Lebanon

Samba dancers too risqué for southern Lebanon

Sophie Team Observers — Wed, 07 Oct 2009 17:46:42 +0200

Photo posted on Facebok by Toni Yammine .

A Samba street party on its way to a town in south Lebanon was stopped in its tracks after a group of religious dignitaries labelled it "pornographic" and "against Muslim beliefs". According to one of our Lebanese Observers, the decision is a disgrace to the country.

The Brazilian dancers landed in the country on September 23 and had already put on four performances in central Beirut and the cities of Zahle (central Lebanon) and Batroun (east coast), all of them majority Christian areas.

In the hope of appeasing the largely Muslim population of the southern city of Tyre, Brazil's ambassador in Beirut suggested toning down the performance by donning the dancers in a bit more than is traditional.

His efforts however, were in vain. In the eyes of around 50 religious dignitaries, even a censored version of the show was too indecent for the residents of Tyre, and it was officially given the no-go by one of the group, Sheik Ali Yassine.

Hummus, another cause for war in the Middle East

Team Observers — Wed, 23 Sep 2009 12:19:03 +0200

Published on Flickr on January 29, 2008 by hazy jenius.

Lebanon is accusing Israel of usurping its most precious culinary specialties. It intends to create a geographical label to identify ‘authentic’ Lebanese cuisine. To further stress its point, Lebanon also intends to beat the largest hummus dish world record, currently held by Israel…

Lebanon and Israel have officially been at war for 60 years. Over the past few months the neighbouring countries seem to have found a new subject to bicker about: food.

It all started on a local TV show last October when Lebanese industrialists complained about the commercialisation of star Lebanese dishes such as hummus under the label “Israeli cuisine” in western stores. The president of the Lebanese Industrialists Association, Fadi Abboud, filed a registration request for the creation of an EU label for authentic ‘Lebanese’ dishes.

Authentic hummus is a chickpea purée with sesame cream (tahini) seasoned with garlic, lemon and olive oil. It is one of the best-known and -loved Lebanese “mezze” (appetizers). Its popularity has spread to Israel, where the best hummus makers of Tel Aviv or Jerusalem reach movie-star fame.

Top hummus makers in Israel. Published on YouTube by elahnz , on April 8, 2009.

But hummus is also big business. Lebanese industrialists are mainly concerned about the loss of market share in the face of foreign produce, which they estimate at around one billion dollars a year.

In an increasingly competitive market, Israelis are coming up with ever-more-creative solutions. Paprika, onions, olives, basil and sun-dried tomatoes are among the new flavours which are added to the original recipe, much to the horror of hummus purists.

In 2007 Israeli scientists from the Hebrew University of Jerusalem even published a study proving that hummus boosts physical growth, diminishes aggressiveness and is a good anti-depressant.

Israelis made the world’s largest plate of hummus in 2008: a 400 kg plate, four metres wide, at the Mahaneh Yehudat market in Jerusalem. Lebanese hummus makers intend to break that record on October 24 in Beirut’s Saifi marketplace. Originally published on The Hummus Blog.

TV channel banned in Saudi Arabia for sex talk

Sophie Team Observers — Wed, 12 Aug 2009 14:57:20 +0200

Photo posted on the Facebook group page "Give it what it deserves, boycott the LBC".

Two weeks ago we talked about the Saudi man who was facing jail after disclosing his sexual habits on television. He has since been detained and, if found guilty, could be jailed for 20 years or stoned to death. Meanwhile, the Lebanese channel which aired the programme has been banned from the kingdom indefinitely.

The Jeddah offices of the Lebanese Broadcasting Company (LBC) - a channel largely funded by Saudi billionaire Walid Ben Talal - closed on Saturday by order of Saudi interior minister Prince Nayef Ben Abdul Aziz. The Riyadh offices however, which are considered less important, remain open.

It was the previous Saturday that the guest of Lebanese show "The Red Line", Mazen Abdul Jawad, was arrested by the police and detained. His colourful description of his sex life, aired July 15, caused an outcry in Saudi Arabia, where the media and Internet were flooded with indignant comments over the affair.

Jewish comedian cancels Lebanon shows following Hezbollah bullying

Sophie Team Observers — Tue, 30 Jun 2009 13:04:16 +0200

Moroccan-French comedian Gad Elmaleh has been forced to cancel his performances at the Lebanese Beiteddine festival following a fierce propaganda campaign against him driven by Hezbollah.

The photomontage above, which includes a picture of the artist, a photo of an Israeli soldier, and an image of Lebanon under attack, is how the Shiite TV channel al Manar portrayed Gad Elmaleh. The channel claimed that the photograph of the Israeli soldier, which does bear something of a resemblance, was that of the artist at hand, leading viewers to believe that the Moroccan-born French citizen at some point served in the IDF. The photograph, along with several others, had been originally published on a pro-Israel website some 12 years ago. FRANCE 24 contacted the website, which explained that as an organisation which supports ASBI-Keren soldiers, the photographs, each accompanied by a comment from a celebrity, were sold in order to raise funds for social work projects. The picture in question however, was certainly not that of Gad Elmaleh.

Despite being hugely popular in Lebanon (tickets for the shows sold like hot cakes and he was even solicited into performing an extra show), Elmaleh announced on Saturday that he would not be able to perform at July's Beiteddine festival "in light of various protests and calls for boycott". The announcement has raised concerns with some ministers and ire from the public. An online movement based on Facebook vows to fight what they call "the terrorism of culture" by Hezbollah.

Corruption made in Lebanon

Emmanuel F24 — Fri, 12 Jun 2009 15:54:07 +0200

Father Elias Akary belongs to the Syriac Orthodox church, one of many Oriental orthodox churches in the Middle East. He was supposed to campaign for Metn MP Michel Murr, a man who has dominated the political landscape of the Mont-Lebanon region for 40 years. But when Father Akary changed his mind and decided to join the campaign of Murr’s rival, Ibrahim Kanaan, Michel Murr went mad.

In Lebanon, ballot papers are printed by the political parties to be distributed either on election day or the day before at polling stations. Instead of distributing Murr’s ballot papers, Akary distributed Kanaan’s ones. Michel Murr summoned Akary to his party HQ to ask him to retrieve all his opponent’s ballot papers or face the Lebanese secret services, attached to the ministry of defence. A threat that cannot be taken lightly as the defence minister is Murr's own son!

On June 9, OTV, a television channel close to General Aoun’s party, the Free Patriotic Movement, broadcasted the recording of this conversation. The FPM party, which Kanaan belongs to, intends to complain to the Constitutional Council against Michel Murr for “attempt of corruption, menaces and priest sequestration”, citing General Aoun.

Transparency-Lebanon reports in a press release published the day following the elections that several candidates gave money to some voters in exchange for their vote: a vote is worth 800 dollars in Zahle (Bekaa province), between 60 and 100 dollars in Saida (south) and can reach 3000 dollars in Zghorta (north).

The armed Shia group that’s cracking the Lebanese up

Sophie Team Observers — Wed, 20 May 2009 18:24:34 +0200

Videos of an obscure armed group are circulating on the net. The "Islamic Arab Resistance" present themselves as the Shia rival to Hezbollah in Lebanon. Watching their training footage however, it doesn't seem to hold true...

A Lebanese treat: civil marriage in Cyprus

Julien — Wed, 13 May 2009 17:32:12 +0200

In Lebanon, civil marriage is not recognised — unless it was registered abroad. Sensing a business opportunity, a travel agent has started offering wedding packages in Cyprus, complete with best man and bridesmaid.

Under Lebanese law, each of the country’s 18 religious communities (Sunni, Shi'ite, Maronite, Catholic, Orthodox, Druze, etc) is entitled to oversee its members’ marital status in accordance with its own rules. As a result, religious bodies are sovereign in matters of marriage, divorce and,in the case of Muslims, inheritance. In 1951, lawmakers came up with a proposal to allow civil marriage, a move later attempted by former President Elias Hraoui in 1998. In both cases, the idea was dropped after it sparked an outcry across the country.

While only religious marriage is authorised on Lebanese territory, the authorities will recognise civil matrimonies registered abroad. Hence, Lebanese couples may seek a civil divorce, but not a civil wedding.

Most people who wish to get married, but not in a religious ceremony, head for the nearby island state of Cyprus, a 30-minute flight from Beirut. Jumping on the opportunity, the Nadia Travel agency has decided to market a full “civil marriage in Cyprus” package. In addition to the standard services, the package covers the costs of the ceremony, the translation and paperwork, the bride’s bouquet and even supplies the best man and bridesmaid. The head of Nadia Travel says the offer is a huge success, with three to five couples tying the knot in Cyprus every week.

"Be beautiful and vote", the worst campaign flop in Lebanon

Team Observers — Sun, 03 May 2009 18:20:12 +0200

Six weeks before the Lebanese parliamentary elections, this campaign was meant to attract women voters. It didn't.

The ‘Be beautiful and vote' campaign was launched on television and posters around the country by the Free Patriotic Movement (FPM), an opposition Christian party directed by General Aoun, before a key vote on June 7.

A Druze leader caught bashing his Christian and Sunni allies

Julien — Fri, 24 Apr 2009 15:18:08 +0200

Several weeks before the Lebanese legislative elections, Druze political leader Walid Jumblat essentially shot himself in the foot by insulting his Maronite Christian and Sunni party allies in a conversation that wasn't as private as he thought...

Walid Jumblat is viewed as a pillar of the Lebanese multi-confessional, anti-Syrian alliance known as the "March 14 Alliance", opposed to the country's Shia faction. But the group's show of unity was dealt a severe blow when Jumblat was overheard calling the Maronites a "bad race" in a private meeting with Druze religious leaders. Extracts from the mobile phone video of this serious blunder were aired on several Lebanese media early this week, sparking outrage in the Christian community and among Jumblat's own allies.

In the same video, Jumblat also indirectly criticised his most powerful ally, Sunni leader Saad Hariri, by implying that Sunni combatants are useless in battle.

It could not have been worse timing for this footage, which risks alienating Jumblat from undecided Christian voters. Nicknamed "the windvane" by his detractors for his flip-flopping political alliances, Jumblat later apologised to the Maronite community and announced his intention to visit their patriarch before the end of the week to smooth things over.

Pink taxis for girls only

Sophie Team Observers — Fri, 13 Mar 2009 18:18:37 +0100

The car's pink and so is the tie, lipstick and flower in the hair of the woman who's driving it. Welcome to the new Beirut taxis. That is, if you're female. Men are strictly banned.

The idea was first launched in the UK in 2006 by Pink Ladies Cabs. The 100% female driving squad is charged with getting party-goers home safely once the bars have closed. Now, the concept has arrived in the Middle East. Nayaghi taxi company rolled out three pink Peugeots under the name "Banet Taxis" (girl taxis) on Tuesday.