Lebanese Journalist And Former Cabinet Member May Chidiac: I Don't Want Lebanese Children To Be Raised In A Culture That Encourages Martyrdom; Perhaps This Is Iran's Culture, But Not Ours

Lebanese journalist May Chidiac, who has formerly served as Lebanon's Minister for Administrative Development, said in an August 5, 2022 interview on Al-Jadeed TV (Lebanon) that she does not want Lebanese children to grow up in a culture that encourages martyrdom and death. The images of Lebanese children carrying coffins and crying that they want to be killed in war may be expressions of Iranian culture, but not of Lebanese culture. In addition, she mentioned Hizbullah's 2005 assassination attempt against her, and she said that she wishes to exact revenge against her attackers with peace. For more about May Chidiac, see MEMRI TV Clips Nos. 8679, 2022, 1982, and 1190.

May Chidiac: "I cannot bear to see children cry, as if the only thing they care about... Did you see them on TV? They want to be martyred! They want to die! They want to be killed! They raise them on crying, on dying, on endless wailing. No! I do not accept this culture for children. If you want to perform your rituals by the grave — fine, whatever. But let these children live their childhood. This culture does not suit me. I don't want my children, my nephews, and your children to be raised watching TV, where they are subject to incitement and [this kind of] education. They put [Shiite headbands] on them and goad them to go to war, to slaughter, [they say that] everybody is an enemy, that we should take revenge against them all... We are sick and tired of this.

"I am a victim of this criminal ideology. I do not want to take revenge [against my attackers] by killing them. I want to take revenge against them with one thing — peace. Teach how to live with love. Do not use these methods of calling each others' deaths. It is inconceivable that we raise children... We have all seen on TV [footage of] schoolchildren... This culture is not Lebanese. Maybe it's Iranian, I don't know... We saw schoolchildren carrying small coffins. They teach them at school to carry their own coffins!"

Interviewer: "They consider martyrdom to be a religious matter, and they consider martyrdom while facing the Israeli enemy..."

Chidiac: "This is not my culture. Let me cut to the chase. They can curse me as much as they like. This is not my culture."