The Oberlin Review
<< Front page News October 1, 2004

Lebanon column
Style and soldiers shock

One of the first things that struck me and continues to unsettle me about Beirut and Lebanon in general is the amount of soldiers and police. These are Lebanese troops; the Syrian troops have been moved to more discrete areas in the country after worldwide outrage and condemnation, even by the Arab League, over their presence in a sovereign nation. It is unsettling in a city that seems never to sleep, a city that is one big fashion show and night club. It is also a city that was completely devastated and destroyed and the troops are a reminder of that.

There are reminders of the past everywhere, in the midst of all the new hotels and highrises. Believe it or not Lebanon has a vibrant tourist industry. There are still buildings all over the city that were destroyed during the war, buildings with bullet holes in them. Most of the tourists are Gulf Arabs who no longer feel safe going to the United States or Europe. There are also large numbers of French and other European tourists.

Here in Lebanon religion is a touchy subject; I was told by one of the student ambassadors that one thing not to do is ask a Lebanese person about their religion. Religion played a role in the civil war. It was one of the reasons why a religious census is not taken and why the many Palestinian refugees in Lebanon are refused citizenship: it would skew the numbers.

Back to the soldiers. Every time I leave the gated AUB community I see the soldiers. Strangely enough they are usually standing on either side of the golden arches of McDonald’s. In fact McDonald’s has high security, in that every person who enters gets their bags checked. Apparently there is fear of terrorist attacks against McDonald’s. Being a devoted tourist I had wanted to take a picture of the soldiers and got told not so nicely that it is against the law. The reason for this law is that there is always fear of spies and assassinations, mainly from Israel, as the case is in Lebanon.

Speaking on the topic of fashion people are not wrong for calling Beirut the “Paris” of the Middle East; both men and women are very style conscious. My biggest culture shock is seeing so many perfectly made-up people in my classes. In fact there is a group of guys who stand outside West Hall, the equivalent of Wilder Hall, and rate the female students as they walk by. I have to remind myself that the people who attend the American University of Beirut (AUB) are not representative of Lebanon because for the most part they are the richest and most privileged people in Lebanon and the region in general.

Both inside and outside the campus there are women in halter tops walking together with women in hijabs (head coverings) and bearded men in jalabias (traditional male Muslim dress) walking together with men with gelled back hair in tight jeans. It puts me at ease that there is this tolerance, acceptance, that there is choice and to some degree, religious expression is just that: a choice, a freedom.
 
 

   

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