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The great controversy that took place about it in Lebanon, and on social media, was not only to oppose the controversial name in Lebanon, but arose from the background of the Lebanese awareness of the symbolism of naming the streets in relation to history from the country.
The names of the streets and public squares of Lebanon summarize the historical stages that Lebanon went through, especially those that witnessed the occupation of the country and the intellectual and cultural hegemony over it. Therefore, these names have always been a point of cultural and political disagreement between multi-sectarian Lebanese components.
During the Ottoman era, only the Sultanate approved the names of streets and squares in the country, and Turkish names generally prevailed over them.
During the French mandate, the names of French leaders were scattered through the streets of the Lebanese capital, while the country was divided, along with names and loyalties, during the civil war, with each region using the names of its symbols and leaders to their regions to indicate the identity of the region and the party that controlled it.
In the East Beirut region, names of Christian party leaders, personalities, and religious nomenclature dominated, and names adopted during the French Mandate era were maintained.
In his interview with Al-Hurra, social researcher Nidal Khaled mentions how a naming war broke out on the streets of Beirut after Lebanon entered the Syrian tutelage phase, and how Syrians sometimes flew up monuments and memorials with a “Arab or Nasserite” identity and replaced them with names and memorials. The late Syrian President Hafez al-Assad and his two sons Basil and Bashar (the current president).
Khaled believes that “the name in general in Lebanon reflects the social division in the country, from the names of people to the names of institutions, hospitals, schools, streets and official facilities, and at the same time tells the historical story of the city with all its hegemony over it, and the former de facto Lebanese names, and some of them elected and promoted it. ” In the context of showing political and foreign loyalties, which is a way of offering loyalty and obedience to the regional and international axis supported by the sects, “says Khaled, adding:” 30 years of Syrian presence Many of the streets, corridors and hospitals Lebanon were given the name Hafez al-Assad and moved and changed their names after leaving the army. Al-Suri on Lebanon and the alteration of political balances, then opposite names were taken. “
He continues, “Some of them came back and were named after Prime Minister Rafic Hariri, and therefore all of this stems from the political conflict in the country, and from naming streets with Iranian names that come in the same context and that will go after the collapse of the Iranian project in Lebanon. “
The latest “street wars” in Beirut were most indicative of the ongoing struggle for domination, and the role of street naming in it, when the Hezbollah-controlled “Ghobeiry” municipality, which recently named one of its soleimani streets, he decided to name a street that connects to a hospital. Rafik Hariri “on behalf of Hezbollah leader Mustafa Badreddin, who was assassinated in Syria and charged as a planner and head of the group that planned and executed Hariri’s assassination at the time, and at a time that coincided with recent briefing sessions. of the International Tribunal for Lebanon in the Hariri case.
In the midst of the great controversy generated by the name of the street “Fantasy World” with the name of Qassem Soleimani, a comment from a Hezbollah supporter emerged on Twitter in which he provides guidance to those who do not know where the street is, in the It says: “When you come from Beirut airport, you come across a big sign that goes by Below, Imam Khomeini avenue is coming a little closer. You have two options, either go to Hafez Al-Assad highway or Sayyid Musa Al avenue -Sadr, and if you continue along the old airport road, you must take Al-Sadr avenue located 500 meters after the Hospital of the Great Prophet, so you have two options, either to the right, to go to Mártir Al street -Qaid. Hajj Imad Mughniyeh, reaching the road of the martyr Sayyid Hadi Nasrallah, or went to the road of the martyr Commander Hajj Qassem Soleimani, which led to the road of the late president Hafez al-Assad and then to Al-Quds street .
This comment summarizes the reality of what the streets of the southern suburbs have achieved in terms of designations, and therefore of “hegemony” as confirmed by social researcher Nidal Khaled, who sees in these labels “a devotion to the situation of Facto and the concept of influence and control, whether partisan or popular, which does not take into account the “other.” The difference is imposed by force through the Lebanese party components and entities that are treated according to the concept of fracture and As has happened in all eras, what we see today is the result of what could be called the “Iranian era”, which, like the other, is trying to change the country’s social and political scenario.
Soleimani Street, where Hezbollah attacked International Tribunal investigators years ago, confiscating laptops from them, not the first street named after an Iranian figure, and in February 2019 a road sign called the airport exit Rafic Hariri in the Lebanese capital Beirut hung himself as “Avenue Imam Khomeini”, he was raised by the Federation of Southern Suburban Municipalities.
Before that, in the city of Nabatiyeh, the Iranian ambassador to Lebanon, Muhammad Fateh Ali, sponsored the opening and inauguration ceremony of the president of the Iranian Authority to contribute to the reconstruction of former Lebanon, “the martyr engineer Hussam Khosh Nwais” .
According to information transmitted by local media in Lebanon commenting on the name of “Qassem Soleimani Street”, the Minister of the Interior and Municipalities, Muhammad Fahmy, did not approve the decision on the name of the street in accordance with what is required by law to the Ministry of the Interior or his objection to the denomination in a period of less than one year, but resorted to a loophole. Legal through a period of one year, and the matter has not been resolved. Which made the decision by virtue of the verdict ratified implicitly one year after its registration in accordance with article 63 of the Law.
This behavior, which was considered “silence to satisfy Hezbollah,” recalled the fact that Mustafa Badr al-Din street was named, who witnessed a conflict at that time with former Interior Minister Nihad al-Machnouk, who he used his powers and tried to force the municipality of Ghobeiry to change the name of the street and denied his signature on the permit decision, demanding removal. The signal.
However, the municipality did not comply with that and the issue entered a legal debate that made the name a fait accompli, which was considered a religious act by the municipality and the adaptation of the municipality as an official civil institution for the benefit of Hezbollah. , who controls it.
