As they say: Talking, or typing in this case, is much easier than experiencing or seeing. What the writer, who seems to have so much love for Lebanon due to his unlimited articles of it says in his past article was that:

First of all, I know and understand my reasons for criticizing Lebanon. Look at how petty Lebanese nationalists are. They are obsessed with ranks. Lebanon is the best at this or that. Blah, blah, blah. This is the third or fourth time that the author has written that Lebanon was voted the #1 tourist destination in 2009. Lebanese are obsessed by such meaningless rankings.

Egypt, Tunisia and Morocco all attract more tourists than the so-called Ceder homeland; but they do not go around bragging. That is because underneath Lebanese boosting is a deep inferiority complex. Only insecure people behave like these. Only insecure people feel the need to brag about their country based on nothing more than...tourism indexes.

And, for the record, nobody noticed that Lebanon had the best tourist season in ten years. Lebanese, the delusional ones, actually believe that their country is some important nation that the rest of the world pays attention to. Nobody noticed, and nobody cared. Lebanon is a small and mostly insignificant nation.

At first, ranks are something the world is talking about and not Lebanon. As you know, the New York Times is American and not Lebanese of course. Second, I have been to Egypt couple of years ago. A man came to me after he noticed I talk Lebanese and told me: “You are Lebanese, you people think you have money. You have nothing and you have no history. We Egyptians are the history and we know everything.”

This is an experience I have noticed and may never forget. If the “so called writer” thinks that only insecure people feel the need to brag about their country, why doesn’t he tell me why is this non meaningless attack on Lebanon? There is certainly something that he has against Lebanon. I also want to tell this writer that it is not my fault nor the Lebanese if most LEBANESE are known worldwide now.

Names are: Carlos Ghosn(President of Nissan-infiniti Motor CO), Carlos Slim (Richest person in the world, president of Mexican communication), Roger Farah (President of Polo Ralph Lauren), Shakira (Famous Lebanese-Columbian singer), Rony Saikaly (Former NBA player), Elie Saab (Famous Designer), Salma Hayek (Hollywood Actress), Callie Khoury (Oscar winning screen writer), George Joulwan (US army General), Paul Anka (Singer and composer), Surj Tankian (Lead singer of American “system of a down”), Saint Charbel, Pope Constantine, Alberto Abdalla (Former Vice president of Uruguay), Darrel Issa (US congressmen), Jamil Muawad (Former President of Ecuador), George J. Mitchell (US congressmen), Ralph Nader (US politician and former presidential candidate), George Elias (Former President of Guatemala), Al Waleed Bin Talal (Billionaire, part of the Saudi family), Julio Tarabay (Former President of Columbia), Pythagoras (BORN TO A PHOENICIAN FATHER FROM TYRE), Michael Debakky (famous heart surgeon), Maxime Chaya (First Lebanese and Arab to have completed the Explorers Grand Slam, one of 12), Gibran Khalil Gibran (Philosopher, writer), and many more.. All these are famous Lebanese who lived in Lebanon, but had to move away due to the fearce civil war 34 years ago.

They now come to Lebanon to visit and see how their country has been rebuilt. It is not my fault, nor Lebanon’s fault if so many people, who are Lebanese are successful. The “so called writer” forced me to write all this because he has no information what so ever about Lebanon. He thinks that Syrian and Palestinians have made success more than the Lebanese.

Well I’m sorry if this seems to be too much of information but facts should be read. And like I said, he seems to find talking easy. This does not mean that we Lebanese brag when we find success, it is that due to the 15 year war long ago, we decided to fight and find success. This is what we Lebanese did, we fought and found success in the world.

Now most famous Lebanese are coming back to Lebanon and are finding out that it is surely one of a kind. The “so called writer” might not like what Ive wrote, but this is the real truth and I wasnt the one who wrote it. It was the Encyclopedia who wrote it. We Lebanese have the right to be proud of what we did during the years. I was one of whom left my country during the war, and I have come back to live in the land of the Phoenicians my dear friend.

This land has seen many wars and tons of blood, and I think now it is time to see peace and prosperity as it is. Lebanon is Lebanon, not Greater Syria, not Palestine. It is Lebanon, it is the 10,452 km squared land. This my dear friend is the land of the Cedars and damn they do good Hummus!! :)