Raggi takes action: Gibran, Naimy, Abu Madi, and Rihani are Lebanese
Minister of Foreign Affairs Youssef Raggi wrote on his X account:
I followed up, in coordination with the Ministry of Culture, on the issue of the plaque attached to the memorial in New York dedicated to commemorating the first Lebanese immigrants, after it included an ambiguous description of the identity of some of Lebanon’s most prominent Mahjar writers, notably Gibran Khalil Gibran, Mikhail Naimy, Ameen Rihani, and Elia Abu Madi.
I gave my instructions to Lebanon’s Ambassador in Washington and the Consul General of Lebanon in New York to carry out the necessary contacts with the relevant authorities, with the aim of correcting the text in a way that is consistent with the known historical, cultural, and geographical facts, and that confirms the original and authentic Lebanese origins of these writers, who formed a main part of Lebanon’s cultural heritage in the world.
I also stressed the importance of preserving accuracy in documenting the contributions of the pioneers of the Lebanese diaspora, because of the literary and civilizational value they represent in the national memory and in the particularity of the Lebanese identity.
