Make 2015 the year of state institutions, wrote Ambassador Eichhorst in The Daily Star. During a recent gathering for Grand Serail employees, Prime Minister Tammam Salam was quoted as saying: We will not celebrate New Year in Lebanon and we will not feel happy until the Army and internal security servicemen are freed. Mr. Salam’s words reveal the strong responsibility he feels for his country and for the security and safety of his fellow countrymen and women. They reflect the general mood of the public, one of anxiety and concern. Rarely have the inhabitants of this part of the world been faced with direct accounts and images of violent acts. Those who by their own nature or beliefs walk the life of tolerance, moderation and openness increasingly feel they are a minority. The quest of many in the past year in Lebanon was: How could it all get so far and what is still to come? How low can a boy or girl fall in order to be attracted to join a group of brutal torturers and murderers? How far can women and men go in teaching and spreading violence with the intent to destroy in whole or in part a national, ethnic, racial or religious group? Today’s “extremism” in the Middle East and vast parts of Africa and Asia keeps academics, opinion and policymakers increasingly busy. Last week’s The Daily Star feature article by Venetia Rainey on “Understanding the drive to extremism” sums up the combination of factors that prompt a person to wreak havoc, often in the name of religion. To read the full article visit: dailystar.lb/News/Lebanon-News/2015/Jan-03/282927-make-2015-the-year-of-state-institutions.ashx
Posted on: Mon, 05 Jan 2015 06:26:51 +0000
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