Listen, I’m the Southerner Child!

By Zeinab Abdallah

Lebanon – I’m Mahdi, 9 years old, from South Lebanon, and I’ll be telling you the story of my peers and me on this piece of land. I don’t hope you enjoy it; I hope you’d rather listen with your hearts and souls…

“Once again, the weekend has ended. Here is another week to deal with as a young child from South Lebanon. The difference may go unnoticed by others, but to us, it means everything.

Our land continues to face daily ‘Israeli’ strikes, putting our lives, and those of our loved ones, in constant danger. One difference is that the probability of loss during the weekdays is highly likely to separate us from our parents, while on the weekends it might have us joined all together!

Another one is that witnessing strikes while at school deprives us of a comforting hug by our parents. Although our teachers are more than qualified to support our mental and emotional well-being, nothing compares to being with our families as the enemy of our nation seeks to intimidate us and disrupt the normal rhythm of our lives.

But let me disclose our secret: there is some rare feature among us. It is that we don’t fear for our life as much as we fear separation. Above all, our biggest fear is the loss of our land. When it comes to land, it is not about me, them, or us. When it comes to land, it is the heritage of our ancestors, the dignity of its present owners, us, and the hope and pride of our generations to come.

Although our sense of belonging is granted by birth, our solid will to defend, save, and sacrifice for this land is built up by every single factor in the flow of events this spot has ever been witnessing.

We are the children of parents whose villages were stolen from them by the ‘Israeli’ enemy in their youth. We are the children of parents who passed down their unshakable love for this land through generations. And we are the sons of parents who saw with their own eyes the humiliation of this monstrous enemy and the liberation of their occupied villages at the hands of Lebanon’s pride, the Islamic Resistance fighters.

I’m not writing to complain. I am quite aware that defeatists won’t understand.

I voiced my words as evidence of our daily life and as a reminder to all people of good conscience that South Lebanon continues to stand as the elder brother, protecting and supporting its siblings in the family known as Lebanon.

As you tuck your children in at night and read them their bedtime stories, remember that some of my friends came home from school to find their father martyred, or to say their final goodbyes to both parents, taken by a merciless and deceitful ‘Israeli’ strike.

And when the laughter of your children fills your home, remember us, those who grow old before our time, because we have chosen to stand guard over our birthplace, our home, our beloved Lebanon.”

Similar to Mahdi, southerners didn’t give up on their land. They are dedicated to sacrificing dearly and generously until every grain of soil is liberated. They remain watchful and sleepless to observe any incoming risk and defend the dear land.

The cowardly ‘Israeli’ enemy dreads Mahdi and his comrades far more than it does the fighters on the battlefield. For every young Mahdi today, there will grow an unstoppable individual tomorrow that is driven by every single childhood memory, every moment of fear, and every desire for revenge.

In math, you’re either right or wrong. It depends on the known information you are given. In the South, ‘Israel’ will never be given the information it seeks to solve its problem. ‘Israel’ will always be in the wrong, for the land belongs to those who own it, and they are always right. The landowners will forever astonish the enemy with their unwavering determination and their ever-growing ingenuity in defending their homeland.

In all, South Lebanon doesn’t belong to southerners alone. It stands as a symbol for every Lebanese citizen who believes that the frontier of this land is the first line in the defense and salvation of the entire nation.

Only in Lebanon, all four directions of the nation lead to the South!

The sun rises from the East and sets in the West. Nevertheless, every soul of a Lebanese martyr who gave his/her life for the country and contributed to defending its southern border is a star that shines in Lebanon’s sky from its northmost to its southmost.