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Truth Squad

114 Posts

Posted - 06/02/2006 :  10:20:02 AM  Show Profile
Charbel Khalil has every right to express what he thinks and what he feels. He has managed to put a smile on the face on many Lebanese and express their concerns and needs despite the most dire of circumstances.
He has the right to portray any politician or head of militia any time he wants and in any shape or form
Hassan Nasrallah is just that: a politician and a head of an armed militia and now we can add a leader of a bunch of thugs.
Everytime his followers have a beef with an issue, they take to the streets in the most barbaric fashion there is.
Kudos for Charbel Khalil.
Thank you for Basmat Watan.
We support you Charbel all the way; after all Sayyed Hassan is just another head of a militia and a neo-politician.
Thanks again Charbel we support you. Keep it up.

Moderator

12 Posts

Posted - 06/02/2006 :  10:27:59 AM  Show Profile  Visit Moderator's Homepage
Hizbullah Supporters Block Roads, Burn Tires in Protest Against TV Program that Mocked Nasrallah
Several thousand Hizbullah supporters have taken to the streets in Beirut's southern suburbs burning tires and blocking roads, including the airport highway, in protest against a TV comedy show that mocked the group's leader Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah.
The trouble began shortly after the LBCI TV show "Bas Mat Watan" aired a sketch in which an actor spoofed Nasrallah, wearing the Hizbullah leader's trademark black turban and sported a similar beard and spectacles.

Hundreds of Hizbullah supporters immediately went out into the streets of Beirut's southern suburbs, the Shiite group's stronghold. They carried pictures of Nasrallah and shouted words of support. They also blocked the road to the airport, which remained open in spite of the protests.

The numbers swelled to several thousand as more people poured into the streets. The unrest spread to other Shiite neighborhoods of Beirut proper, where rioters blocked roads and burned car tires.

Troops blocked some roads in the commercial center in downtown Beirut to stop Nasrallah's supporters riding on motorcycles from reaching the area.

Police did not interfere, but security officials said soldiers were deployed along some areas of the former demarcation line between Christian and Muslim neighborhoods of south Beirut to prevent the unrest from taking a sectarian tone.

Similar protests took place in Baalbek in eastern Lebanon and the cities of Sidon and Tyre and the town of Nabatiyeh in the south, all predominantly Shiite areas where Hizbullah enjoys wide support.

The trouble over the program reflects the boiling political tension in the country between parties allied and opposed to Syria. Hizbullah, backed by Syria and Iran, has been accused by the anti-Syrian camp of serving Damascus' interests in Lebanon. Pro-Syrian factions accuse the anti-Syrian parliamentary majority of working for the United States.

Hizbullah broadcast a statement on its Al-Manar TV station that said the TV show had "insulted the symbol of the resistance and its leader" but urged supporters "to exercise patience and end their action," while the matter is dealt with through the appropriate channels.

But the protests continued, prompting Nasrallah to make a direct appeal on Al-Manar by telephone early Friday, thanking his supporters and appealing to them "to end the gatherings and go home."

"We are keen on the safety, security and stability of this country," he said.

The LBCI satirical program, which has the double meaning of "A Nation's Smile" or "A Nation That Died," showed an actor in the role of Nasrallah talking about his alliance with Gen. Michel Aoun, a former military leader who has a mainly-Christian following.

The sketch did not carry any insulting words of the leader, but ridiculed the group's continued assertion of resistance against Israel. One questioner asked the person acting as Nasrallah whether he would lay down his arms, and the man replied by implying the group will use every excuse not to surrender its weapons.

The mere depiction of Nasrallah, a middle-ranking Shiite cleric, was enough to enrage his supporters.

The producer of the widely watched TV program, Charbel Khalil, issued an apology broadcast late Thursday. He said he deeply respects Nasrallah and depicting the leader "was not meant to offend him."

Hizbullah is currently under international and domestic pressure to disarm, but the group has rejected the calls, saying the weapons are needed to defend Lebanon against possible Israeli attack.

Source: Associated Press.
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soropov

16 Posts

Posted - 06/02/2006 :  12:34:02 PM  Show Profile
We all support charbel khalil and basmat watan program. In a free country everyone should be allowed to say whatever he needs.
Yalli 3oudo tare wa manno adda ma yet3ata asha2en al 3am.
I wonder how Hasan Nasrallah is pretending to lead the so called rsistance when he cannot support a joke.
As for the one that are saying inno Charbel Khalil ta3arrad la " Makam Dinne" , we say " rajol addin yalli baddo yet3ata siyese y7ett 3amamto 3ala janab".
Hasan asrallah that appeared in Basmat Watan was the political person (amin 3am hezbollah) and not rajol addin.

We are all with you Charbel Khalil. Do not be afraid. Ktar meto bi al balad min ajel horriyet al kalime bi Lebnan, wa al horriye intasarit bi al akher.
Yalli sodro dayye2 wa ma byett7ammal al ghayr yfel min al bald
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Akhwat Shanai

14 Posts

Posted - 06/02/2006 :  7:27:42 PM  Show Profile
Sakat kina3 Hizboullah.
They always use to say that their weapons will never be turned to the inside, and what happened yesterday shows that there are not more than a bunch of barbarian liars.
Hizballah should be disarmed, they are a threat to peace in Lebanon. I wonder if all they do is not for the benefit of sioniste. We should investigate the relation between hizballah and the sioniste.
Lebanese army should disarm hizballah as soon as possible. We may lose some lives, but it is better than having some innocent being killed every now and then by hizballah.
There was nothing insulting in that comedy, I ask LBC to pass it again so everyone can see it and judge.
They are trying to shut every free opinion in this country, but we will not let them. We also ask Charbel Khalil not to be afraid and to continue.
We all support you Charbel Khalil.
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Black Sheep

Netherlands
13 Posts

Posted - 06/03/2006 :  12:24:10 AM  Show Profile
I want to ask General Michel Aoun what does he think of Charbel Khalil and Basmat Watan comedy. I also want to ask him what does he think about the open minded and democratic reaction of his allies at hizballah on thursday evening.
We need a clear position.

As for me, I totaly support Charbel Khalil

Edited by - Black Sheep on 06/03/2006 12:27:10 AM
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The Whip

42 Posts

Posted - 06/03/2006 :  11:00:29 AM  Show Profile
Thumbs up to Basmat Watan and to Charbel Khalil.
Yes no politician should be above criticism whether he wore a turban or not.
You get involved in public affairs, the public has every right to criticize you be it in satarical programs or in direct political analysis.
Hassan Nasrallah, if you cannot stomach satire, you have no place in Lebanese politics, go to your masters in Iran and Syria; there you will be protected from free speech and freedom of expression and but for God's sake, keep your thugs off the streets so that we don't start a new civil war in Lebanon.
Kill ma da' elkouz bijjarra byefelto bil3esseh welbaltat!!!
Enough is enough.
I call upon the youths of Ashrafieh and Ain Roummaneh to have your arms ready. Next time a convoy of thugs tries to spread mayhem in your towns, shoot them. Lebanon is "haret kill min ido ilo".
We can't even take a peaceful demonstration into the streets of the Southern Suburb, let alone one armed; how come we allow these thugs to come into our streets and insult us and insult our beliefs?
Hassan Nasrallah has a problem with LBC, go and demonstrate in front of LBC.
We demand an apology from Hassan Nasrallah for the behavior of his thugs and their offense against Christ and everything that the Christians hold holy.
We will wait and be patient, but our patience has its limits.
I stand with Charbel Khalil, with LBC and with the freedom of expression.
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Gisèle

Lebanon
36 Posts

Posted - 06/04/2006 :  1:47:51 PM  Show Profile
I support Charbel Khalil and Basmat Watan.
Although I am not one who was watching LBC lately, I have always admired Basmat Watan and appreciated a lot what Charbel Khalil has contributed to express the frustration of the average Lebanese citizen with the system and the politicians.
He has the right to portray any public figure he wishes be it a man of the cloth or a politician.
If their skin is too thin to stomach satire, perhaps they should not be in public life.
It is easy to hide behind one's religion and give sermons of hate against a fictitious enemy, Mr. Nasrallah, but the true test of courage is how you react to criticism coming from civilians, comics, artists, etc... and Mr. Nasrallah, you have failed... You have failed the test of democracy, of freedom and of peace.
In my eyes you always were and will always remain a power-thirsty militia leader.
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Lebanese Jew

USA
18 Posts

Posted - 06/05/2006 :  6:00:15 PM  Show Profile  Visit Lebanese Jew's Homepage
I stand by Charbel Khalil and Basmat Watan. I have always admired this show, the courage of the producer and the actors to thumb their nose at the security regime in Lebanon throughout the Syrian occupation and to continue to do so after liberation. It is unfortunate that Syria managed one more time through its cronies in Lebanon to silence a voice of freedom. I was saddened by the news that Basmat El-Watan will not be airing anymore (under the Mondiale excuse).
I say it is Hassan Nasrallah and his likes who should be silenced and tamed. This man spits hate every time he opens his mouth; he is the embodiement of evil. His main problem is his total disregard to the freedom of others: it is his way or the highway "touch our arms and we will cut your necks".
He gives himself the right to threaten every other Lebanese with his arms and deprive others the mere right to use their words to criticize him.
I am surprised at his followers and would like to ask them: who amongst humans is beyond reproach and criticism? Unless you consider Hassan Nasrallah a god and not a man. What is the big deal if a show makes fun of a man, a public figure by all means?
Give us a break. Frankly, the behavior and reaction of Nasrallah's supporters are revolting and disgusting.
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fraizzze

Canada
58 Posts

Posted - 06/07/2006 :  12:50:25 PM  Show Profile  Visit fraizzze's Homepage
I also give my full support to Charbel Khalil.
Hezbollah are a bunch of brainwashed people living in the mentality of the Islamic Iran, and that has nothing to do with democracy and modernity. Nasrallah has NOTHING to teach us about democracy and freedom of speech, and if he doesnt tolerate such critics, he may buy a one way ticket to Teheran him and his followers.
Lebanon is sick of those islamists who are making this country go back thousands of years backward. I am also discusted. Enough of barbarism and islamism. We are really SICK of it.
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fraizzze

Canada
58 Posts

Posted - 06/07/2006 :  5:52:43 PM  Show Profile  Visit fraizzze's Homepage
And for all these few people who still defend Aoun and his policy :

after these Hezbollah events, instead of calming the population, assuring the population of beyrouth of his full disagreement with such a BARBARIC behaviour from these hezbolah followers, Aoun decided to criticise the MEDIA for <<OVERSIZING THE EVENT>>. What is this? Aoun has lost every milligram of patriotism during his years in France or what? We do not need such a president believe me! So no Aoun as president! No supporter of TERRORISM as president ! Lebanon have been under islamism and radicalism for too long now, and it is time to clean up the government once and for all.
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Truth Squad

114 Posts

Posted - 06/08/2006 :  09:54:51 AM  Show Profile
A case of law from the courts of the USA comes to mind as I listen to the debate and the legalisms surrounding the satirical portrayal of Hassan Nasrallah:

In its November 1983 issue, Hustler Magazine featured a "parody" of an advertisement for Campari Liqueur that contained the name and picture of Jerry Falwell, a nationally known minister and leader of the "Moral Majority" in the US who has been active as a commentator on politics and public affairs. The ad was entitled "Jerry Falwell talks about his first time." This parody was modeled after actual Campari ads that included interviews with various celebrities about their "first times." Although it was apparent by the end of each interview that this meant the first time they sampled Campari, the ads clearly played on the sexual double entendre of the general subject of "first times." Copying the form and layout of these Campari ads, Hustler's editors chose Falwell as the featured celebrity and drafted an alleged "interview" with him in which he states that his "first time" was during a drunken incestuous rendezvous with his mother in an outhouse. The Hustler parody portrays Falwell and his mother as drunk and immoral, and suggests that Falwell is a hypocrite who preaches only when he is drunk. In small print at the bottom of the page, the ad contains the disclaimer, "ad parody -- not to be taken seriously." The magazine's table of contents also lists the ad as "Fiction; Ad and Personality Parody." Naturally the ad drew outrage from the supporters of Falwell and the religious right wing in the USA and after several rounds of lawsuits in the US courts, it reached the Supreme Court of the USA.

In its decision the US Supreme Court wrote:

"The fact that society may find speech offensive is not a sufficient reason for suppressing it. Indeed, if it is the speaker's opinion that gives offense, that consequence is a reason for according it constitutional protection. For it is a central tenet of Freedom of Expression that the government must remain neutral in the marketplace of ideas."

Finally it came to the decision that public figures cannot file a casue of action for emotional distress against caricaturists, cartoonists, comedians or any other artists for portraying them in ridicule. It is the right of the public to express itslef the way it wishes.

What Charbel Khalil did in Basmat Watan pales by comparison to what takes place in the Free World of comedy. So give him a break and let him do what he does best.

The Saniora Cabinet must work to protect Carbel Khalil's right to do these things and be carefull from acting otherwise. Politicians may agree between each others on a code of exchange but that does not concern the public. We reserve the right to portray them the way we see fit at the time we choose and the government must not meddle with our rights. If the laws in Lebanon say otherwise, let us work peacefully to change these laws and to protect our God-given rights.

Edited by - Truth Squad on 06/08/2006 09:56:28 AM
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soropov

16 Posts

Posted - 07/26/2006 :  03:25:45 AM  Show Profile
We should all admit that he was right
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