Thursday, July 20, 2006

Playlist July 20 - 26 - Lebanon Edition

This has to be the saddest playlist I've ever had to compile. The heart-breaking events in Lebanon have touched us all, the one Arab country with relative freedoms, creative spirits, and sheer determination. Nothing good can ever come from Hezbollah's suicidal mission, and as for Israelis... well, they have always been bloodthirty criminals but even these attacks have gone too far.

Of all the terrible news stories coming out of Beirut - which most of you outside the Middle East don't get to see!! - this diary by a Lebanese artist trapped in Beirut has to be read.

So here is a selection of songs for and about Lebanon. Try to fight back the tears and let us pray this insanity stops soon.


فيروز - بحبك يا لبنان: حبة من ترابك بكنوز الدني

فيروز - بيروت هل ذرفت: بيروت هل ذرفت عيونك دمعة إلا ترشفها فؤادي المغرم


وديع الصافي - لبنان يا قطعة سما: بالسيف ما بتغلى دما وللضيف بنقللو هلا


صباح - يسلم لنا لبنان: مهما تنازعنا وعطشنا وجعنا، لبناننا الغالي عا محبته ربينا


فيروز - عا إسمك غنيت: عا تلالك عا جبالك ركعت وصليت


فيروز - وطني: يا صغير ووسع الدني يا وطني


فيروز - ردني إلى بلادي: شلح زنبقٍ أنا إكسرني على ثرى بلادي


*فيروز - خذني: خذني ازرعني بأرض لبنان


*If anyone can find a clip of this song online, please post the link in the comments.

17 comments:

  1. سلام زيدون

    تفضل.. و
    any other requests are welcome..

    خدني

    يا كرم العلالي

    بيي راح

    لبيروت

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  2. Thanks perseus... but can we have direct links to the songs, instead of going through Rapid Share?

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  3. erm I uploaded them, do you know a better site that provides 1-click hosting? I looked at a few others and they had silly download restrictions (e.g. max 25 d/l)..

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  4. Zaydoun, Thanks...Much needed.
    Can't even read the song titles without crying..

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  5. You should write similar thing about Israel

    After all, Lebanon is the only non-Muslim country in the Arab league.

    Lebanon has the "christians" in power while Israel "Jews." They both is/were at war with the PLO. 800 years back we only had problems with the crusaders, not the jews.

    I suggest "Fiddler on the roof". or "Psalm II w/solo cello" by Dr. Chesky from http://www.chesky.com/core/details.cfm?productcode=CHDVD171&productcategoryid=2

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  6. Just realised we both posted about Zena el-Khalil, her blog is http://beirutupdate.blogspot.com/

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  7. i wish i could be a 3 year old again !

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  8. garga

    Jews are Scum, regardless of their position.

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  9. This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.

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  10. I'd burst into tears listening to "hassayara mosh 3am timshi".. Anything by Fairouz is heart wrenching these days.

    Fuzzy,
    Jews are Jews and Muslims are Muslims.

    Scum is scum.

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  11. moody

    Last time I checked it's called the Arab League, not the Muslim League.

    And if you're going to hold centuries-old grudges, go back 16 years and remember the Muslim leader who invaded Kuwait

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  12. Shurouq

    still jews are the scum of the earth

    كيفي كويتي

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  13. Zaydoun
    the Muslim leader who invaded Kuwait ... it was a transit stop, he was on his way to Free Palastine

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  14. One of the best playlists ever
    thanks Z

    لي الحين اتذكر في حفلة فيروز في بيت الدين لما غنت أغنية بيي راح وكررتها أكثر من مرة
    وهيصة الجمهور وتفاعله معاها
    أعترف انني قبل الحفلة ما كنت اعرف الاغنية .. بس من بعد الحفلة وآنا عندي إدمان عليها

    اللبنانيين ما يستاهلون
    الله ياخذ اللي كان السبب

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  15. اسمح لي زيدون أن أشاركك وقراء مدونتك رسالة تلقتها أختي الصغيرة من صديقتها التي تسكن في نيويورك

    Today I went to protest against the recent US support of Israeli aggression in Gaza and Lebanon. For the past couple days, I've been working to make posters, flyers, and a huge banner, in my attempts to contribute to a cause I have strong feelings about; quickly i realized that it was also therapeutic, helping me deal with my emotions at this time. I snuck out of work early and rushed over to the protest as quickly as I could, eager to contribute to making our voices heard.



    The turn-out was incredible and it was comforting to be in close proximity with people who have been feeling the same way I have. I became emotionally overwhelmed when I noticed how diverse the group was. Arabs, Americans, Europeans, Christians, Muslims, Jews were all standing side by side carrying the Lebanese and Palestinian flags, standing up for our humanity and against our destruction.



    I quickly found my banner and got ready to join the protest against the destruction of Lebanon and Gaza, their people, their souls. Unfortunately I didn't hear that protest. I genuinely joined with chants of "Free Palestine", "Free Lebanon", "no more innocent civilian deaths", "no more war", but when it came to "Down, Down, Down with Israel" and "Up Up with Hizbollah and Hamas" I felt like I suddenly lost my voice.



    I started to think, as I was being told to direct my cheers to the people looking down at us from the windows in the Israeli Embassy about the message we were sending. Is this really going to help; is it productive to chant at the Israeli Embassy in New York City: Down, Down with Israel? Does that not only instill in their embassy, their government, that they have a right to their actions? Is it not counter-productive to make our support of Hizbollah and Hamas, if indeed we each personally support them, a point in our plea to the UN and Israel to end the destruction of our homes and our families? Especially when it is exactly their argument against these resistance groups that is used to justify such destruction? Do we not alienate the non-Muslims who have come to support the cause by chanting: "la Ilaha Il Allah" despite our desire, if we so desire, for God to interfere? What about the Christian Lebanese and Christian Palestinians? What about the American and Israeli people who are standing with us fighting for our cause? What is our cause? Is it religious? Is it not to defend our countries and our people? Is it not a cause of humanity?



    Israel is 58 years old this year, so to demand the destruction of Israel as a country is irrational if not even a bit ridiculous, especially here in New York. Chants with this prerogative, and I know I?ve made this point already, but let me repeat, only reaffirms, as they put it, their "need to DEFEND themselves"; not only to themselves, but also the passer-byers on the street. In fact I know a lot of Palestinians, especially those who are suffering day by day in Gaza and the West Bank, believe that we have to deal with reality and figure out the best way for the Palestinians to have a prosperous nation side by side with Israel. We need to strive to achieve this goal and fight for our right to it. I dream of the stories I hear from older generations about growing up and living with Muslims, Christians and Jews in the Middle East. And this acknowledgement does not mean I necessarily agree with Israel's government policies or its military campaigns, but I just cannot bring myself to chant "Down, Down, with Israel" regardless of how painful recent events have been to bear. WHAT WILL COME OUT OF SUCH UNCONSTRUCTIVE EFFORTS?



    At this point, a good friend of mine would tell me: "Ma you don't know, you haven't lived the war, the pain, the corruption, the destruction. You have lived a fortunate life that allows you to think that way". True, I have lived abroad most of my life, including countries in the middle east that don't suffer like Palestine and Lebanon, and my five years in Lebanon were also peaceful. Maybe that does allow me to have some objective perspective. But what's wrong with that? I would call us all fortunate if we are able to be here in New York City, protesting. Can't we gear our fortune to try and do something constructive? Can't we at least try to find constructive _expression from our thoughts and feelings, and protest what we are all commonly against?productively? Are we not even worse than our "enemy", if in fact we consider them an "enemy", by resorting to such volatile useless methods?

    I walked through the crowd to see what people were fighting for. I started to notice people withdrawn on the side, Hesitant to join, probably questioning the same things I am. They came here to save their countries and thus felt compelled to join, but encountered something that they were obviously questioning. Eventually they left.

    I am afraid of the future of Lebanon, the potential of Palestine, and for the people who have to bear the grunt of it all. I am even more afraid by the recent events and the protest today that we are only feeding our hate and not addressing the issues that will resolve it. I am afraid that hatred will erupt again in Lebanon between the different religions and their sects and spread further throughout the region. I am afraid that my Christian friends will be driven with anger at Muslims, and I will not be able to blame them. I am afraid that my Muslim friends will demean my Christian friends in return and I will not be able to question them. I am afraid that religion is interfering with our lives, regardless of our individual beliefs, rather than guiding it. I am afraid our passion for our cause is backfiring against us and we forget that what it is we protest. Are we not here to protest bombs, are we not here to protest innocent death, are we not here to protest the legitimacy of destruction?



    As the protest ended, and people began to disperse, I noticed this random guy, withdrawn and quiet following the crowd as it started to walk towards Times Square. Despite his withdrawn demeanor, he walked confidently holding a sign very high above his head. His sign was actually a piece of cardboard scribbled on with marker: "War will not end until all extremism and fundamentalism on all sides stop." Despite all the screaming and yelling around me, despite the simple nature of his sign, his sign stood out. His statement, as utopian as it was,in the context of it all stood out.

    I rolled up my banner and went home and called a Lebanese friend to discuss my experience with her, but before I even started to say anything she burst out crying and asked, "When is this going to end?? The day of bottled up frustration and on the surface strength to get through a "normal" day while her family, friends and country is under siege, exploded. Maybe if we went and cried in front of the embassy it would be more constructive. I have other friends who just want to go back and be there while it?s happening. Maybe they feel the pain will go away if they are back home? Or at least maybe there is comfort that the pain will be replaced with immediate fear?

    There is no question that our people, and our humanity are the victim. I can only believe that if people start to see that side of the issue, they will start to care. Politics is dirty on all sides, some more than others, so it is a waste of breathe to argue our opinions. We need to state the facts. Today we should have been protesting against recent Israeli Aggression; nothing more specific, but nothing less. We should be protesting for the destruction to stop immediately. We should argue that destruction cannot be considered defense and that destruction is politically destructive. We should highlight how destroying our countries, our land, our people will only creates more hatred on all sides.We should explain to world that destruction will not solve the conflict, it will only make it worse.

    I just hope that the protest today did not make more people walk out on our cause, like many people already have.I am always hopeful that people who have resisted to participate because of these issues will find a reason to reassess. I share this with you so that I can remain committed despite my partial disappointment. And despite this all, I still admire those who continue with their efforts and will continue to contribute as much as I can in every way that I can.

    PS: If you disagree with certain points I have made, I understand that we are all entitled to our different perspectives. Let us continue to work towards our common goals rather than dwell on our differences. I just feel compelled to share how I feel, maybe just to deal, but in the hope to do a little more.



    Luma Shihab Eldin

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Keep it clean, people!