Saturday, November 26, 2005

Akram Al-Bunni. Lebanonese newspapers love to publish articles by Syrian writers who are willing to criticize Syria, and praise the Hummus values in Lebanon. These are the ones that would not be allowed to publish one word if they dared to criticize Lebanonese racism toward the Syrian people, or even to utter a word of condemnation for the murder of Syrian workers in Lebanon (Lebanonese nationalists love to quibble with numbers here. As if the murder of 20 instead of 30 is a moral and qualitative difference). Syrian poet Nazih Abu `Afash talked about those Lebanonese Syrian writers in Al-Adab two issues ago. I just read an article by Akram Al-Bunni in Al-Mustaqbal. In Al-Mustaqbal, for potato's sake. A newspaper that resorted to the most racist references to Syrians in the last year, and who would highlight in huge headlines any murder and any legal violation by any Syrian on its crime page. I sincerely believe that Syrians should be boycotting this Hariri newspaper which has played a role in whipping up racist xenophobia against Syrians, comparable to the role the Phalangist newspaper Al-`Amal played against Palestinians before and after the Lebanese civil war. Now, I don't disagree with Al-Bunni's criticisms of the Syrian media. But every criticism leveled against the Syrian media apply to the Lebanese media, but Bunni would not dare say that.