Noursat: The Good Word in the Face of Violence and Barbarism
Speech of the Secretary General of the Middle East Council of Churches, Professor Michel Abs, at the opening of the Tele Lumiere-Noursat office in the North and the assignment of journalist Lea Maamary to manage the office.
Professor Dr. Michel Abs
Secretary General of the Middle East Council of Churches (MECC)
As modern society becomes increasingly violent, and daily life resembles a jungle where predators clash, the need for those who sow seeds of love and harmony among people grows greater. They remind us that those who share society with us are our brothers in humanity, and any harm that befalls them will ultimately affect us as well.
Recently, negative feelings and rhetoric of all kinds have escalated: fanaticism, religious, ethnic, racial, and political extremism, and hate speech. This extends even to social tendencies and lifestyle choices, where we have witnessed the emergence of turbulent lifestyles that can at least be described as pathological. Unfortunately, these have proven to go viral, spreading rapidly in a society that has lost its restraints.
In this gloomy atmosphere and existential uncertainty, humanity—especially in our afflicted region—needs a light to lead it out of the darkness it has become accustomed to, considering it a fait accompli, and which our people have come to regard as the natural state of affairs.
In this context, Noursat is considered a milestone in the history of sound and peaceful media, concerned with preserving the Christian faith and spreading its principles and values as guidance for people from all denominations.
This blessed institution, under the leadership of its esteemed director, the cherished Brother Nour, has taken tremendous steps in spreading the good word and values, overcoming numerous difficulties that any institution not engaged in triviality and superficiality must face. Its path has been a challenge to all that dulls minds and trivializes the values and ideals that were the guarantor framework for our progress over past centuries.
The opening of this institution's office in the North is a commendable and blessed step in two dimensions:
First, the attention to areas distant from the centralization of this poorly managed society, with its poorly distributed work and wealth. These areas have been called remote, neglected, or abandoned. Those of us who work in social research and development are well aware of the deprivation and neglect suffered by these regions, rich in their people, heritage, and culture.
Second, the decentralization in work and granting autonomy to regions and branches is an advanced step in institutional and administrative development. This positively reflects on the abundance and quality of work. The successful Zahle experience in Noursat was a pilot model that is being repeated today in northern Lebanon, and it must be replicated in other regions of the homeland and abroad. Such a step is likely to stimulate creativity and innovation in institutions, leading to significant progress in their work and establishing a new culture in work relationships.
In this regard, I must acknowledge the lady responsible for this work, who will supervise it amidst her busy schedule, Ms. Lea Adel Maamari.
My interaction with Ms. Lea spans a decade to date, and I have found in her the qualities that make her the most successful ecumenical and national media professional in our region. She combines her Christian non-sectarianism—that is, her ecumenism—with religious openness carried by those of true faith, far from fanaticism and grudges. She also possesses advanced competencies, whether in crafting topics and programs or in their implementation, in a context of unparalleled responsiveness. Therefore, today, she is entrusted by Cherished Brother Nour with the work in the North, just as she is responsible for Church Relations and Communication in the Middle East Council of Churches. Congratulations to you, Lea, on the responsibilities you bear and the concerns that these responsibilities encompass—you are up to them.
And since one thing leads to another, I must inform the religious leaders present here that Noursat, through the efforts of Lea, has equipped an audiovisual production center in the Middle East Council of Churches, under the name "Al Kalima Platform", which we will inaugurate next Thursday.
In conclusion, I say to Noursat: carry-on your work for many decades to come, as you have until today, spreading love among people by disseminating the good word and civilized values. Address all people within the supreme value of human brotherhood—the pinnacle of emotions that may stir a human soul. Thus, the gates of hell shall not prevail against us, neither as a Church nor as a nation.
01.11.2024 Tripoli – Noursat Office
