(CHAPTER XXIII)
BEIRUT: FAREWELL TO THE ARABS
"We don't want the Arabs with whom we are living
to revert to Mohammed and the desert. We stand
for democracy between Moslem and Christian."
Lebanese Christian
"Our goal is contained in the sentence uttered by
King Hussein; 'The Arab countries are for the Arabs
only.'"
Lebanese Moslem
BEIRUT, capital of Lebanon, the bridge between East and
West, was sixty miles distant from Damascus. Over a road
traversing wild, picturesque gorges and mountains, through a
maze of hairpin curves and sweeping scenery, I arrived there
by taxi at midday.
After the simplicity of most Moslem cities, Beirut was confusing. It was a Babel. Arabic, French, English, Armenian,
Turkish—in that order—were spoken everywhere. A Christian
child often could speak three languages. Beirut was a hotbed
of political intrigue, and a melting-pot of Christian and Moslem—for Lebanon's population was almost evenly divided between the two. One faction in Beirut opposed Zionism. Another, fearing Moslem power and loss of commerce, was
pro-Israel. Adding to the confusion was the powerful voice of