Two Lebanese women came to campus Wednesday evening to present a documentary on the confusion in their country since the February murder of former prime minister Rafiq Hariri.
Marwa Abou-Daya and Remi Raidan, both students at the American University in Beirut, interviewed people on the street in Lebanon to get their reactions to the murder.
The resulting documentary "Shock, Pain and Hope: Valentine's Day in Lebanon," shows the complex opinion people hold as the country enters an uncertain era.
Although it was the women's first visit to the university, Abou-Daya and Raidan previously participated in Soliya Connect, a videoconferencing program that allows students from the U.S. and the Middle East to speak to each other.
Soliya is the main component Ex College course co-taught by senior Negar Razavi and first year Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy student Matan Chorev.
Hariri, who served as prime minister from 1992-1998 and then again from 2000-2004, was killed on Feb. 14 when a roadside bomb detonated as his car drove by. Hariri helped create last September's United Nations Resolution 1559, which called for the withdrawal of Syrian forces from Lebanon. His death was widely blamed on Syria. The resolution also called for the disarmament of militias, including Hezbollah.
Syrian troops had been in Lebanon since 1976, one year into what became a 14-year civil war. They completed their withdrawal at the end of last April.
"Different people will say different things about the Syrian impact inside Lebanon," Abou-Daya said. She said some people experienced hardships from the Syrian occupation on a daily basis, whereas the lives of others were virtually free of Syrian intervention. Abou-Daya also said the Syrians played a prominent role in influencing Lebanese politics.
The women interviewed a man who had camped out for weeks in protest against Syria after Hariri's death.
"There are many theories all around the country," Raidan said after the film ended. "But there is little hard evidence of any link."
German magistrate Detlev Mehlis is currently leading a United Nations inquiry into Hariri's murder.
The students asked people to compare their perceptions of the Syrian occupation of Lebanon and the U.S. occupation of Iraq. When asked by an audience member why the documentary made the comparison, the students said it was a popular sentiment in the Lebanese press.
One man interviewd in the documentary said Lebanese were not interested in any foreign support, Syrian or American. "Lebanon must be for Lebanon," he said.
The girls were hesitant to predict how the period of uncertainty following Hariri's death would affect the long-term dynamics inside Lebanon. "Right now, it is too early to see the future of Lebanon," Abou-Daya said. "However, many people in the country are ready to take charge."
The Lebanese students are now taking their documentary on a tour of colleges on the East Coast, including a stop at Harvard University on Thursday.
The Soliya Connect Ex College class came out of the New Initiative for Middle East Peace, a student group at the Institute of Global Leadership. The course was taught by the same students last year.
