Jumblat Questions Attempts to Tarnish Tripoli's Image: Its Residents are Proud of its Diversity
إقرأ هذا الخبر بالعربية
Progressive Socialist Party leader MP Walid Jumblat slammed on Tuesday attempts to target the image of the northern city of Tripoli, saying that it embraces coexistence among its people.
He said in his weekly editorial in the PSP-affiliated al-Anbaa website: “The residents of Tripoli have long been proud of their city's diversity.”
“Statements of condemnation are no longer sufficient in saving Tripoli from the bloody clashes and political, social, and economic problems it is facing,” he added.
“Tripoli and Lebanon's interests require that this city preserves its diversity,” he stressed, while noting that the recent torching of the al-Saeh Library was aimed at targeting this image.
“We condemn this act, which will not alter Tripoli's social structure that has long been based on coexistence among various sects and political affiliations,” said Jumblat.
Why is Tripoli being portrayed as a hub for extremist thought? wondered the MP.
“This city can only live through the coexistence of its minorities and through the protection of its diversity,” he stated.
Unknown assailants torched on Friday Father Ibrahim Sarrouj's historical al-Saeh library after reports claimed that he had published an article deemed insulting to Islam.
Bashir Hazzouri, an employee at the library, was shot and wounded on Thursday in the old souks of Tripoli.
Al-Saeh Library is considered one of the most renowned libraries in Tripoli and the second largest in Lebanon.
Sarrouj says the library contains more than 80,000 books.
Political and religious figures from Tripoli were quick to condemn the incident, saying that it contradicts Islam and that the city will remain that of coexistence.
07 January 2014, 14:30
148
And we question your integrity. If you didn't join hands with the hizballa terrorists, we would have been able to pressure them politically, now because of you, we're heading towards a new civil war.
07 January 2014, 14:59
1113
hahaha joumblat may change his opinion everyday, but so do you. whenver he says something going your way, he becomes your instant idol. the second he says something you dislike, you suddenly remember you always had disdain for him.
he's a nutcase leader, but you're nutcase sheep.
07 January 2014, 14:35
144
He's right !
M8 are trying to brand tripoli as a city of terrorists when 95% of it's residents have nothing to do with all the street gangs and political fights there.
07 January 2014, 15:01
00
Do tell, how is it that terrorist groups and extremists thrive there, bomb and shoot at army posts and burn libraries and snipe mohsen civillians and harbor criminals going in and out of the country when 95% are against them? Theyre not against them, just indifferent if not also morally supportive of them. Basically you are blind.
07 January 2014, 15:03
913
yea yea, tripoli had such a radiant international image, celebrated from los angeles to tokyo, that m8 grew very jealous and decided to tarnish it. so they "invited" takfirs, and used voodoo magic to make tripoli citizens chant and dance on their slogans (http://www.liveleak.com/view?i=cab_1366056918 dated early 2013), convinced them to start bashing alawites on a daily basis and hypnotized them to go burn a historical library.
boy, those m8 are really good.
07 January 2014, 15:05
913
or maybe, just maybe, it's the bloody TAKFIRIS who are doing that to tripoli?!?!?!
wake up flamecatcher, you can blame m8 for everything from morning to evening, but nobody cares. and in the mean time, you're missing the point.
07 January 2014, 15:06
713
no liberty, care to teach me? i'm curious to see how well you defend your name.
07 January 2014, 17:19
116
@Mowaten : How about you focus on the image of your turf, Dahyé with more weapons, criminals and trained terrorists per square meter than anywhere else on earth !
07 January 2014, 22:01
102
seems mooowaten has never set foot in tripoli... a peaceful city where coexistence prevails... but M8ers prefers to picture it as a city of salafis and islamists when these are just a minority which does not represent tripoli....
poor M8ers and their low propaganda...
their goal is to make people believe that tripoli and akkar is a region where salafis prevail so to justify the intervention of syria in that region.... poor collaborators...
07 January 2014, 15:35
75
Tripoli is a great city known for its diversity and religious tolerance. The criminals who torched the library are nothing but warmongers and ignorant.
The residents of this city have demonstrated they will never change path from coexistence and harmonious living.
What Joumblatt says is nothing but BS. Who made him the spokesman of Tripoli? he is nothing but a flip flopper
07 January 2014, 15:40
134
who knows, maybe they wanted to force Al Saeh to go paperless!
07 January 2014, 15:58
34
Hey ice-man
I replied on the other article
I repeat
cool that you know orange county and Newport
where are you now??
I am currently in Beirut and will be back to Newport this coming friday
07 January 2014, 16:17
124
hello friend:) I was born and raised in La Jolla. I know the area pretty well. Did some surfing in Huntington beach next to you while in university. It is home for me. My current location is "classified" as I am evading takfiris:) I will be in Lebanon for a few more months finalizing some family business matters.
07 January 2014, 16:50
413
Who is attempting to tarnish Tripoli's image? Its own residents are killing each other, and burning historic libraries...
07 January 2014, 17:18
126
zahle, ur city got rid of the syrians, tripoli is still occupied, dont put the blame on the residents, tensions are created by the syrian agents of Jabal Sahyon...
07 January 2014, 22:36
19
Cedre,
I appreciate what you are saying. Tripoli is having sectarian issues between indigenous Sunni and Alawi. Alawi are not Syrians. They may be supporters of Syrians. Just like at a point in time the Sunni in Tripoli may have supported PLO. Just like there are Sunni there that support KSA. I do not support PLO in Lebanon or KSA. I do not support Iranian or Syrian influence in Lebanon. Syrian agents are not causing the problem. The problem exists because of different sects living close to each other, not far from an all out sectarian war too close to our home.
08 January 2014, 02:32
01
cedre, I know exactly what Assad does. I am not a supporter. He did all of the things you stated. He may have agents in Jabal Mohsen, and do not blame that solely. Their is more going on than just that. Right now there is big tension based on sectarian beef. I know the history you are referring to. We can also say the Druze and Shia are indigenous to Lebanon and the Turks shipped the Sunni to Tripoli and elsewhere.
08 January 2014, 02:34
01
I'm not trying to debate 30 to 40 years ago the history let alone 500 years. I'm aware of the "relative" tolerance in certain time periods in Tripoli. Think of the extremists even since 2000, the Salafi, the massacres of nuns, all stemming from Tripoli extremists outside of Jabal Mohsen and the Alawi and Assad. There are some sickos there, and extremists that want to burn your cross, and chop off your head my friend. Again, I am no Syrian fanboy, but we can't blame them for everything, just like HA can't blame Israel for all of their assassinations on anti-Assad opponetns. There is sectarian beef in this country and we have to stop pointing fingers externally for everything when we screw each other everyday/every opportunity.
08 January 2014, 03:45
10
i appreciate what u're saying zahle but still think that sectarian beefs are a consequence of external factors mainly.
Sunnis supported shias in the south against israel, but dont anymore coz they impose on us iranian agenda/syrian killings.
So its not sectarian.
Same with alawites, my humble opinion...
Extremists are a uneducated and manipulated minority.
07 January 2014, 16:58
35
Burning libraries is totally unacceptable the culprits should be caught and punished a lot of these thugs in tripoli are hired thugs and do not represent tripoli at all and to those who want to tarnish tripoli remember tripoli is a city in lebanon not in Iran or Syria.
07 January 2014, 17:00
125
So if a couple of thugs shoot each other in Dahieh over a car park does that tarnish its residents
08 January 2014, 03:16
00
“Statements of condemnation are no longer sufficient in saving Tripoli from the bloody clashes and political, social, and economic problems it is facing,” he added. Nor speeches of co-existence will save the save. What will save the city is disarming extremists, enforcing the rule of law on all parties, and investment in the city to lift its people out of poverty. But Jumblatt, like other M8 and M14 politicians is skilled in speeches and no action.
