BEIRUT: With deepening divisions, fistfights, and heated campaigns for campus leadership, Lebanon's universities mirror the political strife engulfing the country.
“Everyone is talking about politics. Everywhere. Too much,” said Raghida, 21, a biochemistry student at the state-run Lebanese University in Beirut's predominantly Shia southern suburbs, where at least one scuffle broke out this week.
Four medical students gave a blow-by-blow account of the incident.
“Some guy, a socialist, said something. He insulted (Shia Hezbollah leader) Hassan Nasrallah. So there was a fight, and (the socialist) ended up bleeding.
“The leaders are insulting each other, so it's normal that the students will insult each other too,” said medical student Ali Jubbawy, 20, an opposition supporter.
The university, particularly the medical school, has a “mixed” population of students, but “we don't have anything in common,” Jubbawy said.
“I'm going to classes, but my heart is downtown,” he said, referring to the mass protest rallies led by pro-Syrian militant group Hezbollah outside the Western-backed government's offices.
As the political impasse grows wider by the day, Beirut's Jesuit University has also seen fights over politics, and student elections at the Lebanese American University were cancelled altogether for fear of violence.
Outside campus, a 20-year-old Shia opposition supporter died from a gunshot wound after street fights in a predominantly pro-government neighbourhood on Sunday.
On Lebanese University's main campus, tensions still simmered.
“We are worried, waiting for a disaster,” said biochemistry student Hanaa, 21, who described herself as “independent.” In these arguments that happen between people, no one listens to the other,” she said.
Mona, 20, an opposition supporter and a student of biochemistry, said: “Some students are afraid to come because they are loyalists,” of the government of Prime Minister Fuad Siniora.
“It depends what side you're on. If you're with the opposition, there is no fear.” The opposition includes some Christian factions but is mainly led by Hezbollah, whose political influence has swelled since its 34-day summer war of “resistance” against Israel.
A short distance away at Lebanese University's faculty of teaching, around two dozen veiled women paced restlessly in an enclosed courtyard.
After influential Druze chief and MP Walid Jumblatt from the anti-Syrian parliament majority urged his supporters to stay away from classes for fear of violence this week, their professor did not show up.
“We are here to learn,” said Fatma, 19, a Hezbollah supporter. “We are supposed to be the future teachers of Lebanon. If some group of Lebanese decides one thing, why should the whole faculty be closed?”At the American University in Beirut (AUB), students held a heated race for campus leadership which was marred by allegations of ballot-stuffing, shady alliances, mass protest rallies and even foreign interference.
The elections saw the campus divide into two major coalitions -- the pro-government, anti-Syrian group dominated by Druze socialists and supporters of Sunni MP Saad Hariri's Future movement, and the opposition.
The race drew so much attention that hundreds of students from other institutions converged on the AUB hours before the ballots were to be counted.
The crowd carried huge portraits of political leaders, flags from the pro- and anti-government sides and loudspeakers that dean of students Maroun Kisirwani said blared “war songs.” He had to delay the count until the next morning.—AFP
