Othman's shirt

Ones who are history-minded, 1355 years ago a Damascus based self proclaimed governor named Mu'awiya ibn Abi Sufyan, vowing to avenge the murder of the third Islamic Caliph Othman ibn Affan, carried Othman's bloody shirt as a battle flag. Almost all historians agree that Mu'awiya hoped to make himself Caliph and never really aspired justice. Ever since, Arabs have described self-aggrandizement in the guise of vengeance as "waving the shirt of Othman."

It was evident from the parliamentary discussions in Lebanon between 5^th and 7^th July 2011 how some parties in Lebanon were using Rafiq Hariri’s “shirt” and the subsequent specialized UN court that was created to investigate the horrendous crime –irrespective of who is accused- as a mean to continue their grip on the government, instead of discussing how to kick start a country which was once a cultural lighthouse in the Middle East, and now is a board game called “Risk”.

I say, have some respect for the martyred. I say, let us not repeat the calamities of the past. I say what Harriri said himself; “No one is greater than the country”.