Geagea Says Christians Don't Need Protection, Urges them do Distance themselves from Dictators
إقرأ هذا الخبر بالعربية
Lebanese Forces leader Samir Geagea said Friday that Christians in the region are not foreign communities and don't need anyone's protection, minimizing concerns about the treatment of Christians by hard-liners in Syria.
“The Christians in the Orient are part of the social fabric,” Geagea told a conference on the role of Christians in Lebanon and the Orient held in Maarab.
“They are not foreign communities,” he said, adding “they don't need protection from anyone.”
Geagea was mocking calls by the Free Patriotic Movement, whose officials have warned against the rise of Salafist groups, saying it was the duty of Arab regimes to protect Christians in the Orient.
FPM chief Michel Aoun told the Christians of the Orient conference last month that the diminishing role of Christians is tantamount to “racism.”
His son-in-law, caretaker Energy Minister Jebran Bassil, also said last month that assaulting churches in Syria and clergymen and nuns required strong diplomatic action.
He said the kidnapping of Greek Orthodox nuns by rebels from Syria's Mar Takla convent in Maalula was a “rude” act.
The rebels overran the village and the nuns were being kept in the nearby rebel-held town of Yabroud.
Lebanese politicians and mainly Christians should take extraordinary action to form delegations to visit the countries that are backing the rebels in Syria and stop the attack on Christians, he said.
But without mentioning any of them, Geagea ridiculed the FPM officials, saying “some politicians are making a huge drama about Maalula in an attempt to hint that the conflict in Syria is about Christians.”
Some top clergymen are contributing to such efforts, he said.
“The conflict in Syria is suffering from chaos but without any doubt it is a conflict to achieve democracy,” he said.
Geagea also denied that the conflict in the region is between a Muslim majority and a Christian minority.
“Whether we like or not, there are major historic changes in the region that are bringing more freedoms,” he said.
“The Christians should remain in the communities of the Orient. That's why we should adopt their causes and the foundations of the Arab Spring,” he said.
Also without mentioning the FPM, Geagea slammed “the parties allied with (Syrian President Bashar) Assad” for previously criticizing the LF for holding similar conferences on Christians.
“But they are now doing the same,” he said about the Christians of the Orient conference that was backed by the FPM.
Geagea mocked what he said were calls for the “minority Christians in Lebanon” to ally themselves with the Assad regime and the Iranian government.
“Such a suggestion destroys Christians,” he warned.
“Christians make their own fate,” he said, adding “we would vanish if we hold onto dictatorships.”
20 December 2013, 11:56
118
May God bless Dr Geagea, he's gained so much wisdom. his statements are completely accurate. finally some chirstian who hasn't sold his soul to the devil. Allah yihmeek ya Hakim!
20 December 2013, 12:22
67
Hello Benzona
It has been a while. I hope you are doing fine.
Please do not bless Geagea No Lebanese political leader deserves to be blessed as all are contributing to the gradual deterioration in Lebanon
I hope to hear from you
20 December 2013, 12:25
56
It is true however that jail had made him a better man. Perhaps we should send ALL our politicians to jail that may give them some wisdom
20 December 2013, 12:26
63
salut. tout baigne comme on dit. et toi?
je comprends ton desarroi mais le mec est repenti. son prochain jugement sera avec le seigneur. en attendant, il nous reste le saigneur nasrallah and his clique....
20 December 2013, 12:50
35
moi ca va quoi. Je viens de rentrer de la Calif. Je vais passer Noel ici et je retourne en Calif pour le nouvel an
20 December 2013, 12:56
53
ah la calif, tu me mets l'eau a la bouche. j'ai un cousin qui est a san diego dans l'armee. Voila deux bonnes raisons pour que j'aille vous rendre visite ;-)
t'es au liban alors pour le moment? comment trouves-tu le pays? je n'y suis pas alle depuis mai. j'imagine que ca doit etre le choc pour toi.
20 December 2013, 15:20
23
Benzona. Geagea did many horrible things in the 89 war. True, he repented. However he should not lead anymore. He is not a hero. He is a disgruntled repented, ex militia chief. He should not lead a parliamentary bloc.
This being said, he is right in most the things he says. Christian lebanese are not a endangered species that need protection.
Christian lebanese have armed themselves in the past and resisted. And they will do it again if need be. But they are giving a chance to 3aych mouchtarak.
As for christian syrians, they should group, take up arms and defend themselves, and their clergy, like lebanese did. They dont need evil assad to protect them.
20 December 2013, 17:20
30
Le Liban? Quel dommage! le pays est fichu. On regresse mon vieux
C'est vrai quand on dit que le bon dieu a cree le Liban comme paradis sur terre mais aussi le bon dieu a cree le Libanais pour que personne n'eb profite
Helas c'est vrai
20 December 2013, 12:22
46
Gaegae is very objective in his analysis. He is speaking like a true nationalist unlike many sectarian leaders on both sides of the spectrum.
20 December 2013, 12:27
75
At what time do you begin your daily idiotic red thumb jihad? i'd like to watch.
20 December 2013, 12:44
74
that's news to me icey, i knew he was part of the sisterhood of the traveling pants. why am i not suprised ! ! !
20 December 2013, 12:43
74
aoun, spreading fear, hitler, stalin, kim jong un, bachar, lame, flame,.... end of key words.
20 December 2013, 13:18
45
this guy must me high on coke, that's the only explanation..He sees everything upside down.
The takfiris are gaining ground over FSA in Syria and in Tripoli..nuns are being kidnapped..but it's all good, as long as we have an argument against Nasrallah..
If you care for your people go back to jail!
20 December 2013, 13:46
32
Ya f t enta marid wa Dr geagea mashghol shof tabib gayro sho 3endak 7o2ed wa karahiyi ya man ro7 alla eynawrak eltelak marid
20 December 2013, 15:35
02
FT. Christian lebanese have armed themselves in the past and resisted. (and that was true resistance, not this militia calling itself resistance nowadays) christian lebanese will do it again if need be. But they are giving a chance to 3aych mouchtarak.
As for christian syrians, they should group, take up arms and defend themselves, and their clergy, like lebanese did. They dont need evil assad to protect them. If they count on hezbollah or assad, they will become their vassals. And that is unacceptable. They should protect themselves like the kurds did.
20 December 2013, 15:45
34
It's not Halloween yet so take the donkey costume off FT. Funny how you can talk about iceman having more than one account when the people who've been on these forums for awhile have seen many associated to you - perhaps up to five - so how was the fpm Christmas bonus this year for propogandists?
20 December 2013, 17:01
02
FT. I am not saying they should resist bachar. They should resist whomever is attacking them, today the takfiris, tommorrow bachar. In a state of war you should be armed. Fullstop. Else you get humiliated. Like the kurds did. Like christian lebanese did.
Christian syrians should group and do a resistance. 10% of 20million is 2Million. It is more than chiite lebanese. If HA can make a difference in syria, christian syrias should be able to do the same.
20 December 2013, 18:49
41
"Both sides are using the minority, Christians, as a political card, which is appalling from both sides. And we are losing, whoever wins at the end. "
"But today we see that the Christians are suffering more than any community in Syria because they are being abused both by the regime and by rebels."
assad is no better than the islamists... but still M8 praises him and defend him....
20 December 2013, 23:39
11
whats happening in egypt, iraq and syria is a civil war. More mosques than churches are bombed(except egypt probably). It's not a war against christians even if in iraq christians have been targeted coz of their links with saddam. But sunnis and shias as well, same from palestinians from iraq.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZeYeUXaNbiE
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-p6KjRrfddg
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NLNxojDyzQs
21 December 2013, 08:01
12
An Al Qaeda sympathizing Salafist puppet lecturing Christians on what's best for them.
Only in Lebanon.
21 December 2013, 12:09
00
(1). There are two people history will never forgive, one is Aoun and the other is Geagea. I wrote this some months ago, where I stated that when Geagea started to load weapons for Aoun on our command cars in Karantina, I told him in no uncertain way, "Hakim, you are making a big mistake by giving Aoun weapons, he will turn them against us". Then Geagea said, "lah lah lah, Al General bi moun". Geagea for some mad reason believed Aoun's War of Liberation against the Syrians, I bought not even one line of Aoun, how could a General who was allied to Saddam Hussein at the time, and who (Saddam) was fighting a war against the US and allied forces in Kuwait and Iraq be a credible person?
21 December 2013, 12:13
00
(2). From the very beginning in those days, the US was clear over its position with Aoun and his alliance with Saddam. Hafez El Assad, being the old fox he was, joined and sided the US and allies in the first Gulf War and won over Lebanon, the US thus gave Al Assad the guardianship of Lebanon. How could anyone in those days in the LF not see this danger? How could Geagea not go beyond some of his stupid positions and side with a man condemned to fail? How could Geagea provide Aoun with tons and tons of weapons which we bought with blood, sweat and tears? How could Geagea not see that Aoun could not in any way be able to push the Syrians out of Lebanon? Yes, there was a brief time when the LF joined forces with the army, that indeed we began hurting the Syrians real bad, many foreign TVs covered the news amply then.
21 December 2013, 12:17
00
(3). Syria was as always smarter than us, always making its moves ahead of ours, one simple approach could have averted the demise of the LF, and that was NOT to trust or believe the General's madness in going all out against the Syrians. The Syrians used their allies in Lebanon too, even the LF, who were at the peak of their might could not hope to remove the Syrians from Lebanon, we could only hold the lines and no further. I will always blame these two men, these two utter criminals for doing what they did to us. Since then, Lebanon became enslaved to the will of Syria.
