Earlier this month, the celebrated Lebanese-born French author Amin Maalouf was interviewed by an Israeli television station, sparking an outcry from the Lebanese BDS movement, which in turn led to defenses of Maalouf in the Lebanese press and social media. Surveying the ensuing debate, Hanin Ghaddar takes Maalouf’s defenders to task:
Some [of those speaking in his defense] said that Maalouf is entitled to communicate freely with an Israeli entity because he’s more French than he is Lebanese. According to others, Maalouf has won enough honors, such as becoming a “an immortal” in 2012 by being the first Lebanese to join the elite ranks of the French Academy, [that] he is therefore above the law! Others defended him based on the content of the interview, [since] it was about culture, not politics. Some even went to the extent of saying that what he did was a big mistake, but they are generous enough to forgive him because he is the “pride of the Lebanese.” . . .
What about the rest of us? These arguments [do nothing more than assert] that those who are not privileged with Maalouf’s French nationality, prestigious status, or the luxury of living in the West should not have the same freedom. A true debate cannot be based on exclusive rights or entitlements. A true debate should revisit the taboo itself, and challenge the law, because no law is sacrosanct, and no cause is sacrosanct, including the Palestinian cause. . . .
The defenders of Maalouf—by missing the main issue at hand—turned this debate against us, [the Lebanese people].
Read more on NOW: https://now.mmedia.me/lb/en/commentaryanalysis/567117-beyond-amin-maalouf-and-the-bds