(DETROIT, MI) — In a letter postmarked on August 21, 2014, LebaneseExaminer.com Editor Charlie Kadado called on President Obama to address the security crisis in Lebanon and “ultimately protect Lebanon, the Middle East, and the United States from barbaric threats.”
Kadado says his recent trip to Lebanon opened his eyes to what he called “evolutionary changes” the country is facing. He also referenced threats made by the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) and called on Obama’s support to Lebanon.
Text of the letter:
Mr. President:
As our nation contemplates military and humanitarian action in the Middle East in response to increased threats of the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL), we want to assure you and your Administration of our prayers.
Last month, I had the privilege of traveling to Lebanon for 25 days on a literary project. Although this was not my first trip, I noticed evolutionary changes the country is presently facing. The daily threats of terror and unforeseen explosions have infected the once resilient culture of Lebanese natives.
I am proud to have been born in the United States, and also proud of my Lebanese ancestry. However, the Lebanon I have read about, heard about, and previously visited, certainly doesn’t correlate with the insensitive threats that burden the Lebanese people on a day-to-day basis.
Earlier this year, I founded and launched LebaneseExaminer.com, America’s first and only 24-hour Lebanese-American news organization to provide English news and editorial content and community coverage to the Lebanese diaspora worldwide. Through this avenue of news media, I have met and interviewed hundreds of Lebanese-Americans who are angered and frightened by the spillover crisis that is plaguing our beloved Lebanon.
As Pope John Paul II has said, Lebanon should be a model for people of different faiths to live together in peace. Instead, the country has been ruthlessly torn apart, often at the hands of its neighbors. The influx of Syrian and Palestinian refugees, for instance, has overwhelmed Lebanon’s economy and security, thus threatening the lives of Lebanese natives along with the impoverished future of refugees.
The people of Lebanon are exhausted of living in fear. As our ally, we need your continued support, friendship, and leadership to pull an innocent Lebanon from its brutal surroundings. I, along with the millions of other Lebanese-Americans, would like to thank Ambassador David Hale and your administration for your recent contributions to the Lebanese Armed Forces. More importantly, we hope you are planning a course that will keep Lebanon and surrounding countries safe from daily threats and terrorist activity, most recently identified by the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL).
President Obama, what will you do to protect the Lebanese people from the ongoing spillover? We call on your administration to lead the international community to address our concerns and ultimately protect Lebanon, the Middle East, and the United States from barbaric threats.
Sincerely,
Charlie Kadado
Image of the letter:
