Originally published on the CGS blog on February 7, 2014.
Though the month of February is barely a week old, for the people of Lebanon it has already seen two separate bombings in the capital of Beirut. The back-to-back attacks follow a January characterized by car and suicide bombings, culminating in a “declaration of war” by Al-Qaeda against Lebanese Shi’ite militant group Hezbollah.
In a country still plagued by memories of the 1975-1990 Civil War between Christians, Sunnis, and Shi’ites, many fear that the violence in neighboring Syria may stir up sectarian tensions once more. Hezbollah has been fighting to support Syrian President Bashar al-Assad for almost a year, while the majority of Lebanon’s Sunnis support varying factions within the rebel movement. Lebanon’s Christians, who make up almost 40% of the country’s population, have not been uniformly partial to either party.
As Sunni and Shi’ite combatants continue to trade retaliatory attacks that cost innocent lives, there are worrying signs that more and more civilians are being drawn in to the budding conflict. In a disturbing video provided by the Middle East Media Research Institute, a newborn infant is seen being dressed in military fatigues and a Hezbollah beret, “a potential resistance fighter from the first few hours of his life.”
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kkm32CyueCg
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kkm32CyueCg
Many, however, are determined to raise their voices, speak out and fight back against the burgeoning martyrdom culture that leads parents to offer up newborns as soldiers. The social media campaign #NotAMartyr began in response to the increasing frequency of bombings, in particular the December 27th assassination of Sunni politician Mohamad Chatah, an outspoken opponent of Hezbollah.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EPXUKKbvsR8
This outspoken rejection of martyrdom and violence represents the global voice of a generation determined to prevent a backslide into the hatred and violence of the 1980s. And as Lebanon prepares for a contentious election and struggles to deal with a worsening refugee crisis, these are voices that sorely need to be heard.
More information on the “Not a Martyr” social media campaign can be found at: https://www.facebook.com/notamartyr
