The Rise of Lebanon’s Secular Youth: AUB Secular Club’s Story

In 2015, the AUB Secular Club got 4 USFC members (University Student Faculty Committee). In 2016, they won 5 USFC seats. This year, they won 6 USFC seats. One in each of AUB’s 6 faculties.

These encouraging numbers don’t reveal the real impact this independent, secular student political movement has really had though. What’s amazing, is that the Secular Club’s “Campus Choice” campaign ran for every single one of the USFC seats, something even the traditional political party coalitions couldn’t do.

If you’re not familiar with the AUB Secular Club’s mission since 2008, this video will help.

A New Hope

Perhaps the most encouraging thing for me, is the change in tone and message by the current AUB Secular Club. The problem with many anti-establishment and anti-status quo movements in Lebanon, is they are very vocal about what they’re against, but not so much when it comes to what they’re for.

Many of the movements over the years have based their entire messaging and plans, on shaming and discrediting the current political elite and their abysmal performance over decades of corruption, violence and inequality. The Secular Club has moved past that. They’re no longer just chastising the laughable, pathetic performance of political party stooges, they’re also doing their own thing now. They’re setting the tone. They’re past just the protest phase, and in the stage where they set down a comprehensive platform and vision, and fight for it fairly and democratically. Something we have never seen the political partisans do.

This was even clearer when I got in touch with the current president of the AUB Secular Club, Nadine Barakat, to congratulate her and ask her about this shift in discourse, to which she said: “students now vote for our platform and what we have planned on a university level, not just because we’re not running as political parties” adding

“We used to be the opposition, now we’re the largest campaign on campus.”

The Establishment Strikes Back

The problem with Lebanon’s politically affiliated youth, is they are just as corrupt and hopeless as their alumni handlers. Instead of running campaigns they believe in, they calculate probable losses and victories, and divide their efforts accordingly. “Give me this seat in this faculty, and I’ll leave that seat in that other faculty for you”.

This explains why the March 14 remnants-FPM coalition, and the March 8 remnants coalition, did not run for all the seats up for election. “3teene ba3tik” in a sad mirroring of what happens off campus, when politicians that supposedly are at odds, suddenly come together to fight against independent movements, or to at least divide the pie amongst themselves, leaving their constituents’ choices inconsequential. Remember the municipal elections? When folks like Hezbollah, Future, Lebanese Forces and FPM suddenly ran on the same list to oppose Beirut Madinati? Pathetic.

Revenge of the Establishment

Despite the impressive, hope-restoring performance of the Secular Club, AUB’s administration scheduled the election of the USFC cabinet on November 7. That’s almost a month after the elections results were announced. From where I stand, this can only mean one of two things (or maybe a bit of both?)

• Give the political parties enough time to deliberate who gets to be VP, Secretary and Treasurer based on their performance in the first round of elections.
• Waste time so that the USFC isn’t formed in time to do anything meaningful in the Fall Semester, thus allowing the university administration free reign to do what they want without student resistance to things that might not be to their benefit.

Now, you might think opposing political coalitions might prefer an independent candidate take the VP spot, instead of their political rivals. This might have been the case when I was still at AUB in 6 or 7 years ago, but everything in the political climate in Lebanon the past two years proves otherwise.

Political parties in Lebanon will always collude against a strong, independent, secular movement. Beirut Madinati is an example, Naqabati is another, even Hanna Gharib’s ousting is a great example of how the establishment will get over their seemingly irreconcilable differences, to ensure the prize stays in the hands of the corrupt, not the independent.

The Secular Awakens

I’m optimistic again. I’m a believer again. I haven’t been either for a while. It’s been so humbling to see movements I love and support transform from a ragtag group of hesitant protesters, to organized, progressive and determined political movements.

We’re coming for you in the spring of 2018. Then again in the spring of 2022. And again four years after that. All the smear campaigns, lies, police state tactics and dirty tricks haven’t worked, and they never will.

The march of a post-war, secular, democratic, progressive, tolerant youth might be slower than we’d like, but it’s surer than they think.

Get ready.