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LOS ANGELES, Jan. 23 /PRNewswire/ -- A national day of remembrance will be
observed on February 14 in honor of Rafik Hariri, the former Prime Minister of
Lebanon, and Parliament member Gibran Tueni. President Bush and other world
leaders hold Syria responsible for these killings. Remembrances will be held
across the United States by many of the three million Americans of Lebanese
descent, who include numerous celebrities. Sanford Holst announced the
observances on behalf of the Hariri-Tueni Remembrance Committee
(http://www.cedar-lebanon.com).
Marlo Thomas, Tony Shalhoub, Salma Hayek and John Elway (NFL) are
well-known members of the Lebanese-American community. Others include Kathy
Najimy, Jamie Farr, Tiffany (singer), Paul Anka, Christa McAuliffe
(astronaut), Ray Irani (CEO), Casey Kasem (DJ) and Bobby Rahal (racer).
Up to 90% of Lebanese-Americans are Christian, with the remainder being
Muslim or Druze. Sectarian differences in Lebanon were once a major cause for
division; but Rafik Hariri was Muslim, Gibran Tueni was Christian, and there
are indications that their unfortunate deaths have begun to bring people
together.
While observances in Lebanon on February 14 will be concentrated in
Beirut, they will be more diffuse in the United States, where the millions of
Americans of Lebanese descent are scattered across the country. These
remembrances are being arranged by clubs and individuals in each community who
are inviting friends to local restaurants on that evening. They will honor
those who have fallen, remember their heritage, and show support for an end to
the killing. In keeping with a Cedar Revolution tradition, many will wear
red-and-white in their clothing that day to show their participation.
Early Lebanese society used religious tolerance and other peaceful means
to remain free for more than a thousand years, according to Remembrance
chairman Sanford Holsts recent book "Phoenicians: Lebanons Epic Heritage."
Many people of Lebanese descent are hoping to restore that heritage.
The bomb which killed former Prime Minister Hariri in downtown Beirut
changed the course of Lebanons recent history. It triggered the Cedar
Revolution and a climactic day of remembrance on March 14, when an estimated
one million people marched in the streets of Beirut in an unprecedented show
of national unity and purpose. In response, Syria was pressed by President
Bush, French President Jacques Chirac and leaders of many other nations to
withdraw Syrian troops from Lebanon. Despite an ongoing United Nations
investigation, however, no one has been convicted for Hariris death, and the
killings have continued. The most prominent recent slaying was of Gibran
Tueni, who was a member of Parliament and publisher of the influential
Lebanese newspaper An-Nahar.
Current information on the Remembrance is available at
http://www.cedar-lebanon.com .
This release was issued on behalf of the above organization by
Send2Press(R), a unit of Neotrope(R). http://www.Send2Press.com
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