برج البراجنة

I was very sad to hear last night about the suicide bombings that killed over forty people in Beirut. In response, Lebanon has declared today a national day of mourning. Though media outlets like the New York Times, NPR, and Slate insist on labeling the scene of the attacks a “Hezbollah stronghold,” those of us who live or have lived in Beirut know that Burj al-Barajneh is a diverse working-class neighborhood (no doubt targeted for its significant Shia population) that is home to a crowded Palestinian refugee camp. So when I saw “Burj al-Barajneh” flash across my computer screen as breaking news, I didn’t think first of Hezbollah — I thought of the children in the refugee camp of Burj al-Barajneh to whom I taught yoga and the Palestinian doctor there who treated me with acupuncture. I can’t imagine how traumatized everyone in the area–regardless of sect or political affiliation–must be from the shock, carnage, and aftermath of the blasts…