From reverse gear to first gear forward [Archives:2006/994/Opinion]
“I say there is really no hope for us Arabs in the near future!” said Mujahid to his father, while the father is going through the hundred or so favorite satellite stations he has selected as his favorites in his digital receiver.
“What is eating you, son?”, finally realizing that his eldest son, who is studying to be a journalist, was trying to get some note of optimism from his dad.
“I really see no hope for us Arabs in the near future. Look at us. We are made of 22 different countries, each trekking on a meandering path that is leading none of them to any meaningful end or destiny. We as a nation are still moving in reverse gear. In fact, helplessly watching as the days go by and the months streak through, while the passing years eat up our fated ages with a life that shows no pleasantry or even sense of dignified existence.” The son was trying to give a comprehensive picture of what has dominated his mind.
“What about the victory achieved by Hezbollah against Israel?”, says the mother, as she brought some snacks for the other two members of the family trio, continuing, “The victory of the Lebanese resistance has shattered the past gloomy aura of hopelessness that I once had over our nation's prospect. For the first time in my life, I can proudly say that I belong to a nation that deserves to relish in pride. The unbelievable victory of Hezbollah against a doggedly mean and pitiless enemy, who had been mesmerized in his own chauvinist claim to superiority, truly made me agian believe that, indeed it is the destiny of the Arabs to lead this world to proper moral and chivalrous grounds. Moreover, the Hezbollah victory confirmed to me that when God decides to give grace to the will of the weak and the oppressed, He does it in the most unthinkable of ways. Just look at the Israelis trying to find a way out of their absolute defeat! They can't discern just what happened to their illusions of unchallenged power. But alas, the Power of the Lord, turns such illusions into nightmares of despair and fright of an uncertain future. Just like any thief, who has lost the ability to stir up fear among his victims, the Israelis are now truly beginning to feel that their future is vulnerable to doom, since they know that their whole existence is based on illusions and petty theft!
The father was caught by surprise: “My dear, just where did you get this masterful eloquence? I have never heard you speak so eloquently and philosophically.”
The son wanted to point out his explanation for the mother's newly developed skills: “After hearing a few of Sayyid Hassan Nasr-Allah's speeches, one is bound to catch on to the superb forms of expression the Arabic language can take.”
“Not only that; one also gets a feel of true leadership, refined by articulate management of resources and genuine courage spiced by the most honorable displays of chivalry and sound Islamic conduct. That is what Hassan Nasr-Allah reflected. Just look at the streets. Did you notice that all the thousands and thousands of pictures that were spread out during the election campaigns have mostly vanished from the homes, edifices and automobiles throughout the country. But Hassan Nasr-Allah's pictures still remain in their original place where the owners put them. From Mauritania to the Gulf states, Hezbollah has reenergized our feeling of national momentum and no matter what polls one looks at, you will see that the victory in Lebanon erased all those fictitious borders that our leaders insist on safeguarding (to legitimize their tight hold of the reins around our necks) and all Arabs are now united by a hope that soon they will also be liberated from these plastic leaderships, and the aura will be there in which there will be a thousand and one Hezbollah to steer this nation to its rightful place among the nations of the world.” The mother put the mood of the masses throughout entire Arab World to bare for all to savor in.
The father said: “Son, I guess that takes care of your feelings of despair and hopelessness, doesn't it?”
“Yes, father, but she has only pointed out the beginning – albeit a meritorious one. The road is still hard and winding. But now after hearing what mom said, I am more inclined to optimism. With my mother now being able to talk like that, I know now that there is hope!”
Hassan Al-Haifi has been a Yemeni political economist and journalist for more than 20 years.
——
[archive-e:994-v:14-y:2006-d:2006-10-30-p:opinion]
