Lebanon Is Not Built on Hatred… but on Partnership

I wish that in this country we could ease the tension and sectarian incitement a little, because what is happening on television screens and political platforms is shameful.

It is regrettable that some MPs, ministers, and party leaders have turned into instruments of division instead of being bridges that bring people together around one nation.

We are not warring tribes; we are the children of one land, sharing the same pain, the same fear, and the same dream.

“We all have a place in this الوطن”... the Shiite, the Sunni, the Druze, the Christian, and every person who loves this land and wants to live in it with dignity and peace.

As a Lebanese citizen, I do not want to live in fear of my brother in this الوطن simply because he differs from me in opinion or affiliation.

On the contrary, I want to live with him, to listen to him and have him listen to me, to understand his pain and have him understand mine, to disagree respectfully and discuss matters rationally, not to turn into opposing peoples within one country.

Differences in viewpoints are not conflict; they are a natural part of any vibrant society.

True democracy is not built on exclusion, but on dialogue.

“I want to sit with you at the same table, discuss things with you, convince you and be convinced by you,” because nations are not built by shouting or incitement, but by calm words and responsible minds.

We are tired of the language of treason and hatred.

We are tired of speeches that inflame the street and sow fear among people.

Lebanon today does not need those who raise walls between its sons and daughters, but those who extend their hands to one another.

What unites us is far greater than what divides us.

We are united by the same bread, the same pain, the same fear for our children, and the dream of a homeland that resembles all of us.

And if we do not learn to protect one another as one people, there will be nothing left to protect later.

Lebanon is not saved by sectarianism, but by citizenship.

Nor is it preserved by hatred, but by love, partnership, and awareness.

Let us calm down a little… and remember that, no matter how much we differ, we will remain brothers and sisters under the sky of one الوطن.