Miss Israel, Miss Lebanon Selfie Causes Backlash

Politicizing sports, beauty and art events- how pathetic. But it happens all the time, and usually involves Israel. In this case it's the Miss Universe contest in Miami, Florida, where a selfie taken by Miss Israel (Doron Matalon) with Miss Lebanon (Saly Greige) has caused a firestorm of criticism. Of course it's the Lebanese who are up in arms, some want her to lose her title for daring to be photographed with an Israeli, and it has Greige trying to defend herself in a not-so positive way.

Jumping to her own defense, Greige said on social media that Miss Israel -Doron Matalon - had “repeatedly” attempted to take photos with her, effectively “photobombing” the selfie.

“From the first day I arrived at the Miss Universe pageant I was very careful not to take any pictures with Miss Israel, who tried repeatedly to take pictures with me,” she said, according to the el-Nashra fan entertainment website.

“While I was preparing with Miss Slovania and Miss Japan to get our photograph taken, Miss Israel jumped in and took a selfie with her phone and posted it on social media.”

She continued: "This is what happened and I hope to have your full support in the Miss Universe contest".

Greige even cropped Miss Israel out of the photo.

Matalon, on the other hand, took the high road. She claims she didn't photobomb Miss Lebanon, that "it wasn't a surprise."  She just wanted to reach out, even for a moment.

"I hope for change, and I hope for peace between us; even just for three weeks, even just between me and her," Matalon said.

"That's what we need to remember: we represent the country and the people, not the government and not the political issues."

And:

"It doesn't surprise me, but it still makes me sad. Too bad you can not put the hostility out of the game, only for three weeks of an experience of a lifetime."

She's right.

Lebanon's hatred for Israel stems from the 2006 war against Hezbollah (a terrorist organization) where 1,200 people were killed versus 160 Israelis. Lebanese casualties were mostly civilians, Israel mostly soldiers. Important to note, Hezbollah started the conflict by firing rockets at Israeli border towns.

Source:  Al Arabiya

TV Skit Mocks Nasrallah, Protests In Lebanon Ensue

A Lebanese TV skit mocking Hezbollah's head honcho Hassan Nasrallah so enraged his supporters, they did what Muslim extremists do best- flocked to the streets in protest and burned tires. LBC TV's comedy show 'Basmat Watan' has targeted Nasrallah before, and as far as the producer Charbel Khalil is concerned, religious figures are fair game. Since he also happens to be a political figure, others believe there's nothing wrong with mocking him.

This week’s program poked jokes at Hezbollah's role in Syria, with Nasrallah's character lamenting what he said was a late intervention.

"Our weapons should have included planes and submarines," he said.

There is a video news report on this on Al Arabiya.

No sense of humor.

Did Pakistani Jihadists Bring Polio To Syria?

Polio is a devastating, highly infectious disease that spreads and cripples children very quickly, and there is no cure. Vaccinating kids is the only way to stop it from spreading. For the most part, the world has been able to eradicate it. According to the World Health Organization (WHO) there are only three countries where polio is still endemic: Nigeria, Afghanistan and Pakistan. I'm not sure about Nigeria, but the reason why it's still a problem in Afghanistan and Pakistan, is because the Taliban- in all their breathtaking ignorance- think immunization is some Western conspiracy to sterilize Muslim children. So they've been systematically attacking and killing polio workers. Back in January, 7 aid workers were killed, including a doctor, and there have been others since. But it's not just the Taliban, two teachers attacked a woman when she came to their house, because they believed the polio vaccine was a plot by the U.S. to cause mental retardation.

Syria had been polio free for 14 years, until now.  And thanks to the Pakistani jihadists who have gone to Syria to fight, polio has come back with a vengeance. 10 under-immunized children, so far, have been paralyzed, and neighbouring countries are running scared. As a result Syria, Lebanon and some other countries in the Middle East are on a mission to vaccinate over 20 million kids. Lebanon has already started its campaign:

“Today was the launching of the polio campaign in Lebanon. Lebanon has been polio-free for almost twelve years and it should stay as it is. Therefore today, together with the ministry of health, we have started the vaccination of more than 750,000 under five children,” UNICEF representative in Lebanon, AnnaMaria Laurini, told Reuters.

Though there is no way to definitively determine if Pakistani fighters are to blame for bringing the virus to North East Syria, the fact that it's only one of three countries where polio is still a problem, and North East Syria is where the rebels have taken hold, it seems more than likely.

Muslims Kill Muslims At Lebanese Mosques

More Muslim on Muslim violence, this time in Lebanon.

Car bombs outside two Tripoli Sunni mosques killed more than 43 people and wounded 500 or so.

It never ends.

The story here.

EU Designates Armed Wing Of Hezbollah Terrorist Organization

The European Union (EU) has finally designated the armed military wing of Hezbollah as a terrorist organization.  It was a unanimous decision on the part of the 28 EU member nations.

German Foreign Minister Guido Westerwelle told a news conference in Brussels that the decision is meant to send a clear signal that the EU will not tolerate terrorism on its soil.

"I welcome that together we made a crystal clear decision today in the fight against terrorism," he said. "We will put Hizballah's military arm on the list of terrorist groups. Terrorist activities inside of the European Union are unacceptable and will be met with [a] resolute, decisive, and, above all, joint response by Europe."

More here.

It's about time, although there are some who believe that sanctions will have little to no impact on the organization.

The EU joins the UK in designating the military wing as a terrorist group. Australia has listed the External Security Organization as a terrorist organization. And the following have designated the entire organization:  Bahrain, Canada, France, Gulf Cooperation Council, Israel, Netherlands.

Fadel Shaker- Singer Turned Islamist Boasts About Killing Two Lebanese Soldiers

44-year-old Fadel Shaker used to be a famous Lebanese singer until the Syrian war turned him into a Salafist militant who believes music is haram (forbidden). Joining radical Sunni cleric Sheikh Ahmad al-Assir's terrorist ranks, he is now a fugitive, along with Assir (or Ahmed al-Asir, as he is sometimes called), after they killed 17 Lebanese army soldiers in Sidon.

In a video that has recently surfaced, Shaker proudly announces that he was responsible for killing two of those soldiers, and wounding four.

“We killed two of your carcasses [sic], you dogs, you pigs… two carcasses and four injured pigs [sic],” Shaker said.

Oddly enough, Assir opposes both the Bashar al-Assad regime and fellow Lebanese terrorists Hezbollah. I guess it's that whole Shia versus Sunni conflict.


Sources: Naharnet,  Now News

Lebanon Caves To Boycott Pressure- Bans Lebanese Film Partly Shot In Israel

Censorship is alive and well in Lebanon.  Apparently, an award-winning film by a Lebanese director has been banned because some scenes were filmed in Tel Aviv with Israeli actors.  On his Facebook page, Ziad Doueiri said of the decision to ban his movie "The Attack":

“I regret to inform you that the Interior Minister of Lebanon, Minister (Marwan) Charbel, has decided to punish us and the film by banning it... claiming that the reason for the rejection is that I, Ziad Doueiri, had spent time in Israel filming. To set things straight, I did shoot part of the film in Tel Aviv because this is where part of the story takes place. I used Israeli actors because also these were the artistic choices that I have made. And I have no regret and no apologies whatsoever.”

Apparently, Lebanese officials caved under pressure from the Israel Boycott Office of the Arab League.

According to Charbel:

“We had no problem with the movie but when we received the protest letter... we could not oppose” the request."

Based on a novel by Algerian Yasmina Khadra, the film- which garnered multiple awards at the COLCOA French Film Festival- is about an Israeli doctor who finds out his wife was the suicide bomber in an attack in Tel Aviv.

Doueiri is not happy with the decision:

Doueiri dismissed the ban as “foolish and unfair,” and noted that several Palestinian films shot in Israel with Israeli actors “and even with Israeli financing…were allowed to screen in Lebanon.”

“Why them and not this film? Are the Lebanese supposed to carry the Palestinian flag higher than the Palestinians themselves?” Doueiri asked.

 The rest here.

Hijabi Competes In "Miss Big Arabian Beauty, 2013" Pageant

Lebanon just hosted its first "most beautiful fat woman pageant." Actually, it was a first for the whole Middle East. Fashioned after similar ones in Brazil, Britain and France- in fact, one of the judges was the winner of the French competition- ten Middle Eastern women competed for the title of Miss Big Arabian Beauty, 2013.  Prizes worth over fifty thousand dollars were up for grabs by the mostly Lebanese contestants.

Twenty percent of the vote was based upon their style in casual clothes, 20 percent of the vote was based upon their grace while walking in a swimsuit, 20 percent was based upon their looks in an evening dress and the final 40 percent was based upon the competence of answers they gave when questioned by the judicial panel.

21-year-old Eliana Nehme from Lebanon won.

But what the heck was hijab-clad Noura Zeindine doing in a beauty pageant? If she's religiously conservative enough to wear a hijab, she should have no interest in entering a beauty pageant. Yes, she was covered from head to toe in variations of black, but still. I found that very bizarre.

You can see her towards the back in the picture below (right behind the LBC logo), and you can also watch her dancing towards the back in the video on Al Arabiya.

In case you want to watch the whole programme.

Brother Honor Kills Pregnant Sister He Raped In Lebanon

Another honor killing, this time in south Lebanon. The brother, Jihad (yes, that's his name), allegedly impregnates his sister Baghdad Khaled al-Issa, 18, then murders her (with the help of a cousin) when she's seven months pregnant. Yes, very honorable to kill a pregnant woman and her almost full term child. She had been stabbed on the sides of her body and in her head.

Issa’s brother has confessed to the gruesome crime.

Later Friday, both Issa’s brother and cousin arrived at the farm to reenact the crime.

Some media reports said Issa’s brother was the father of the unborn baby. However, police are waiting for the results of the autopsy report.

In August 2011, lawmakers passed a proposal increasing punishment for so-called “honor crimes.”

The law calls for canceling an article in the penal code that grants a commutation of sentence for anyone who kills a wife, husband or close family member caught in the act of adultery, under the pretext that the act was driven by extreme anger.

From Naharnet:

Later on Friday, LBCI television reported that the investigation with Jihad revealed that he had raped his sister, which lead to her pregnancy.

"He confessed to raping his sister,” LBCI said, adding that Jihad claimed he was drunk when the incident happened.

The television channel added that he had only recently found out about the pregnancy and asked his sister to undergo an abortion, but she refused.

A good Muslim boy.

They will probably walk free.

Source: Daily Star

Lebanon Thinking Of Suing Showtime's "Homeland" Producers

Unfortunately, I've never seen the Emmy award-winning "Homeland" since I don't have Showtime, but it looks really interesting. Based on an Israeli TV series "Hatufim" (Prisoners of War), the U.S. version is obviously quite different. Our "Homeland" deals with the return of an American prisoner of war, and the possibility that he was "turned" by Al Qaeda while in captivity.  Shot mostly in Charlotte, NC- subbing for Virginia and Washington DC-  some scenes have been filmed in Israel- subbing for Lebanon. That happens all the time, for various reasons. In the case of Charlotte, all the NC film incentives wooed the production there. As for Lebanon, well that's quite obvious- Israel is a much friendlier and safer country to film in than Lebanon, these days, especially since the co-creator Gideon Raff is Israeli.

But not everyone is thrilled about the 'thriller'. Lebanon is actually threatening to sue the production company because they feel the series shows them in an unflattering light.

A tourism minister told multiple media outlets this week that Lebanon is considering suing the Emmy-award-winning Showtime series because of its unflattering portrayal of Lebanon.

This kind of film damages the image of Lebanon — it is not fair to us and it’s not true, it is not portraying reality,” Fadi Abboud told the Beirut-based Executive magazine. “We want to take action, we want to write to the filmmakers and producers and demand an apology. And we are planning to raise a lawsuit against the director and the producer.”

Abboud pointed to a recent “Homeland” episode that featured snipers on Hamra Street in West Beirut, which according to the Associated Press is a lively neighborhood filled with cafes, book stores and bars.

“It showed Hamra Street with militia roaming in it. This does not reflect reality,” he told the AP. “It was not filmed in Beirut and does not portray the real image of Beirut.”

It's called a  'TV SERIES' folks, not a documentary, and they can portray Lebanon in whatever manner they choose.

They are also pissed off that the Lebanon scenes have been filmed in Tel Aviv.

A Lebanese woman told the AP it’s “insulting” for Tel Aviv to stand in for Beirut, saying, “Israel destroyed our country. Israel invaded and occupied our country.” 

Hezbollah leaders have never heard of the production, but will look into it.

Good luck with that law suit.

Lebanese and Syrian Officials Indicted For Terror Plots In Lebanon

Here's a bizarre story out of the Middle East.
The cast of characters: a former Lebanese Maronite Christian politician best buddies with Syria's Bashar al-Assad and in cahoots with the regime, a Lebanese man, a spy pen, and a Syrian general. The plot: kill Christians and Muslims in the northern part of Lebanon (Akkar). The objective: create sectarian violence between Sunni Muslims and Christians, and Sunnis and the bizarre Muslim Alawite sect (they celebrate Christmas!) to which Assad belongs.
Apparently, Michel Samaha (the former Lebanese minister) solicited a man (known only as 'Kfouri') to arrange for bomb attacks on Sunnis during their Ramadan Iftar fast-breaking banquets, at the same time that Christian Maronite Patriarch Beshara al-Rahi was due to visit the area. The targets were Syrian opposition and Sunni dignitaries.
Kfouri apparently went to the authorities with his story, convinced them that Samaha had asked him to "secure a group of trusted young men to transport explosive devices to the north and set them off there in exchange for a sum of money," the police handed him a handy dandy spy pen camera, and he was able to tape incriminating conversations with Samaha. With that evidence, including the exchange last Tuesday of $170,000 cash plus 24 explosive devices (four of which weighed 15 kilograms) Samaha was arrested, and subsequently indicted.

In one of the taped conversations Samaha was heard saying “this is what Bashar wants,” and also shared that the explosives had been given to him by Syrian Security Chief Major General Ali Mamlouk. Mamlouk and a Syrian colonel have also been charged. They all could get the death penalty for the failed plot.

Pro-Assad Hezbollah criticized the arrest, but what do you expect from a terrorist organization.

I guess Syria wants to pull Lebanon into its private hell.

Sources: Al Arabiya, CS Monitor, Naharnet

Protests In Lebanon Against Forced Anal Tests On Suspected Gays

The Arab Muslim world seems to have a fascination with inspecting human orifices. Egypt conducts virginity tests, although they recently banned it for female detainees in military detention centers only. And in Iraq, court ordered virginity tests are becoming commonplace. Now in Lebanon, a country that one would consider a tad more enlightened than, say, Saudi Arabia or Afghanistan, people are protesting the practice of forced anal "tests" on men officials believe might be homosexuals. Apparently, they haul men off to jail to determine if they are gay or not, which is what happened to 36 men after a raid at a "gay venue" on July 28. This, in turn, led to the demonstrations in Beirut.

Lebanon-based HELEM, considered the Arab world's leading lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender rights group, called for the rally under the slogan: “Stand up against the tests of shame, vaginal or anal.”

It also voiced solidarity with women subjected to so-called “virginity tests.”

“We’re here because we want a clear statement from the ministry of justice that these kind of tests should be completely abolished and punished by the law,” said participant George Azzi.

“The syndicate of doctors has declared these tests are irrelevant scientifically and it’s illegal for doctors to do these tests, but that doesn't mean police can't still request it,” he said.

Not only are the men being subjected to the involuntary testing, allegedly they are also being forced to pay for it- if one of the signs at the demonstration can be trusted:

“The cost of forensic rape: 125,000 Lebanese lira”

That's around $85.00 for having their rights violated. And then, if they are proved to be gay, they can be sentenced for up to a year in jail. I guess they can thank Allah they don't live in Iran where they would be hanged for that "offense".

There was a cross section of people at the protest- from gays and lesbians to heterosexuals who were there in solidarity- holding signs and banners, including:

“United to abolish the tests of shame”, and “Honorable minister, before you test my anus, at least take me out to dinner.”

Nasrallah's Zionist Gay Cat: Joke of the day

Hezbollah's Hassan Nasrallah crying over his Zionist gay cat. Ha!

 The video comes from Blame It On The Zionists. 



And the original: Nasrallah crying for Imam Hussein ibn ali (the Shia's 3rd Imam)  during Ashura Commemoration a few years back.

Apartheid Against Palestinian Refugees In The Arab World

The leftist/Pro-Pali crowd love to talk about apartheid in Israel. In fact, good ol' Jimmy Carter said as much when he wrote a book entitled Palestine: Peace Not Apartheid, which went on to become a bestseller.

But if apartheid exists anywhere, it's in other Middle East Arab countries, as you will see in the video below.  I had no clue that this was going on because you never see it on the liberal media, since they're too busy criticizing Israel.

The stark difference between how those Arab countries treat their Palestinian refugees and how Israel treats them is astonishing. Of course, liberals and Israel haters will still blame Israel for what is happening to the Palestinians in Lebanon, Egypt and Syria. 

And why are they marginalized and discriminated against? Israel.





H/T BlazingCatFur