I have recently been having a back-and-forth with an IB member from Lebanon. He accuses me of attacking his country. I am doing anything but: I never attack Lebanon or its people but simply crude, delusional, and fanatical Lebanese nationalism.

He recently wrote a post against my criticism. Here is an abridged re-posting of his comments:

As noticed in many articles, Lebanon was fought by a writer for reasons I don’t understand, probably he doesn’t either. The real truth of Lebanon started out when it gained its independence from France in 1943. It quickly boomed, meaning from a country being occupied to independent, as a well known state [sic].

Unluckily, Lebanon came to be surrounded by Arab nations, whom are greedy in more than one way. And just before the “so called writer” [sic] comments on my “delusional nationalism”, there is proof on what I am saying which came out just yesterday.

And as everyone noticed, Lebanon’s tourism was the best in more than 10 years, with more than 2 million tourists. The Lebanese Minister of Tourism mentioned a couple of days ago that Lebanon was voted to be the leading touristic country in the Middle East for the next two years. Though it was voted, it was fought harshly by most Arab nations, being Syria, Jordan, UAE etc.

The point I am trying to make here is that Lebanon cannot be explained if it is looked at by only the politicians. Politicians in Lebanon are pets of most powerful countries, ofcourse [sic] more powerful than the 10,450 km squared Lebanon. You can see the real Lebanon by looking at its people. The country had 15 year long war, where ALL nations fought on in Lebanese land. Soldiers from Israel, Syria, Palestine, USA, Iraq.

Where rockets were brought from Saudi Arabia, Iran, Iraq, Syria and Israel. For what? For the mistakes politicians did? Yes, big time. But why Lebanon? Is it because of its important geography, or beautiful land? Why didnt [sic] all these armies fight in the war on Kuwait? Or Iraq? Or Palestine?

But not the Lebanese, not Lebanon. Lebanese culture is totally different than Syrian, Palestinian, Iraqi etc. Lebanese are known for there Arabic, French, English, Armenian and Spanish. Look at other neighboring nations. What languages do they speak but Arabic?

Why do Lebanese have the best jobs overseas? The questions need research to be answered, and hopefully the so called writer can read some history before calling the Lebanese the “national delusionists”.

I was initially going to write a comment, but I decided that such a response merited its own post so that more people could see what my Hummus with Lebanon is.

First of all, I know and understand my reasons for criticizing Lebanon.

Look at how petty Lebanese nationalists are. They are obsessed with ranks. Lebanon is the best at this or that. Blah, blah, blah. This is the third or fourth time that the author has written that Lebanon was voted the #1 tourist destination in 2009. Lebanese are obsessed by such meaningless rankings. Egypt, Tunisia and Morocco all attract more tourists than the so-called Ceder homeland; but they do not go around bragging. That is because underneath Lebanese boosting is a deep inferiority complex. Only insecure people behave like these. Only insecure people feel the need to brag about their country based on nothing more than...tourism indexes. And, for the record, nobody noticed that Lebanon had the best tourist season in ten years. Lebanese, the delusional ones, actually believe that their country is some important nation that the rest of the world pays attention to. Nobody noticed, and nobody cared. Lebanon is a small and mostly insignificant nation.

And how can a nation be voted in advance at the best place to visit in two years? Or is seeing the future another Lebanese “genius” trait?

And what is meant by the baseless assertion that Lebanese have the best jobs overseas? Our author probably believes that Lebanese are genetically superior to all others.

And what is also meant by the “unlucky” fact that Lebanon is surrounded by Arabs as if Lebanon is not an Arab country? Our author probably believes in the Rahbani brothers fabrication of the Phoenician nation and that Lebanese are not Arabs but some Phoenician people or some country left by the Crusaders. Delusion. And look at the bigotry Lebanese nationalists have for their neighbors in the form of the “greedy” remark. Maybe if Lebanese sects stopped being so guarding in their greed for power then Lebanon would not have suffered 15-years of Civil War.

And this last part says it all. The author scapegoats all of Lebanon’s problems on its neighbors and implies that Lebanon is some dubious prize to be fought over, and that is why foreign nations interfere. No, nations interfere because feuding Lebanese factions welcome them in an effort to achieve the backing of a patron. Lebanese problems are, first and foremost, internal matters. The fact that Lebanese fail to grasp this fact does not bode well for the future of the nation.

And, finally, what about that culture? The Rahbani brothers are dead and Fairuz is past her prime. Nancy Ajram el al do not constitute culture but cheap and fabricated (literally, Lebanese starlets are plastic surgery-obsessed) Western imitations. Of course, there are talented people in Lebanon. But the nation has never been the biggest cultural export in the region. Egyptian cinema and Umm Kalthoum dominated in ways Lebanese never did. The most prominent Arab poets in recent years have not been Lebanese: Nizar Qabbani, Syrian; Adonis, Syrian; Mahmoud Darwish, Palestinian. And the heart of Arab cinema is today defined by Palestinian film-making. Three Palestinian films debuted at Cannes this past year (none Lebanese), one was shortlisted for the top prize, the Palestinian film “Ajami” will go one to represent Israel at the Oscars, “Paradise Now” won the Golden Globe and was nominated for an Oscar; and Elie Suliamen’s Cannes hit “The Time That Remains” is also a strong contender for the Oscars. The Palestinians may have two films at next year’s Oscar; one ostensible representing Israel and the other Palestine.

I would never be cruel to deny that Lebanese have a genuine culture. And a Lebanese film-maker recently produced a great film titled “Caramel”. I am not attacking Lebanon or the Lebanese people. But the strain of right-wing, delusion nationalism exhibited in this author’s foolish tirade. A nationalism that likes to pretend that Lebanon is some genetically superior place. That Lebanon is the best country in the world. All people think highly of their nation, but the Lebanese go above-and-beyond and start spewing ludicrous assertions that Lebanon is “THE BEST.” That the nation is some special place different from all else. In their dreams, maybe.

The Lebanese refuse to accept their fate as just another small country that is interesting here and there, but not a great power. So they invest myths to fill their insecure hearts and minds.

In reality, Lebanon is not even great by Arab standards. The nation is not and has never been the leader in the region: not in political terms. And also, as I just made clear, not in culturally terms. Lebanon does not have much of a film industry, Lebanese poets are not the most admired, Lebanese serials are not the most watched, overwhelmingly Lebanese singers are silly acts, and even the popularity of some Lebanese programing is due not to quality but to cheap exploitation of sex and women. And how is Lebanese culture “totally different” from neighboring nations? What do the Lebanese dance with Hummus plates (more on that below)? The only thing that distinguishes Lebanese culture in contemporary Arab culture is its lack of accomplishment, its constant and unoriginal imitation of the West, and its cheap sexism.

And Lebanese are not known for their language skills. Lebanon is not a bilingual or multilingual nation. Only the elite speak foreign languages. Contrast that with Tunisian, Algeria and Morocco where nearly everyone can speak Arabic and French.

And, finally (for the second time), Hummus is Syrian not Lebanese. The author’s comments that everyone knows (again, nobody knows nor cares) that Hummus has been Lebanese for some 70-odd years is laughable. Hummus is much older than that and he cites 70-odd years because that is when the fictitious nation of Lebanon was carved out by the French. Hummus predates Lebanon, all of what is now Lebanon was prior to French colonialism known as Greater Syria; ergo Hummus is Syrian. And Hummus is from the Syrian city of Homs; which remains in Syria (left side, spelled Hims):

Lebanon is a 20th-century, artificially carved out nation. Hummus is a centuries old Mid-East dish. Unless one subscribes to the delusion that Lebanon is some 5,000-year-old nation; there is no way Hummus can be considered Lebanese. Nobody, nobody, but Lebanese consider Hummus to be “Lebanese”. It is Syrian, developed in Syria and traveled the Mid-East long before the “Ceder homeland” was drawn on a French map.

If it is any consolation for our author, Lebanon ranks #1 in one field: the viciousness of its politics and civil wars. And, I think, the guy from “Speed” was born in Beirut. There’s something for ya.