Sunday, December 03, 2006

Fatfatism (in Arabic, Al-Fatfatiyyah). This refers to the popular ideology tied to the person of the Minister of Ping Pong in Lebanon, Ahmad Fatfat--seen above to the right (a former hardcore communist turned hardcore tool of Hariri family; a man who was unconditionally loyal to the Syrian regime and became unconditionally loyal to the new patrons of the Lebanese government: US, France, and Saudi Arabia--and Israel not far behind). The ideology of Fatfatism is quite simple: it requires no commitment to principles; it merely adjusts to the interests of the political status of Ahmad Fatfat. The ideology contains contradictions: it speaks of democracy and "liberalism" and yet cultivates support among Bin Laden supporters in North Lebanon and serves as a client for Saudi Wahhabism; it speaks in favor of "sovereignty" and "independence" while it faithfully represented the interests of the tyrannical Syrian regime, and now represents the external patrons of Sanyurah. The ideology of Fatfatism believes that the most effective way for fighting foreign occupation is serving tea to the occupation soldiers. While it is widely believed that Fatfatism is a Lebanese phenomenon, it is now noticed that Fatfatism is spreading in countries in the Middle East and well beyond the Middle East. In fact, a Fatfatist political party is now the most powerful opposition party in Austria. Faftatism is an international political ideology, and some people compare it to Marxism in the 20th century. (Somebody should add an entry on Fatfatism to Wikipedia). Fatfat is also credited for eleveating the sketch art of the Lebanese police into an respected and sophisticated art form.