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| Commentary US ban on Siniora: How to lose friends and win enemies Adib F. Farha |
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| Responding to news that Finance Minister
Fouad Siniora is now a persona non grata in the US for allegedly supporting terrorism by
making a donation to an Islamic charity that purportedly finances terrorism, the witty
Speaker of the Parliament Nabih Berri reportedly quipped that he is sure that the charge
is unfair and unfounded. Siniora, infamous for always being on the receiving end as the
state’s tax collector, could not have been on the giving end, according to Berri, and
is, therefore, innocent of the charges against him! However, joking aside, the charge is serious. Lebanon’s finance minister has actually been advised by a senior US Embassy official that he should not travel to the US, despite the fact that he is in possession of a valid US visa. The stated reason is that because Siniora donated LL1 million to Al-Mabarrat Islamic Charity Society during an iftar (the fast-breaking meal during the holy month of Ramadan) in 2000, he has effectively supported terrorism. Siniora’s new classification appears to be founded on the fact that the charity is headed by Sayyed Mohammed Hussein Fadlallah, whom the US press repeatedly describes as the “spiritual leader of Hizbullah.” The underlying “justification” is that Fadlallah is involved in financing terrorism through funds collected by the charity he heads. According to the American logic, a contributor to Fadlallah’s charity is, by definition, a co-financier of terrorism. It did not matter that the charity is reputed to be one of the most transparent charities in Lebanon, and runs various educational and social projects that serve thousands of orphans and other needy Lebanese. It did not matter either that Fadlallah is not on good terms with Hizbullah, whom the US considers to be a terrorist organization, or with Iran, who is on the US list of state-sponsors of terrorism. More significantly, it did not seem to matter to US authorities that Siniora is an ultra-moderate Lebanese official who espouses all of America’s traditional values. A graduate of the American University of Beirut and later a lecturer at the same American institution, he was for many years an executive of Citibank, a bastion of American capitalism. Since ascending to power as acting finance minister and later finance minister, he has promoted economic and political policies that exemplify America’s emphasis on free enterprise, the upholding of human rights, liberal economics, and espousing freedom. Opponents of Siniora’s policies and those of his boss, Prime Minister Rafik Hariri, have frequently insinuated that the two of them are vanguards of US policies in Lebanon and the region. Although any convergence of beliefs between their policies and “American prescriptions” was always precipitated purely by their conviction that such policies were in Lebanon’s best interest, their alleged adoption of American “prescriptions” has always been the backbone of opposition tirades against them. For the US to “list” a man like Siniora among people who are not welcome in America for such a flimsy reason as donating the token amount of $660, as part of the tithe (zakat) required by his religion, to a charity that the US administration suspects of channeling funds to “terrorist” activities, leaves everyone who has followed Siniora’s track record in “shock and awe.” Since there has never been a declared determination that Al-Mabarrat is a sponsor of terrorism, does the US administration expect us to require any charity that solicits contributions to present a “certificate of good conduct” from the FBI or the CIA? America must understand that such treatment of individuals who share all of its declared values and principles, and who diligently work to promote moderation and to eradicate the root causes of fanaticism, is hardly the right way to win our hearts and minds. A principal philosophical argument behind the “Paris II” conference, which was supported by no less than 18 leading countries and eight major international funds, was that Lebanon has always been a model for moderation and peaceful coexistence in the region. By helping Lebanon to overcome its current financial hardships, the international community would be promoting this model and defusing causes for extremism and, therefore, terrorism, should this model fall into economic or social crisis. Siniora was a principal architect of the successful Paris II conference, based on his firm belief in moderation and his unguarded opposition to terrorism. He has repeatedly quoted the Koran, which unequivocally states, “whosoever kills another soul other than in self-defense or to cause anarchy in the land has effectively killed all of humanity.” America must understand that despite its double standards in its approach to the regional conflict, its principles and its values have many friends among us. Unfairly alienating its natural friends is counter productive to the cause of international peace, regional stability, and the fight against extremism and terrorism. It must realize that it needs to keep all the friends it has and to win over others. For starters, it must moderate its own policies in the region towards even handedness and fairness. Essentially, it must not bully people who share its values and confuse them with its enemies. Adib F. Farha
contributed this commentary to The Daily Star. He can be reached by |
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