Halifax Lebanese Business Community Rallies For Beirut After Explosion
HALIFAX- Norman Nahas was on a routine call last Tuesday when his cellphone kept getting interrupted by messages. The interruption became so frequent that he apologized to the person on the other line.
“I was on a call and I had to apologize to the person I was talking to because I was very distracted getting one message after another and I was trying to finish up the call.”
Nahas, who owns the famous King of Donair in Halifax, was shocked beyond belief when he saw what the messages were about. A huge explosion had just rocked Beirut, and the entire world was talking about it.
“It was similar to 9/11 as far as people just going wild about a crazy catastrophe,” said Nahas.
“There still is a bit of disbelief. It’s just such a tragic event on top of many other tragic events that the people have been going through for quite a bit of time.”
Nahas, who is president of the Lebanese Chamber of Commerce in Nova Scotia, was born and raised in Halifax. His father, Bassam, came to Canada from Lebanon in 1967 aboard a boat. Bassam went on to become a successful businessman after arriving in Canada, eventually becoming the owner of King of Donair before passing the restaurant on to his son.
When Nahas saw cellphone video of the explosion happening in real-time he had the same reaction as many around the world; he thought it was fake. It’s rare to watch a major explosion wipe out part of a city, which makes it difficult for the mind to comprehend.
“There’s hundreds of those videos and one is just more shocking than the other,” said Nahas. “I was just trying to take it in and at first, I thought it was a fake video. I was quite hopeful that was the case until some newer ones kept coming in and I realized it was real.”
Officially, the cause of the explosion came from 2750 tonnes of ammonium nitrate that was left unsecured in a building in Beirut. So far, 200 people are listed as dead because of the explosion. The event has caused protests and political turmoil in the country, with government officials announcing their resignations.
The shocking videos contributed to the explosion becoming a major event around the world and, most importantly, why so many people want to financially help relief efforts in Lebanon. Nova Scotia has strong ties to the Middle Eastern country, with many immigrants becoming a part of the business community and part of the social fabric.
Not long after the explosion, “Halifax” was trending on social media, as people noted the similarities between the Beirut explosion and the one in Halifax a century prior. So far, the Nova Scotia government has pledged $1 million in aid to Lebanon and the federal government says it will match donations made by every Canadian citizen.
Nahas is encouraging anyone who wishes to donate their money to relief efforts to contact the Lebanese Red Cross.
“The term that is trending right now is ‘pray for Lebanon.’ Above and beyond that, there’s the Lebanese Red Cross that is just trying to get basic healthcare,” he said.
Wadih Fares is the owner of W.M. Fares Group, a development company in Halifax. He is also the Honorary Consulate of Lebanon for the Maritime provinces. He came to Lebanon in 1967 while the country was in the midst of civil war. Fares says political leaders in Canada were quick to call him and offer support after the explosion.
“I have to say I didn’t have to reach out to any of them; they reached out to me,” said Fares.
“All we need right now from the leaders here is to work with the federal government to make sure we give Lebanon all the help that we can.”
Fares called the explosion a saddening event, noting how the country has gone through so much turmoil over the years.
“Obviously, it was shocking news; with everything Lebanon has been going through. The country has been struggling for a long time now with economic meltdown, with the financial crisis, and with political instability.”
“It’s very sad, very devasting to a small country like this.”
Fares said he does have family still living in Lebanon but, thankfully, they are safe, despite some property damage.
“Thank God they are all safe. There’s physical damages to some of the homes, but that’s okay,” he said.
Fares also encourages people to donate to Red Cross relief efforts here.