by Kevan Gibbs
In delivering the eulogy at last Monday’s funeral of ANSA McAL founder and chairman emeritus Anthony Sabga, his son Norman Sabga noted that his father’s “greatest source of pride was his family”. And in last week’s Sunday Guardian, former journalist and culture researcher Kim Johnson in an interview noted that Sabga “lived for his family…he told me he thought a lot of Trinidad’s problems, social and otherwise, crime and so on, would not have occurred if people had been more committed to their families.”
The centrality of family is just one of a suite of values which explain the success of Lebanese emigrants and their descendants in different parts of the world. The marriage rate in the Syrian-Lebanese community in Trinidad and Tobago is 66 per cent, compared to a national average of 51 percent and, unusually among wealthy people, over 1 in ten Syrian-Lebanese couples have four or more children. (See Table.)
In their book The Triple Package, authors Amy Chua & Jed Rubenfield write: “The famously entrepreneurial Lebanese have one of the most successful diasporas in the world…Although tiny in numbers, Lebanese minorities are disproportionately successful throughout Latin America, West Africa, and the Caribbean.” In 2010, Mexican telecom tycoon Carlos Slim was ranked the richest man in the world, with a net worth of over US$70 billion. Slim is of Lebanese descent. In T&T, the man in the street seems to think that some “Syrians” may have profited from illegal activities—however, even if this were true of individuals, it does not explain the success of the group nor why Lebanese have been similarly successful in all parts of the world in virtually the same types of business.
In America, the first wave of Lebanese immigrants arrived between 1881 and 1925. They were mainly Christian and, as in Trinidad, were mostly peddlers, selling clothes and other items door to door, walking or riding their bicycles for miles. A century later, the median household income of Lebanese-Americans is almost one-third higher than the national American average (US$67,000 compared to US$51,000). Similar data for T&T are not available, but the 2005 Survey of Living Conditions notes that, for Syrian-Lebanese “virtually everybody was among the non-poor” with 83 per cent occupying the top fifth economic stratum and the rest in the fourth highest.
Ara Tekian, professor and associate dean of international education at the College of Medicine, is among recipients of the Ellis Island Medal of Honor. The award is given to those who “have made it their mission to share with those less fortunate their knowledge, courage and compassion, while maintaining the traditions of their ethnic heritage as they uphold the ideals and spirit of America,” according to the National Ethnic Coalition of Organizations, the group that gives the award. Past recipients include six U.S. presidents, former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, Frank Sinatra, Elie Wiesel and Rosa Parks.
The 2017 awardees, who were honored May 13 in New York City, include astronaut Buzz Aldrin, cardiologist Annapoorna Kini and CNN anchor Fareed Zakaria. Tekian was born in Beirut, Lebanon. He received his doctorate in neuroscience from the American University in Beirut in 1981 and earned a master’s in health professions education at UIC in 1983. “This was a very unique degree at the time, and UIC was one of the only universities in the world to offer it,” Tekian said.
He returned to the Middle East that year and became the founding director of the medical education department at King Saud University College of Medicine in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. He later consulted for the World Health Organization and the Ministries of Health and Education to ensure that medical schools in the Middle East were adequately preparing their students to provide care in their respective countries.
In 1990, with the civil war still ongoing in his native Lebanon, Tekian left the Middle East and moved to the U.S. Tekian joined UIC in 1992 as a visiting assistant professor of medical education and was instrumental in building UIC’s international programs. Since then, he has consulted in more than 45 countries and helped establish more than a dozen medical education departments or centers. “When I moved to the U.S., I knew that I wanted to do everything I could to help the Lebanese and Armenian communities that I joined here in America,” he said. “When you have a shared history with people, and when you are an immigrant yourself, you have a very strong desire to help your people.”
For Tekian, that desire took the form of assisting Armenian and Lebanese students seeking to further their medical education in this country. To them and their families, he became known as “the Contact Person.” His extensive contacts at universities in the U.S., the Middle East and Europe helped him direct students to educational opportunities in graduate and post-graduate work. He established the UIC College of Medicine’s International Medical Education Program in 2009. “Dr. Tekian put UIC on the map in terms of medical education,” said Robert Barish, vice chancellor for health affairs. “He is one of the main reasons why we are known as innovators in medical education around the world.”
Beirut – The Lebanese government will extend Central Bank Governor Riad Salameh’s term, which was due to expire this summer, a governmental source told Asharq Al-Awsat. The source said that during a cabinet session on Tuesday, Lebanese ministers would renew, for the sixth time, the governor’s term until 2023, in a measure aimed at reassuring the Lebanese banking sector, which regards Salameh as the guarantor of Lebanon’s monetary position. A well-informed Lebanese source said that Finance Minister Ali Hassan Khalil has sent a letter to the Cabinet, asking for the extension of the term of the governor of “Banque du Liban” by six years. Salameh was first assigned to this post in 1993 under the government of late Prime Minister Rafik al-Hariri.
The sources also noted that the finance minister referred the extension request to the cabinet, after overcoming previous objections by President Michel Aoun, who was calling for the appointment a new governor. A senior banker, speaking on condition of anonymity, told Asharq Al-Awsat that, based on the need to preserve the safety of Lebanon’s monetary sector and to “prevent adventures into the unknown”, an agreement was reached to renew Salameh’s tenure. Meanwhile, in an interview with Reuters published in February, the Central Bank governor said that Lebanon has met all the conditions set by FATF-GAFI (Financial Action Task Force) for fighting money laundering and was no longer subject to country follow-up. FATF reported at a plenary meeting held in Paris in February that Lebanon has, legally and in practice, met all the required conditions to combat money laundering and terrorist financing.
According to Salameh, the FATF statement, issued by its 199 member states, is a reassuring factor for Lebanon’s international banking and financial dealings, and for Lebanese banks’ customers, particularly the Lebanese diaspora, as it facilitates their incoming and outgoing transfers to and from Lebanon. Speaking to Reuters on the sidelines of a Euromoney conference in Beirut on Monday, the Central Bank governor said: “Today we have a situation that is stable, which doesn’t warrant any special operations.” “Depending on what would be necessary, we have various strategies we can implement; it is not essential that we go back to the same strategy we used in 2016,” he added, as quoted by Reuters.
By Christine Walsh – The new Banque Libano Francaise (BLF) building in Beirut, Lebanon will feature an interesting façade, which will also have the added benefit of keeping the inside temperature at a comfortable level. The building was also designed with economic, social and environmental sustainability in mind.
The building is called The Magic Box, and it will feature a façade made of limestone, which will vary in depth around the structure. Due to this, it will work to keep the interior of the building cool during the day, and warm during the night. They will also cut chunks out of the volume of the structure to create terraces, which can be used for social gatherings. These terraces will have the added function of ventilating the interior.
The Daily Star, BEIRUT: Lebanon’s Central Bank thwarted a cyberattack on its email system on Monday, temporarily suspending some of its online services as a precautionary measure. The safety measure has not affected Banque du Liban’s online and electronic operations, and the bank is well equipped to deal with any unforeseen crises in the future, […]
by Chloé Domat – middleeasteye.net
A total of 53 companies were approved to bid for Lebanon’s first oil and gas licensing round, with the final list published late last month by the Lebanon Petroleum Administration (LPA), a regulatory body which falls under the ministry of energy and water.
The list, which is composed of 45 companies prequalified in 2013 and eight newly accepted ones, includes international giants such as Total, Exxon Mobile, Shell or Statoil as well as smaller companies from around the world – and one Lebanese.
The chances of success and opportunities for commercial gains in Lebanese waters are promising – Energy minister Cesar Abi Khalil
Companies in the oil and gas business in Lebanon have been at a standstill following the resignation of prime minister Najib Mikati’s government in 2013. But the oil and gas sector returned to the spotlight in recent months amid a disagreement with Israel over maritime borders and at a time of rising tensions between Israel and the Lebanese militant group Hezbollah. Despite these challenges, Lebanese Minister of Energy and Water Cesar Abi Khalil said while speaking at the 18th International Oil Summit in Paris on 29 April: “The chances of success and opportunities for commercial gains in Lebanese waters are promising and have helped attract companies.” The 53 selected companies now have until 15 September to place their bids. The first exploration contracts are expected to be signed before the end of 2017.
Middle East Eye contacted all 53 of the selected firms for comments. Eight of them replied but all refused to discuss their projects for Lebanon. “We will not be providing a comment for your story,” said Todd Spitler, operations media advisor at the American Exxon Mobile Corporation. “Please note that at this stage we are not in the position to go into further details,” replied Robert Lechner, spokesperson for the Austrian OMV Aktiengesellschaft. “It isn’t Chevron’s policy to comment on market reports and rumours,” replied Sally Jones, corporate media advisor at the British firm Chevron.
by Peter Jacobs
President Donald Trump may have angered the Israeli government just days before his trip to the Middle East. There has been speculation that Trump would visit the Western Wall, the holiest site in Judaism, during his Israeli trip, which would make him the first sitting US president to do so. However, Israel’s Channel 2 reports that while planning the visit, a Trump aide questioned Israel’s control over the holy site, located in disputed East Jerusalem. Channel 2 reports, as noted by the Times of Israel, that a Trump aide then angrily told Israelis that the Western Wall was part of the West Bank, which is governed in part by the State of Palestine. “What are you talking about? It’s none of your business. It’s not even part of your responsibility. It’s not your territory. It’s part of the West Bank,” said the White House official, according to Channel 2.
Israeli President Benjamin Netanyahu reportedly wanted to accompany Trump to the Western Wall, a request the White House reportedly denied. Israelis also reportedly asked for a camera crew to film Trump, which prompted the American’s remarks. An Israeli official told Channel 2 that the Trump team member’s comment “was received with astonishment.” Press Secretary Sean Spicer said the remarks were “not the position of this Administration,” according to journalist Itay Hod. The Western Wall — also known as the Kotel — is the last remnant of the ancient Jewish Second Temple, and the closest that Jews can get to the Temple Mount, the holiest site in Judaism.
The site has been politically controversial, as it is located in Jerusalem’s Old City, which was under Jordian control from the founding of Israel in 1948 to 1967, when it came under Israeli control following the Six-Day War. In an odd coincidence, Trump’s new Ambassador to Israel David Friedman arrived in the country the same day as Channel 2’s report and made his first stop the Western Wall The reaction to Trump’s reported visit to the site shows why sitting US presidents have stayed away from the Western Wall. The US president could now anger both Israelis and Palestinians with his visit.
By Reem Hosam El-din -albawaba.com – A forecast report conducted by Colliers International for the hotels of the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) for the three-month period from April to June 2017 has showed that the UAE and Egyptian cities have experienced an increase in the number of reviews from Russian travellers who tend […]
She doesn’t like me to use my laptop while she’s speaking, let alone record, so I fidget notes onto a pad with one hand. She winces when she sees me doing this. “My life; my story — it’s nothing; look at what’s happening today.” Language gets in the way. Spanish is her mother tongue. Next came French. Then Italian, then Arabic. Her fifth language was English, acquired in her 40s, so a bit imprecise. Her story spans countries, conflicts, wars, and decades. The chronology isn’t the most important thing. Nor is the geography. The facts are blurred to begin with.
What’s important is what remains. What triumphed. Her name is Encarnation Bayon.
Mother of two, grandmother to three.
Her life includes the most astonishing events: the Spanish Civil War and life in an orphanage; bigamy — hers; forbidden cross-cultural love; assassination of her prominent Jewish husband in Lebanon; fleeing, penniless with her children to Vancouver to start life over again.
Encarna’s daughter, Marie Khouri, is a Canadian artist of considerable renown. She has just returned from an installation at the Crillon Hotel in Paris. Her work is largely informed by her mother’s remarkable story and intergenerational trauma.
This story is about how, when we look at our mothers, all we see is the apron, when many of their lives conceal epics like Encarna’s.
Survivor of some of the 20th century’s most catastrophic upheavals, she is a woman with a singular gift for living.
“My mother had a big garden. I remember everyone outside, crying. We must have just had the news about my father,” says Encarna, whose father was one of the Republican dead, killed by Franco’s men in the waning days of the Spanish Civil War. He left behind a wife and nine children. “This is the way, the last moment, I remember of my family; crying.” Encarna is a compact woman with a taste for simplicity. She favours well-cut black clothing and bold pieces of jewellery. Her complexion is the colour of toast but the texture of velvet.
When I look up, she turns her face to me, a puzzled smile tracing across it. It’s as if she’s tossed me a ball, so lightly, so casually. I’ve caught the ball but the ball has turned out to be surprisingly heavy. I see now that she understands I don’t know how to play this game; that few people know how to play this game with her: The game of unexpected gravity. She is an expert at living; I’m an amateur.
Riad Salameh, Governor of the Banque Du Liban and HE Essa Kazim, Governor of DIFC by cpifinancial.net – The audience was addressed by HE Riad Salameh, Governor of the Banque Du Liban (Lebanese Central Bank) and HE Essa Kazim, Governor of DIFC. They highlighted how the banking sector is strategically important in both Lebanon and […]
Population Movements to Keserwan - The Khazens and The Maans
ما جاء عن الثورة في المقاطعة الكسروانية
ثورة أهالي كسروان على المشايخ الخوازنة وأسبابها
Origins of the "Prince of Maronite" Title
Growing diversity: the Khazin sheiks and the clergy in the first decades of the 18th century
Historical Members:
Barbar Beik El Khazen [English]
Patriach Toubia Kaiss El Khazen(Biography & Life Part1 Part2) (Arabic)
Patriach Youssef Dargham El Khazen (Cont'd)
Cheikh Bishara Jafal El Khazen
Patriarch Youssef Raji El Khazen
The Martyrs Cheikh Philippe & Cheikh Farid El Khazen
Cheikh Nawfal El Khazen (Consul De France)
Cheikh Hossun El Khazen (Consul De France)
Cheikh Abou-Nawfal El Khazen (Consul De France)
Cheikh Francis Abee Nader & his son Yousef
Cheikh Abou-Kanso El Khazen (Consul De France)
Cheikh Abou Nader El Khazen
Cheikh Chafic El Khazen
Cheikh Keserwan El Khazen
Cheikh Serhal El Khazen [English]
Cheikh Rafiq El Khazen [English]
Cheikh Hanna El Khazen
Cheikha Arzi El Khazen
Marie El Khazen