique is that its
residents are mainly Armenian, a group that sees itself as an oppressed
minority. This makes its oppression of another minority (the Kurds)
an important juncture as racism is on the rise in Lebanon.
There is no excuse for a minority haunted with victimization to oppress
another minority, but one wonders what will happen with each episode
of violence in this vicious cycle.In Beirut's eastern suburb of Bourj
Hammoud, the general state of poverty and hardship does not unite the
diverse population living there. There is no excuse for a minority
haunted with victimization to oppress another minority, but one wonders
what will happen with each episode of violence in this vicious cycle.
The atmosphere of sectarian communities is charged with the hatred
of others. It brands them as immoral and blames them for the current
social and economic crisis. A quarrel between individuals, like
what happened last Saturday in Bourj Hammoud, becomes a trigger for
latent violence. It turns into an occasion to cleanse the area of any
racial and confessional impurity and protect it from being ruined by
the other.
The scene of the angry mob outside the home of a Syrian Kurd shows
that the reason behind the clash was more than what was being said
or the harassment of a young woman. That was even before Elie Kalash
sustained an injury while trying to calm things down.
The repercussions of the incident made clear the real reasons behind
the fighting. Groups of young residents started attacking any Kurd they
encountered. Some spoke about homes being raided and their inhabitants
assaulted. The state of lawlessness was not put in check despite the
heavy presence of the army and the Internal Security Forces (ISF),
who have been chasing youth gangs for the past few days.
While the ISF investigates the details of the events, there were public
calls to expel the Kurds from the area and close their shops, which
"deprive the Lebanese from their daily bread." The neighborhood's
municipality quickly played the card of reprehensible racism and
announced a nighttime curfew on foreigners, much like what a growing
number of municipalities are doing.
Nothing is particularly new about the latest clash. A similar
episode took place in Bourj Hammoud more than two years ago. The poor
crowded suburb of Beirut may have been the most affected by the Syrian
refugees. The number of Syrian Kurdish refugees multiplied, straining
the municipalities' already stretched resources and increasing the
poverty rate.
They began competing with local workers for jobs, since they are
willing to accept lower wages and are coming in large numbers. Their
small shops started to crowd out stores owned by Armenians. The
Bourj Hammoud municipality could not respond to the cries of its
angry constituents, who called for the expulsion of Syrian Kurds from
its vicinity.
"The law does not allow the municipality to prohibit Syrians from
staying in the area," explained Bourj Hammoud's mayor, Antranik
Messerlian. A few days ago, however, the municipality began closing
down unlicensed shops owned by so called "foreigners."
According to a Kurdish resident, the majority of the stores in the
area are not licensed, although they pay rent, water and electricity
bills, and all sorts of municipal charges. He said the municipality,
controlled by the Armenian Tashnag party is basically a "state within a
state," practicing "tyranny and racism" against the Kurds. It requires
shops to receive the approval of the Chamber of Trade and Industry,
for example, under the penalty of closure.
Al-Akhbar asked Bourj Hammoud's deputy mayor, Georges Krikorian, if
the decision to shut down the shops applied to all unlicensed ones
or just those owned by non-Lebanese. He replied "yes, in principle"
but the answer lies with the ISF.
He explained that the municipality's legal mandate is "very limited or
nonexistent,"Although the measure was applied on some Armenian-owned
shops, Krikorian explained that "foreigners are required to get permits
from the General Security and the Labor Ministry," in addition to
other official authorities, to open a "commercial establishment"
(or a small shop) in Bourj Hammoud.
It is worth noting that Al-Akhbar's attempts to obtain a clear answer
about the issue from an official failed. The ISF's public relations
office stated that the decision to close down unlicensed shops came
from the governor of Mount Lebanon, who has all the details. However,
it mentioned that one of the main reasons to close the shops was
"economic competition."
Governor Antoine Suleiman, on the other hand, denied any knowledge
of the issue and referred it to al-Metn District Commissioner Marlene
Haddad, who could not be reached.
"Any group contains individuals who behave inappropriately, but we
cannot blame a whole community for the actions of those individuals,"
Krikorian replied to a question about how local authorities are
dealing with calls to expel the Kurds.
He explained that the municipality's legal mandate is "very limited
or nonexistent," despite "the municipality's cooperation with groups
active on the ground and the security forces." However, it applied
measures to "reduce the tension and reassure the people," such as
controlling the residency of non-Lebanese and forcing them to register
at the General Security, in addition to the night time curfew.
It is now up to the state to put an end to the chaotic situation.
According to the Syriac League, there are those who "absolutely refuse
to be victims of unjustified hate." The Kurdish Lebanese Association
condemned "the violence and counter-violence caused by the assault"
on May 17. It warned of the danger of "a personal dispute turning
into a state of popular unrest on both angry sides."
Yet the state continued to deal with such incidents by trying to
absorb them, or more precisely put on a mere show of force and nothing
further. In this context, the Army Command Guidance Directorate issued
a statement on Wednesday, announcing that military forces in Bourj
Hammoud and Dawra arrested 25 people from different nationalities who
were not carrying their identification papers or who had committed
various violations. The detainees were handed over to the competent
authorities for further action.
Will this calm down the fear imposed on the residents of Bourj
Hammoud? Of course not.
This article is an edited translation from the Arabic Edition.
Firas Abou-Mosleh
Al-Akhbar English, Lebanon
May 23, 2014 Friday
by: Paul Gadalla
Bourj Hammoud is not the first locality to witness the eruption of
racism and violence against foreigners and it won't be the last.
However, what makes this eastern Beirut suburb unique is that its
residents are mainly Armenian, a group that sees itself as an oppressed
minority. This makes its oppression of another minority (the Kurds)
an important juncture as racism is on the rise in Lebanon.
There is no excuse for a minority haunted with victimization to oppress
another minority, but one wonders what will happen with each episode
of violence in this vicious cycle.In Beirut's eastern suburb of Bourj
Hammoud, the general state of poverty and hardship does not unite the
diverse population living there. There is no excuse for a minority
haunted with victimization to oppress another minority, but one wonders
what will happen with each episode of violence in this vicious cycle.
The atmosphere of sectarian communities is charged with the hatred
of others. It brands them as immoral and blames them for the current
social and economic crisis. A quarrel between individuals, like
what happened last Saturday in Bourj Hammoud, becomes a trigger for
latent violence. It turns into an occasion to cleanse the area of any
racial and confessional impurity and protect it from being ruined by
the other.
The scene of the angry mob outside the home of a Syrian Kurd shows
that the reason behind the clash was more than what was being said
or the harassment of a young woman. That was even before Elie Kalash
sustained an injury while trying to calm things down.
The repercussions of the incident made clear the real reasons behind
the fighting. Groups of young residents started attacking any Kurd they
encountered. Some spoke about homes being raided and their inhabitants
assaulted. The state of lawlessness was not put in check despite the
heavy presence of the army and the Internal Security Forces (ISF),
who have been chasing youth gangs for the past few days.
While the ISF investigates the details of the events, there were public
calls to expel the Kurds from the area and close their shops, which
"deprive the Lebanese from their daily bread." The neighborhood's
municipality quickly played the card of reprehensible racism and
announced a nighttime curfew on foreigners, much like what a growing
number of municipalities are doing.
Nothing is particularly new about the latest clash. A similar
episode took place in Bourj Hammoud more than two years ago. The poor
crowded suburb of Beirut may have been the most affected by the Syrian
refugees. The number of Syrian Kurdish refugees multiplied, straining
the municipalities' already stretched resources and increasing the
poverty rate.
They began competing with local workers for jobs, since they are
willing to accept lower wages and are coming in large numbers. Their
small shops started to crowd out stores owned by Armenians. The
Bourj Hammoud municipality could not respond to the cries of its
angry constituents, who called for the expulsion of Syrian Kurds from
its vicinity.
"The law does not allow the municipality to prohibit Syrians from
staying in the area," explained Bourj Hammoud's mayor, Antranik
Messerlian. A few days ago, however, the municipality began closing
down unlicensed shops owned by so called "foreigners."
According to a Kurdish resident, the majority of the stores in the
area are not licensed, although they pay rent, water and electricity
bills, and all sorts of municipal charges. He said the municipality,
controlled by the Armenian Tashnag party is basically a "state within a
state," practicing "tyranny and racism" against the Kurds. It requires
shops to receive the approval of the Chamber of Trade and Industry,
for example, under the penalty of closure.
Al-Akhbar asked Bourj Hammoud's deputy mayor, Georges Krikorian, if
the decision to shut down the shops applied to all unlicensed ones
or just those owned by non-Lebanese. He replied "yes, in principle"
but the answer lies with the ISF.
He explained that the municipality's legal mandate is "very limited or
nonexistent,"Although the measure was applied on some Armenian-owned
shops, Krikorian explained that "foreigners are required to get permits
from the General Security and the Labor Ministry," in addition to
other official authorities, to open a "commercial establishment"
(or a small shop) in Bourj Hammoud.
It is worth noting that Al-Akhbar's attempts to obtain a clear answer
about the issue from an official failed. The ISF's public relations
office stated that the decision to close down unlicensed shops came
from the governor of Mount Lebanon, who has all the details. However,
it mentioned that one of the main reasons to close the shops was
"economic competition."
Governor Antoine Suleiman, on the other hand, denied any knowledge
of the issue and referred it to al-Metn District Commissioner Marlene
Haddad, who could not be reached.
"Any group contains individuals who behave inappropriately, but we
cannot blame a whole community for the actions of those individuals,"
Krikorian replied to a question about how local authorities are
dealing with calls to expel the Kurds.
He explained that the municipality's legal mandate is "very limited
or nonexistent," despite "the municipality's cooperation with groups
active on the ground and the security forces." However, it applied
measures to "reduce the tension and reassure the people," such as
controlling the residency of non-Lebanese and forcing them to register
at the General Security, in addition to the night time curfew.
It is now up to the state to put an end to the chaotic situation.
According to the Syriac League, there are those who "absolutely refuse
to be victims of unjustified hate." The Kurdish Lebanese Association
condemned "the violence and counter-violence caused by the assault"
on May 17. It warned of the danger of "a personal dispute turning
into a state of popular unrest on both angry sides."
Yet the state continued to deal with such incidents by trying to
absorb them, or more precisely put on a mere show of force and nothing
further. In this context, the Army Command Guidance Directorate issued
a statement on Wednesday, announcing that military forces in Bourj
Hammoud and Dawra arrested 25 people from different nationalities who
were not carrying their identification papers or who had committed
various violations. The detainees were handed over to the competent
authorities for further action.
Will this calm down the fear imposed on the residents of Bourj
Hammoud? Of course not.
This article is an edited translation from the Arabic Edition.
Firas Abou-Mosleh