From: oueichek@ngulu (Ibaa Oueichek)
Newsgroups: soc.culture.lebanon
Subject: Brotherhood, why not ?.
Date: 30 Jul 92 16:16:20 GMT
Organization: IMAG, University of Grenoble, France
X-Newsreader: Tin 1.1 PL4


 In article <NMOUAWAD.92Jul28120708@math.waterloo.edu> nmouawad@waterloo.edu
 (Naji Mouawad) writes:
 >
 >
 >Hello Ayman,
 >
 >
 > My camp is that of the victims. They are my true brothers and
 >friends.
 >
 >naji.

  Before i start, let me say that while i really didn't appreciate Naji's
sensitivity towards me and his request "to restrain my posts to this group".
I was even astonished because i considered Naji as one of the "reasonable"
posters to this group. But i'll not start a flame war here because i've read
the rest of the discussion and several other articles to say that i agree
with him on almost 90%. Brotherhood is based on mutual will and respect, it
can't be imposed neither it should be because this will have the opposit 
effect. My hope isn't to build an empire (la grande Syrie, en l'occurance)
where we (Syrians) will enslave Lebanease, Palestinians & Jordanians. But it's
rather a call for REAL unity, this unity is meaningless if it doesn't garantee
to each one his dignity and freedom. I know, it's an utopia, and it can hradly
be realized in the actual composition of the middleeast. But let's keep the
hope, who knows, maybe in our lifetime (and i hope i'll live for another 25
years) this dream will become a reality. Until then, we need to understand each
other and stop using every argument and every historical "fact" that can be
used to create more separation. You can always be "different" and belong to
a greater group, and believe me, we much more in commun than the inhabitants
of Paris and Marseille.

  Let me add that my first reaction to the silly joke wasn't because i don't
like "homsi" jokes, they are quite frequent in Syria (especially among the
inhabitants of Damascus, like myself). But because i felt that those jokes
were not used as "innocent" humour but they were flames disguised in jokes,
at least the joke to which i reacted.

  At last, let me thank Naji, Bassem, Waseem, Ayman and Anwar for their 
civilized behaviour during the discussion (i hope i don't forget anyone).
This subject isn't easy to handle, and it's a pleasure to see that we agree
on the essential (union is welcome), and that the real problem is the mean
to realize this union. I understand that a one sided decision will be a
disaster, an obvious example is the union between Egypt & Syria in 1958,
Syria has become an Egyptian province (and i'll not blame Egyptians only)
because the decsision was too emotional and not enough planified. To achieve
union, we need time, so let us spend our time on building friendship and mutual
respect, not on exchanging flames.
  Naji, you said that you'd never met a Syrian, i hope that when you'll meet
"your first Syrian" you'll give him the chance to say something before you 
ask him to "leave you alone".

--
Sham(u) ya tha (s)seif(u) lam yaghib(i) | Ibaa Oueichek. ouicheck@imag.imag.fr
    Ya jamal(al) majd(i) fi(l) kutub(i) | LABORATOIRE 	BULL-IMAG
Kablak(i) (t)tareekh(u) fi thulmaten    | Grenoble. 
    Baadak(i) staula ala (sh)shuhub(i)  |