nenartus Posted January 8, 2014 Share Posted January 8, 2014 A person from Lebanon who is accidentally my facebook friend shared this protest on his facebook wall. I'm deeply moved with these pictures and I wanted to share it with you. It reminded me of some MFC projects. I'm not sure if it deserves a thread and I'm sorry if I made a mistake, but I'm reacting impulsively. This before-and-after photo of 16-year-old Mohammad Chaar (in the red hoodie) was widely shared after the teenager was among at least six people killed in a car bombing in Beirut on Dec. 27, 2013. The teen’s death prompted a selfie protest in Lebanon with hundreds posting simple yet powerful messages about what they wanted from their country using the hashtag #notamartyr across Facebook and Twitter. Some of these messages reminded me of Mika and his family. You can see them all here http://www.buzzfeed.com/tasneemnashrulla/41-powerful-messages-from-a-selfie-protest-in-lebanon Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dreamy_Queen Posted January 8, 2014 Share Posted January 8, 2014 If I say that it is awful what is happening now in the Middle East, it will be just trivial words, and just words mean nothing. But I deeply respect the deeds of these people, they try do do at least anything. I had tears in my eyes when I saw these photos, and I believe that many other people will. I don't know if it will help, but still... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RayaBadran Posted January 8, 2014 Share Posted January 8, 2014 (edited) Oh my god... I will share my experience. Nena, you're awesome for creating this thread. I'm Lebanese. My whole family is Lebanese. I've been visiting them every year since 4-5 years ago all on my own so I can be able to discover these people's mentalities deeply. This man in red that you can see lying on the floor in the picture is my cousin's friend and the event happened 5 minutes away from my house. Also, my uncle works beside the Starco, where the event happened, so my uncle was shook by this bomb, and thank God nothing happened. Lebanon is probably one of the prettiest countries in the world, but has probably one of the worse politics in the world. The thing that happens now is that in the news, they count the dead people as numbers: "there are 3 people who injured and a young 16 year old who died." This is not how this man should be recognized. My cousin got so shaken up by this event that her and her mates made a club called: we are not numbers, where each people who was touched by this bomb can be taken as humans, where they can be remembered as a person, and not only be part of numbers. Chaar is a young man that has a family and friends and that NEEDS to be remembered as a person and not a number. The point of this post is to tell you how pissed the citizens of this country are, and how the patriotism is fading away slowly. The teachers used to tell their students to stay in Lebanon and to spread the patriotism of the new generation, in which it is very weak. Now the teachers have lost all hope after seeing how they did not give a **** over a poor 16 year old who died in a bomb, in which they just mentioned as a number. In their heads, it's like: we're treated like we're some piece of nothing, and all they care about is the politician they were able to kill with this bomb. Just the fact hat they are using bombs instead of guns is a sign of egotism, that the killer doesn't want to reveal himself since the bomb can be put anywhere at anytime. It's a shame that now, half of the country wants to move out because all they want is to live as humans and not as piece of nothings. It's a shame that MY country, has this type of policy. It's a shame. The reason why Al-Chaar got known is by the wide protest my cousin and her friends have started all over the internet. It's because the citizens have reacted and not the country, because the country doesn't care. I'll link you a tumblr post of my friend who was deeply saddened as well of Chaar's death since it was her friend too. Voilà my experience about this since, yes I did not know Chaar personally. But my family did, and I really wanted you to know my opinion about it. Why my family not me? Because I lived my life outside my country because of the disaster that has been going on for years. It's the reason why I'm far of my whole family. It's the reason why I am here today in Lebanon. But As much as I will talk nothing will happen, but my desolation is a part of the country's. This is why I am deprived of seeing what means the most to me: my family. But as much as we want to act up nothing will happen. Lebanon's politics has always been like this. I'm really done with this. Edit: the Facebook post you posted Nena is really powerful. Gosh even after writing I'm kind of exhausted. Can anyone tell me if there are words that you don't understand because I've written too quickly? I'm on my phone, sorry for any misspelling. Edited January 8, 2014 by RayaBadran Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dreamy_Queen Posted January 8, 2014 Share Posted January 8, 2014 @RayaBadran Thank you very much for your post. It is very important to read about the real thins from friends there, not from some newspaper pages Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zimwana Posted January 8, 2014 Share Posted January 8, 2014 Raya your post really touched me, thank you for sharing your experience. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RayaBadran Posted January 9, 2014 Share Posted January 9, 2014 (edited) Here's an article on tumblr that my friend wrote that I really want to share. If anyone has Tumblr, it would be appreciated to reblog and to share: http://ethansmap.tumblr.com/post/71465025109/on-december-27th-a-few-guys-from-my-school-were Edited July 26, 2015 by RayaBadran Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BiaIchihara Posted January 9, 2014 Share Posted January 9, 2014 Here's an article on tumblr that my friend wrote that I really want to share. If anyone has Tumblr, it would be appreciated to reblog and to share: http://kaz221bgrimmauldplace.tumblr.com/post/71465025109/on-december-27th-a-few-guys-from-my-school-were shared Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Christine Posted January 9, 2014 Share Posted January 9, 2014 Oh Raya I knew you were upset about this particular boy but I didn't realize how close to home it is for you. I think images like this do make a difference, at least for people outside of Lebanon if not the ones who are setting bombs off. It's very easy for the west to turn a blind eye but when you see these photos and pleas it is impossible not to relate as if it was people from your country or your family. I hope the Lebanese people can take back their country and your family stays safe. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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