March 21: Beirut, Forever the Mother

 Ravecca Fahed - As Mother’s Day is around the corner, the first thing we think about is unconditional love, warmth, safety… the kind only a mother can give. But in Lebanon, it is important to cherish the only city that has it all: Beirut

We call it “Beirut the mother” not for poetic expressions, but for a reality that we have lived since forever. Like a literal mother, Beirut opens its arms without hesitation; it never asks  who you are, where you came from, and which religion or party you belong to. It simply welcomes you

 In times of crisis, when the world normalizes sin and murder becomes a habit, when families are forced to flee their homes, they turn to Beirut. Not because it is untouched, but because it understands deeply. It loves deeply. It protects  deeply

 Beirut is the epitome of destruction and rebirth, and it knows  what it means to lose, to rebuild, and to endure. And so it embraces those who arrive carrying fear, loss, and uncertainty

 In its neighborhoods, the definition of home begins to shift. Living rooms turn into shared shelters. Schools, community centers, and even unfinished buildings become places of protection. Strangers are no longer strangers; they become part of a collective story of survival, in other words, a family

 Beirut expands itself in a way that cannot be measured on the map. It stretches itself through connection, empathy, support, and love. And most importantly, through the daily hard decisions that people make to create space for the displaced  despite their own hardships

And the truth is, Beirut does not have much to give

Its people are navigating through the most severe economic crisis they have ever gone through They’re surviving a war that’s happening now in the Middle East. They’re enduring inflation that has eroded stability. Basic services have become unreliable. And yet in the midst of all of this, there’s still an instinct that is stronger than all of this; the instinct to care and love

 This is what defines Beirut as a mother

Not strength, but the courage to give in your weakness

Not comfort, but the protection you can afford in your discomfort

 But motherhood, in all its forms, comes with a cost

 Behind every open door lies a story of quiet sacrifice. Behind every act of generosity is a calculation; of how much more can be given, and how much must be held back just to survive. Beirut is not only carrying others; it is carrying itself, often with diminishing strength

 Beirut continues to embrace. It continues to absorb the shock of displacement. It continues to heal the wounds that it never caused. It continues to transform scarcity into solidarity. It continues to act as a mother even as it aches for someone to care for it in return

 As Mother’s Day is approaching, celebrating Beirut should not only stop at symbolism. To call it “the mother” is not only to receive its love but to understand its burden. Because a mother who’s always giving without being supported is not endlessly strong. She is human

 :This Mother’s Day, all that remains to be said is this

 .A tribute to Beirut, the mother who continues to hold everyone, even while it is hurting

.But today, the question is no longer about what Beirut represents

 The question is whether the world and its own people will recognize that even the strongest mothers cannot carry .everything alone

? Who, then, will hold Beirut