Muhammad Ra`d (the head of Hizbullah's parliamentary bloc) is a skillful rhetorician: his command and use of Arabic language is most impressive and he coins phrases and expressions that are unique to him. (He was an Arabic school teacher early on in life). I follow his speeches purely for linguistic reasons. But Ra`d can be scary for children: adult warnings should accompany his speeches. Yesterday, he talked about the pre-resistance Lebanon as a place where "Nightclubs" prevailed. Ra`d should know that support for his party's resistance against Israeli occupation and aggression won't translate into support for his party's attempt to impose its religiously-inspired version of conception of virtue. People's personal freedoms don't enter into the party's prerogative or business or specialty. Nightclubs and dayclubs are part of people's rights, especially that hypocrisy prevails among religious movements (Sunni and Shi`ite alike) where some preach against alcohol in the day, while imbibing at night. Also, the party should know that nightclubs not only they don't clash with the culture of resistance but can even serve as an embracing environment as they show that people can resist and get drunk and dance and party, all at the same time.
PS Several years ago, I gave a talk in the southern suburbs of Beirut. Ra`d was in the audience. A few sentences after I started, he entered into deep sleep and did not wake up until the Q and A. Not that I held a grudge, of course.
PS Several years ago, I gave a talk in the southern suburbs of Beirut. Ra`d was in the audience. A few sentences after I started, he entered into deep sleep and did not wake up until the Q and A. Not that I held a grudge, of course.
