What a Khazen Means

and How New Generations Perceive it 

10 April 2008 

Already it is known about the enormous contribution which the Khazen family had brought to Lebanon. The name De Khazen is an official name for the tight connection which this family had created with the French authorities. This family was the first and pioneer of such special relationship which is seen and still exists nowadays, in our modern times. Obviously, legend personalities of the Khazen family who achieved this special relationship and support led to Lebanese political parties enjoy its benefits also, mostly nowadays.

It is important to realise a source of luxury as a lesson and reinforcement to carry on with it. Through all history of Lebanon, you come to realise that the Lebanese people are a nation of suffering, survival, and achievements. This nation is clever and stubborn, which relies and lives faith and sector preservation. It will not seemingly, give up any of those, whether for the better or the worse. A person with basic analytic abilities may easily see the main reasons for recent problems in Lebanon and its political infrastructure defects. They still mainly derive from religious basis, and it is unacceptable to say otherwise. Not that much has changed since the Khazen period started and Lebanon still suffers from foreign interference with help of interior powers. While the Khazen period had the Ottoman occupation and the Yamnies’ support to it, today the situation is still the same, principally, but the foreign and interior powers changed to others; much of betrayals and much of fights over leadership. It is pathetic.

According to that, it is crucial for any person who is interested in learning the history of Lebanon and analyse conclusions, learn also the history of the Khazens. You cannot differentiate or separate them.

I can write a whole book about the history of the Khazens, and more over, initiate an exciting and triggering analysis about it. It must be done, it is unfair that there is not a whole book discussing the Khazen period and it is unfair to the Lebanese people not to have one; but in the meanwhile, I will suffice with summed up articles. Such book may teach and inspire new generations as to a method of developing Lebanese heritage which the Khazens initiated. It will teach the new generation how to be more clever and sophisticated; a behaviourist and a conclusion maker. It will teach the new generation how to practise this sophistication on modern times. They will be given tools.

No doubt, that the older generation of the Khazens where ahead of their time. They knew how to exploit opportunities and be diplomatic. They new their strong and weak points but they also knew how to manipulate them for their purpose. They worked collectively and individually at the same time in a brilliant way and to the whole nation they seemed their saviour from elimination.        

On the other hand, today, the discussion and fierce argument about titles and honours which the Khazen family and its individuals acquire at the moment they are born, and with out any effort to achieve them, or conditions to have one such specific high positions in the society, may explain anger of the Lebanese or some of them towards the Khazens. For example, a Khazen, who was not born in Lebanon, he does not have a Lebanese nationality, never visited or stayed there, he achieved ordinary achievements and positions in the society, but still he owns all the luxury and exclusive titles, knowingly: Lord, Cheikh, Prince, Duke, or Royal. I call it a title heritage and I enjoy it, just because I am a Khazen; of course, this may explain some of the anger which some Lebanese may have towards me or any other family member, it is unfair to their understanding. They may prefer to ignore the historic salvation which the Khazens brought to their fathers and grand fathers and concentrate on how they could destroy such passion and compassion. Cases of verbal attacks, physical aggression and acts of stealing are still pursued against the Khazens whether by individuals, other families, governments, and that is deriving from feelings of anger; frustration for failing to have what they wanted to have leading to aggression and violent acts. 

But the Khazen Cheikhs did not acquire these titles out of the blue neither because they were nice, it is their passion and brains that brought them this luxury; it is definitely hard work, it is a work of political-art. There is no doubt that the older generation of the Khazens, gave a definite and crucial basis to what the Khazens of today enjoy or attacked for. Cheikhs Abi Nader, Abi Nawfal, and many more are ones of other personalities which contributed to this important presence in the Lebanese field or worldwide.

Another point worth mentioning in this article, concerns references which provision of information on history of the Khazens is based on. The references include churches, abbeys, Universities, literature and books, school curriculums and many more. Each writer of these sources may have differed in back ground, education, nationality, language, beliefs, and so on. Some of them were historians, others priests, and others missionaries. All these elements, will have affected each writer’s style in writing literature or history. As the sources are big in number, and the history concerns old periods, difference of such provision may have occurred; but when reading most of them, you come to realise that the difference is slight and does not deviate drastically except some dates provision and unimportant data; and that the whole picture can be seen in a decent and clear way. While the historians wrote in an objective manner, the priests were more restrained and tried to show modesty; their writings showed some fear.

When I was writing the Khazen History, I tried to read the references not as mere words only, but also try and conclude their bottom line, so that objectivity is acquired as much as it could be and over come any subjectivity may have been practised.