Wednesday, August 14, 2013

Stalked by the ghosts of the past

From A House of Many Mansions, by Lebanese historian Kamal Salibi, published in 1988:

"...the present civil war in Lebanon is being fought between Lebanese groups flying different historical banners...(i)f the various factions are to lay down their arms and live in peace and full co-operation as citizens of one country, the Lebanese will first have to reach a consensus on what makes them a nation...(and) manage to agree on a common vision of their past."

In the Lebanese public school system curriculum, teaching of the modern history of Lebanon stops at 1975, the year the civil war broke out. This is because no one can agree on which version of the subsequent years should be taught...

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