I found this article, which I had written for the DailyStar back in 2005 describing what arguably was the first revolution that occured in the Arab world ...
Last week, government loyalists thought that their demonstration - the one organized and led by Hizbullah - had forced the opposition into quiet submission. The subsequent reappointment of Omar Karami to head a new government - notwithstanding his humiliating departure a couple of weeks earlier - was meant to be the final nail in the opposition's coffin.
Few in Lebanon's already precarious leadership, or the one in Damascus for that matter, had any clue as to what such behavior would lead to: a massive gathering on Monday whose magnitude arguably has not been seen in the Arab world since the days of Egypt's President Gamal Abdel Nasser. But who was it that reacted? Why did they react? What is different about them, and more importantly what do they want?
Unlike Hizbullah's organized demonstration, the opposition rally on Monday was a grassroots effort, national, and not party based. It mobilized that segment of the Lebanese population that had hitherto rarely been driven into the streets - the silent majority.
The Lebanese silent majority is not sectarian in nature. It represents Lebanon's entire social and regional spectrum. Demographically, it includes people of both sexes and of all ages. Lebanon's young make up a large proportion of this majority, which also embraces all economic classes. It is fairly educated and developed and understands and is concerned with Lebanon's economic predicament and the debt threat hanging over the country's head. While the silent majority may not be wealthy, it is ambitious and realizes that for any economic recovery to be sustainable there needs to be political and economic stability, coupled with hard work and sacrifice. In the recent past, it has been willing to quietly pay its fair share to ensure such objectives.
For the most part, the silent majority is politically neutral - and until now many thought apathetic. It watched boisterous leaders parade by but hardly ever moved. It does not support any single party in Lebanon because Lebanon's parties are splintered and sectarian in nature. The silent majority prefers nationalists, and Lebanon's sectarian system hinders this.
Internationally, while it may believe in certain causes, the silent majority has etched into its memory the bitter experiences of the Lebanese war and the price Lebanon paid for shouldering the causes of others. No longer swayed by regional sloganeering, it has become practical enough to realize that the country can no longer afford to be a proxy in regional wars nor a confrontation point with Israel. And while Lebanon's silent majority may wish to avoid signing a separate peace treaty with Israel, it does not advocate war with it either.
Why did this silent majority move? Quite simply because it was tired. It was tired of seeing moderate and visionary leaders assassinated, while its fortunes were at the mercy of visionless officials appointed by outsiders who acted only on instructions. It was tired of having a clueless government that did not represent the majority's interests, particularly at such a crucial time in Lebanon's history when many dark clouds are gathering. And those in the majority were tired of having to tell their children that it was best for them to leave their nation in search of a better future.
While some may claim that Lebanon is unique, the national demonstration on Monday showed that the silent majority was no different than its counterparts elsewhere in the world - for example in Chile, where people brought down the all-powerful regime of Augusto Pinochet, having tired of his repressive police state and self-serving and obsolete security warnings. Lebanon is not different from Eastern Europe, where societies brought down oppressive and manipulative governments that had led them to economic ruin, while their neighbors in the West were well on their way to economic prosperity. And, it is not so different than Iraq, which in the January elections bravely showed the world how powerful the voice of freedom could be - even as voters faced the direst of personal risks.
Lebanon's silent majority is not unique, for it wants the same thing that all humans everywhere want: dignity, freedom and peace. It has a vision of a Lebanon that is economically ambitious, entrepreneurial and prosperous. It will follow those offering this optimistic vision; and it will dwarf those who wish to bind Lebanon to its dark past through strategies that undermine this vision. The silent majority in Lebanon has spoken with a voice that has silenced everyone else; and in this has taken Lebanon's destiny into its own hands. Those in power had better yield and quickly.
Last week, government loyalists thought that their demonstration - the one organized and led by Hizbullah - had forced the opposition into quiet submission. The subsequent reappointment of Omar Karami to head a new government - notwithstanding his humiliating departure a couple of weeks earlier - was meant to be the final nail in the opposition's coffin.
Few in Lebanon's already precarious leadership, or the one in Damascus for that matter, had any clue as to what such behavior would lead to: a massive gathering on Monday whose magnitude arguably has not been seen in the Arab world since the days of Egypt's President Gamal Abdel Nasser. But who was it that reacted? Why did they react? What is different about them, and more importantly what do they want?
Unlike Hizbullah's organized demonstration, the opposition rally on Monday was a grassroots effort, national, and not party based. It mobilized that segment of the Lebanese population that had hitherto rarely been driven into the streets - the silent majority.
The Lebanese silent majority is not sectarian in nature. It represents Lebanon's entire social and regional spectrum. Demographically, it includes people of both sexes and of all ages. Lebanon's young make up a large proportion of this majority, which also embraces all economic classes. It is fairly educated and developed and understands and is concerned with Lebanon's economic predicament and the debt threat hanging over the country's head. While the silent majority may not be wealthy, it is ambitious and realizes that for any economic recovery to be sustainable there needs to be political and economic stability, coupled with hard work and sacrifice. In the recent past, it has been willing to quietly pay its fair share to ensure such objectives.
For the most part, the silent majority is politically neutral - and until now many thought apathetic. It watched boisterous leaders parade by but hardly ever moved. It does not support any single party in Lebanon because Lebanon's parties are splintered and sectarian in nature. The silent majority prefers nationalists, and Lebanon's sectarian system hinders this.
Internationally, while it may believe in certain causes, the silent majority has etched into its memory the bitter experiences of the Lebanese war and the price Lebanon paid for shouldering the causes of others. No longer swayed by regional sloganeering, it has become practical enough to realize that the country can no longer afford to be a proxy in regional wars nor a confrontation point with Israel. And while Lebanon's silent majority may wish to avoid signing a separate peace treaty with Israel, it does not advocate war with it either.
Why did this silent majority move? Quite simply because it was tired. It was tired of seeing moderate and visionary leaders assassinated, while its fortunes were at the mercy of visionless officials appointed by outsiders who acted only on instructions. It was tired of having a clueless government that did not represent the majority's interests, particularly at such a crucial time in Lebanon's history when many dark clouds are gathering. And those in the majority were tired of having to tell their children that it was best for them to leave their nation in search of a better future.
While some may claim that Lebanon is unique, the national demonstration on Monday showed that the silent majority was no different than its counterparts elsewhere in the world - for example in Chile, where people brought down the all-powerful regime of Augusto Pinochet, having tired of his repressive police state and self-serving and obsolete security warnings. Lebanon is not different from Eastern Europe, where societies brought down oppressive and manipulative governments that had led them to economic ruin, while their neighbors in the West were well on their way to economic prosperity. And, it is not so different than Iraq, which in the January elections bravely showed the world how powerful the voice of freedom could be - even as voters faced the direst of personal risks.
Lebanon's silent majority is not unique, for it wants the same thing that all humans everywhere want: dignity, freedom and peace. It has a vision of a Lebanon that is economically ambitious, entrepreneurial and prosperous. It will follow those offering this optimistic vision; and it will dwarf those who wish to bind Lebanon to its dark past through strategies that undermine this vision. The silent majority in Lebanon has spoken with a voice that has silenced everyone else; and in this has taken Lebanon's destiny into its own hands. Those in power had better yield and quickly.
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