Beirut – Interview with Ayatollah Fadlalah, Palestinian Refugee Camp, & Checkpoints Late
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We arrived in Beirut on Saudi Airlines and were met at our hotel by Tarek Sbaiti who promptly took us on an opening drive by the sea and to dinner in a bustling outdoor cafe that was straight out of Paris, France. The Lebanese food was great as we laid out our goals for the only day we’d be in Beirut.
When Tarek (Ahmad Sbaiti of Dallas’ Cousin) picked us up the next day, we learned that we had a real chance of interviewing one of the most knowledgeable and powerful Shia Clerics in the world, Samahata Sayed Fadlalah, who is referred to as Ayatollah. He was written about in the ’80s and ’90s, as much as Iraq’s Sheikh Al-Sistani is today. As we took pictures of bombed out Beirut next to hundreds of new, gorgeous buildings, the call came in that we were in luck.
Ayatollah Fadlalah did not speak English, but his demeanor was so peaceful even as he discussed the Israel/Palestinian issue and Radical Islam. Niki had to use a female entrance while Dennis and Phil used the main entrance. This is one of our most important interviews, and we went to a TV station to get a dub in case the tape was lost or confiscated. The interview would not have been possible without Tarek and Ahmad’s contacts (Fadlalah married Ahmad and his wife Bonnie).
We shot video of some Beirut landmarks and then headed for the American University (AU) where we visited with students and lucked into a lengthy interview with a Former Alum who we found sitting on a park bench. An Alum of AU who is a businessman, he also was involved in the Oslo Peace Process and is knowledgeable on a wide range of issues.
We spent 2 to 3 hours at a Palestinian Refugee Camp in the heart of Beirut. There was a festival going on which provided an opportunity to see dancing, hear music, interview the organizers, traipse down the narrow passageways of acres of makeshift buildings and get a hands on feel for the anger and frustration of the 400,000 Palestinians still in camps in Beirut. The personal stories were poignant indeed, especially our interview of a young lady who was willing to become a suicide bomber.
We concluded a very busy and productive day with a fish dinner overlooking the Mediterranean, listening to the waves.
We left the hotel on March 31st at 6:00am and it took us 9 hours to get from Beirut to Jerusalem, 12 times we showed passports (5 times at the Beirut Airport alone). The flight took us to Amman and then two taxis to the King Hussein-Allenby Bridge. Lots of customs, delay, etc. culminating on the Israeli side where bureaucracy reached its zenith. Patience becomes essential as all bags were checked thoroughly; still equipment was missing – our only “theft.”
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