Khazen – Page 911

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Security officials in Lebanon say that one person has been killed and five wounded in fighting between supporters of rival Druze politicians. The clashes were between supporters of the pro-Syrian former minister, Wiam Wahhab, and the anti-Syrian politician, Walid Jumblatt.

They broke out during a dispute over the display of political posters in the town of Jahliye, south of Beirut. The security forces moved in to stop the fighting. It was not clear which side began the shooting, but acting Interior Minister Ahmed Fatfat said all the casualties appeared to be supporters of Mr Jumblatt.

Tensions, This is not the first clash between the two groups. In April, Mr Wahhab’s bodyguards shot and wounded two civilians who objected to his presence at a funeral in a Druze mountain village. Tensions between supporters and opponents of Syria’s influence in Lebanon have increased since the assassination of the former Lebanese PM Rafiq Hariri, in February 2005.

Sfeir chastises Franjieh for going after bishop

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BEIRUT: Maronite Patriarch Nasrallah Butros Sfeir responded on Thursday to what he described as former Minister Suleiman Franjieh’s "misplaced" verbal attack on a bishop. Sfeir said he regretted Franjieh’s comments and wished the former MP had not made them.

"We know that … Franjieh is the son of the Maronite Church and a citizen of Zghorta, and that he is concerned about the Maronite Church, its children and its respect, so when he attacks a bishop I believe the attack is misplaced," Sfeir said. The prelate’s response came ahead of his departure on a visit to the United States expected to last at least 20 days. During his visit Sfeir is expected to participate in a commemoration of the Maronite Church’s founding in the US 40 years ago.

While the patriarch noted the importance of resolving the issue before it escalated, he stated unequivocally that "a bishop must be respected." On Wednesday, Franjieh accused Bishop Youssef Beshara of having sided with MP Saad Hariri, the leader of the parliamentary majority.

Patriarch of the Maronite Catholic Church

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Patriarch of the Maronite Catholic Church to Make Historic Stop in the Greater Boston Area July 12-14, His Beatitude and Eminence Nasrallah Peter Cardinal Sfeir to Visit St. Anthony’s Maronite Church in Lawrence Considered ‘Bridge’ Between Muslim Community and Christians and the West

LAWRENCE, Mass., July 5 /PRNewswire/ — In his only stop in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, His Beatitude and Eminence Nasrallah Peter Cardinal Sfeir, Patriarch of Antioch and All the East, will pay an historic visit to St. Anthony’s Maronite Church in Lawrence, MA July 12-14.The visit, part of an approximately month long tour of Maronite religious communities in the United States, marks the first time that Cardinal Sfeir has visited St. Anthony church in Lawrence, MA, and is only the fourth time that a Maronite patriarch has journeyed to the United States.

Cardinal Sfeir will arrive at Lawrence Airport on the afternoon of July 12, and will celebrate a Pontifical Liturgy at 7:30 p.m. at St. Anthony’s, 145 Amesbury Street, in Lawrence. Cardinal Sfeir will celebrate a second liturgy at 9 a.m. the next morning, followed by a press conference at 11 a.m. A third liturgy will be celebrated at 9 a.m. on Friday, July 14, prior to the Cardinal’s departure. As Patriarch, Cardinal Sfeir is head of the 12-15 million-member Maronite Catholic Church. There are approximately 200 million Eastern Catholics throughout the world. Cardinal Sfeir is the President of the Assembly of all Eastern Catholic Patriarchs.

As Patriarch, Cardinal Sfeir is head of the 12-15 million-member Maronite Catholic Church. There are approximately 200 million Eastern Catholics throughout the world. Cardinal Sfeir is the President of the Assembly of all Eastern Catholic Patriarchs. Cardinal Sfeir also is a central figure in the Catholic Church. He offered the homily during Pope John Paul II’s 25th anniversary Mass and presided over the Mass at St. Peter’s Basilica honoring the deceased Vatican leader.

Lebanese patriarch brings message of peace

adminJuly 3, 2006UncategorisedComments are off for this post

ST. LOUIS POST-DISPATCH, At a meeting with religious leaders Saturday, Lebanese Cardinal Nasrallah Peter Sfeir, patriarch of the Maronite Catholic Church, stressed the need for people of all faiths to help quell global conflict that is often rooted in religious difference."Each of us has a responsibility to look after each other," he said. "We can co-exist in harmony and respect for each other if we keep love in our hearts."

Sfeir spoke to roughly two dozen leaders of various St. Louis faith groups – Mormons, Muslims, Quakers, Roman Catholics – at an interfaith event at St. Raymond’s Maronite Catholic Parish, 931 Lebanon Drive, St. Louis. Sfeir is in St. Louis for a four-day pastoral visit. He will also be stopping in Chicago and New York City.
During his time in St. Louis, Sfeir’s main message was one of hope and peace. At Saturday’s interfaith event, Ghazala Hayat, president of the Interfaith Partnership of Metropolitan St. Louis, asked Sfeir if it was possible to have peace in the Middle East.

"When politics intervenes, it is sometimes hard to see people living together," said Sfeir. "But religion has no material interest. Religion has only God, and if we all pray to God as one, all humanity will be together as brothers."The patriarch is one of the most significant religious figures to visit St. Louis since Pope John Paul II came to the city in 1999.The Maronite Church, an ancient Eastern Rite branch of Catholicism, is based in Lebanon. St. Raymond’s, in St. Louis’ LaSalle Park neighborhood, is the seat of one of two eparchies, or dioceses, of the Maronite Church in the U.S. Sfeir lives in Bkerke, north of Beirut.

A Quick Note about the Khazens

adminJune 29, 2006Current ArticlesComments are off for this post

History

A Quick Note about the Khazen Family (An Introduction)

Written by Late Patriarch Boulos Massad, an Intellectual and Patriotic Man

Having we have seen that the Khazens were a main factor for Christians to be able to go back home in Keserwan, we decided to type this historical fact to keep it proven.

In summer 1922, we were able to trace in Saint Isaiah Abbey’s library (Which belonged to the Anthony fathers) literature written by patriarch Boulos Massad, titled: "Short enlightenment on origins of the honorable family, El Khazen". This literature was part of a book named ‘Al Dor Al Manthoum’. They were 10 pages from 301 – 310 and the manuscript was clearly and beautifully written. The man who was responsible for copying this brief note was Boulos Barhoush, a priest from Sahel Alman. He probably started copying this history before Massad was appointed a patriarch on 12 November 1854 and finished it on 22 March 1855, three months later as mentioned in last pages of the book.

"Al Dor Al Manthoum" was printed in Tamish Abbey in 1863 but this summary and other summaries written by the patriarch himself were not. We will add to this information, more information which we have discovered about Emir Fakhr Al Din and Cheikhs Abi Nader and Abi Nawfal, two brave heroic men who dominated this history indeed. This will fill the gap.

The crown Khazen family was born by the Maronite Chediak Sarkis El Khazen. This glorified personality lived in a village called Jaj in Mount Lebanon but following unknown circumstances and as time went on, he left his home in 1545 and moved with his family to another village called El Dar near to Keserwan but after some time, he moved again to another village called Ballouna in Ajaltoun, Keserwan. There he settled down with his children Abi Sakr Ibrahim and Abi Safi Rabah.

Lebanon: peasants and the emergence of communal politics

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The Ottoman central government did not concern itself with the internal social structure and local customs of Mount Lebanon. It regarded Mount Lebanon as state-administered land and the local notables as tax farmers. The northern part of the mountain was subject to the pasha of Tripoli; the southern part to the pasha of Sidon (whose actual seat was Acre after 1750). Christian historians have usually argued that Mount Lebanon was a single unit with a self-conscious identity and an autonomous and locally legitimized political regime and that the land was private property (Holt & Lewis 1962; Salibi 1988: 108

Romania’s exclusion of Lebanese president

adminJune 25, 2006UncategorisedComments are off for this post

AP, Romania’s decision to invite Lebanon’s prime minister to the Francophone Summit but exclude its president has sparked a diplomatic flap with France, which has supported the snub. It is the third time in 10 months that Lebanon has found its prime minister to be more acceptable at international meetings than its president, who is seen as having been imposed on Lebanon by Syrian influence.
Lebanon will boycott the Francophone Summit, scheduled to be held in Bucharest in September, if its president is not invited, the office of President Emile Lahoud said Wednesday.
"It is really astonishing for the French state to adopt this position," the president’s office said in a statement late Tuesday. "It regrettably confirms the information about direct interference by French President Jacques Chirac." Chirac is known to be at odds with Lahoud and was close to the Lebanese leader’s political rival, former Prime Minister Rafik Hariri, who was assassinated in February last year.

Karen El Khazen

adminJune 24, 2006Karen el KhazenComments are off for this post

Please click View Video to view the video of Karen El Khazen, during a prime on LBC. The video is 20 MB (4 min) You can view the video by using Windows media player. With a High speed internet connection the video should not take more then 3 min to completely open, with a dial up it will connect but will take a little more time (8 -12 min)

Paris of the Middle East rebuilds

adminJune 20, 2006UncategorisedComments are off for this post

Beirut is shaking off its war- torn past to recreate itself, writes Emma Levine. Beirut drivers have a dreadful reputation, even in the context of the Middle East. For every screech of wheels taking a corner too fast, there are a dozen cases of reckless lane swapping. Crossing the road is a visitor’s main challenge.

I am introduced to highway code, Lebanon-style, while squeezed in the back of a taxi with two large women. From the chic designer-boutique area of Verdun, we weave a few kilometers northeast along the Corniche, the Mediterranean promenade, to the central district known as downtown. The ride is a medley of contrasting sights: half-destroyed buildings, their walls peppered with huge bullet holes struggle to stay up; adjacent are their pristine neighbors, the sheen of newly built high-rise towers. Scattered around the area are numerous cranes and building sites. Palm trees fringe the roads in between.

Beirut as a holiday resort might not sound so appealing but this once- popular destination is desperately trying to shake off its war-battered image. A huge rebuilding project, one of the world’s largest, has been transforming the city center, but officials and locals don’t want tourists to have to wait the 20 years it’s likely to complete. The mood is buoyant, hefty investment by wealthy Lebanese expatriates indicates optimism for the future and the number of new hotels, shopping and dining areas is increasing. Beirut is definitely making a welcome return to the tourist map.

Lebanon property market shines

adminJune 18, 2006UncategorisedComments are off for this post

Despite deep economic and political crises, Lebanon is facing an unprecedented property boom, spurred by the appetite of developers, expatriates and Gulf Arabs.The boom started last year despite dramatic events that shook the country, and which turned on the assassination of former premier Rafiq Hariri, with property prices soaring an average of 50 per cent.

Beirut has witnessed a major face-lift with the new construction boom, mostly in the once war-ravaged downtown area being rebuilt by the private company Solidere, which runs properties valued at about $5 billion.Brand new residential high-rises financed by Lebanese and Gulf investors now tower over the marina near the seafront road where Hariri was killed in a massive car bombing in February 2005.

"Very often, when the first picks strike the ground at the construction sites, between 75 and 80pc of these projects are already sold to rich Lebanese or Arab nationals," Raja Makarem, manager of Ramco realty, said.Victor Najarian, director general of CARE realty, said "we are managing about 15 projects worth a total value of $1 billion and we hope to double that amount within a year."