Lebanon Facing the Economist

A number of lawyers filed a case before the Lebanese prosecution against the Economist, one of the most renowned international journals, dragging Lebanon to a legal confrontation facing the Economist. So now our country joins the club of Iran, Singapore and Zimbabwe and other great great civilized nations fighting against the tyranny and the deception of a journal, of an article, of a writer. (On 15 June 2006, Iran banned the sale of The Economist).

The lawyers are Sana Al Rafii, Khalil Kabbany, Ramy Itany, Mohammad Doghan and Merhef Oraimet. They claimed that the article nails and demeans the economic and financial reputation of Lebanon. Yes that’s true, it’s not a joke. And they claimed it demeans the national flag, this is a more serious one.

Well, we do respect our country and our pride is deep within our culture and our soul. But that’s one thing and freedom of expression is another. Political observers said, it’s the current Lebanese laws and some are just taking advantage of it to fight the opposing camp of Iran in Lebanon itself. Just yesterday Prime Minister Saad El Hariri announced in UAE that Lebanon is facing an economic crisis. Why they didn’t sue him? Why are they forbidding people, writers and journals to talk about it?

:On another note, just some fun facts about the Economist

The journal was founded in 1843, that 176 years ago, before the first university opened in Lebanon, well before the current Lebanese state was founded.

The Economist archive contains more than 171 years of online content, dating from the first issue in 1843. Each issue is as it appeared in print. That’s as good as the best educational institutions in Lebanon if not more.

The Economist sponsors the yearly “Economist Innovation Awards”, in the categories of bioscience, computing and communications, energy and the environment, social and economic innovation, something the Lebanese students and scholars long for in Lebanon.

So keeping our finger crossed, let’s hope to win the fight against Evil.

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