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Impudence of Silence by Nihal Bengisu Karaca
With a mummified corpse of a murdered baby in his arms, a man cries, “Where are the Arabs? Is this the American civilization?†Arabs, who have for years submissively obeyed their kings who used Israeli terror to strengthen their own authorities, now feel a touch anger toward their administrations which do nothing more than condemn the massacres in the Middle East. The sixty people killed in the southern Lebanese village of Qana is another mournful event for the Arabs. What I remember about the few days I spent in Aleppo and Damascus is the challenge of the unbearable temperatures to my nerves. On hot days like this, it is nearly impossible to convince any Syrian Arab (that makes at least $20 per day) to do anything for you. However, heat does not stop the feeling of hostility. Thousands gathered in Damascus to protest the massacre in Qana. The number of protesters in Beirut reached around 5,000. All these events took place following our small protest for “the survival of humanity.†I set out for Lebanon with a group of people who could not sit back and watch the violent conflicts in Lebanon. We could not enter the country but we stood in bewilderment next to the corpses and read a statement.
When we saw the Lebanese people fleeing to Syria, it was obvious they were well-off people who could afford to leave. However, there were also poor people who sought refuge in abandoned buildings and women breast feeding their babies on thin and dirty mattresses. Despite all they were still lucky, lucky to be alive because the world was oblivious to the events in Lebanon. With the start of Israeli bombardment, the elite in Lebanon hopped into their cars—making excuse of the war-- and drove off for a holiday in Damascus Palace. Lebanese Middle Class was also able to leave. But, the underprivileged, were stuck in their war-torn country. The war is like a movie for the poor. They have no other chance than to watch the bombs and hope to survive the day. The silence of the “management,†who perceives these people as insects to be expurgated, grows every day, approving the Israeli offensive.
If you wonder “how silence develops,†I should say, silence develops when you keep many things in the dark while talking. “The development of silence†made the wives of our yuppie friends tell us “Hezbollah showed how evil it is, it stirred the world again…†If it were not like this, “helpful children†would not have dispensed Nestle cold drinks in the Syria-Lebanese borders. Handing out Nestle drinks is the biggest step of the global capital to grow in the advertisement market and an example of the disgraceful mentality which considers the war as a “real bargain.†T-shirts have Nestle logos and Syrian and Lebanese flags imprinted on them… Nestle delivers the cold drinks and Condi Rice sings songs for peace… Yet all these mean that nothing will change in the world. Do you not also feel disgusted by the west’s obsession with aesthetics while it intentionally neglects the murder of hundreds of defenseless people? Can you expect such a civilization to stop the destruction of Lebanon? Such a mentality outfoxes every time because each destruction means new building plans, new structures and new tenders.
The press releases of well-known news agencies present the Israeli offensive as “the operation launched after Hezbollah’s kidnapping two Israeli soldiers.†However, Israeli forces caused all these events by kidnapping two Palestinian civilians. With these headlines, the world press shows its disgusting approval of the Israeli attacks. The crowds remain silent despite the fact that more and more children are being killed each day.
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August 02, 2006
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