8/18/2019

Headline August 19, 2019/ '' ' SPOOLS ARAB SPRING ' ''


'' ' SPOOLS ARAB SPRING ' ''




NOTHING REPRESENTS THE GREATEST WORLD better than The New York Times. Nothing soars the world higher, brighter and better, than great journalists.

In my very personal capacity, along with these Great Heroic Founders, I stand very humbled for all the recognition and requests for a conversation made to me by the International Media.

God willing, I and We all, will revert and reciprocate this honor just after the elections of the Students Bodies.

The World Students Society rises, to thank the global media and give them a standing ovation for their bravery, fairness, equanimity and grace.

IT WAS A COLD AND DAMP evening in February 2012 when my son Mailk and I landed in Adana in southern Turkey.

Our journey from Beirut had had been long and we still had a two-hour drive to reach Antakya, a picturesque city near the border with Syria, where we were to meet my husband and Malik's father, Anthony Shadid.

Until that day, I had been working in the Middle East as a journalist for almost a decade.

They were some of the happiest and most rewarding years of my life. The Arab Spring that Anthony and I had been reporting on hadn't yet achieved any of the changes I, along with millions of Arabs, had longed for, but many of us still believed that it would.

That night at Antakya, I lost all hope. I became a widow. And almost instantly I quit journalism.

I had first met Anthony in September 2006 at a rally held by Hezbollah in the southern suburbs of Beirut, which we were separately attending as reporters. I had been following Antony's coverage of the Middle East, beginning with the American led invasion of Iraq in 2003, with great admiration.

He was born in the United States to Lebanese parents. I grew up in Lebanon, during its civil war, in a political savvy family and had decided to become a journalist largely because I wanted to be a part of the national conversation.

By the time of the rally, I had witnessed my country's destruction, rehabilitation and descent back into instability and uncertainty. The Lebanese war officially ended in 1990, but the nation remained deeply divided and extremely precarious.

The new turmoil had had been set off by the assassination of former Prime Minister Rafik Hariri in February of 2005 by a car bomb in Beirut. On the day it happened, I was working as a reporter for a Lebanon based English-Language newspaper called the Daily Star, covering mostly environmental news, and I instinctively rushed to the scene.

It was a harrowing sight, one all to reminiscent of the images I had seen on my television screen during the 10 years of war I lived through.

Mr. Harir's death widely blamed on Syria and its allies in Lebanon, split the country into two camps, one backed by Syria and Iran and one by the West and Hariri's supporters. The results were a 17-month political stalemate and a string of political assassinations.

In July 2006, a 33-day war broke out between Hezbollah and Israel, and the Hezbollah rally where I met Anthony was held to mark the group's ''divine victory.''

Because they had held their own, the conflict was considered victory by many Hezbollah supporters, despite the fact that about 1,200 Lebanese had been killed, entire villages in southern Lebanon had been destroyed by aerial strikes, and many key bridges and highways leading to Beirut were bombed.

As my relationship with Anthony progressed, Lebanon teetered on the brink of another civil war.  Any hope that the country would overcome its troubles was quickly fading. I was now also a stringer for The New York Times and was starting to feel that going forward, my work would be mired by conflict and turmoil

As much as I loved my job, there were many times between 2005 and 2008 when I wished to be someone else or somewhere else. During these years, I encountered many deaths. The conflict was starting to take its toll on me. Then in May 2008, I had a very close call of my own.

The Honor and Serving of Great Stories and Writings, on Life and Living, continues. The World Students Society thanks author Nadia Bakri, and wishes her well.

With respectful dedication to the Students, Professors and Teachers of the world.
See Ya all on Facebook, prepare and register for Great Global Elections on The World Students Society : wssciw.blogspot.com and Twitter !E-WOW! - the Ecosystem 2011:

''' World & Weary '''

Good Night and God Bless

SAM Daily Times - the Voice of the Voiceless

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