Familial Interview Wild Card

For my wild card, I decided to interview my dad, which actually turned out very interesting. Having two perspectives on my family story is quite fascinating to me, and it ended up working out really well in the end. I decided to ask my dad the same questions that I asked my mom (some tweaked a little bit, and one removed) to see how similar or different their opinions are on certain topics. At some points, my dad can be a little silly, but it’s all in good fun at the end of the day. Also, something worth noting is that this interview was done in two separate sittings; the first half was done the morning of Thanksgiving day (you can see my mom cooking in the background), while the second half was done a few weeks before.

Questions for Interview:

1. Tell me more about your family. What was living with your family like back in Lebanon?

“Alright, back in Lebanon. I came from a large family compared to U.S. families here. We were, like, seven brothers and two sisters. And, we lived in, kind of, a high-rise building, on the seventh floor, with all eleven of us (including my parents). We were all like five of us each, living in one bedroom divided into two or three bedrooms and sharing the room, four/five of us. So, it was a lot of fun growing up with a big family, you know, a lot of things going around. My dad was always busy working, you know, he owned a supermarket, and we hardly see him [Laughing]. He leaves early and comes home late. My mom always stayed home and took care of the kids and cooked and, you know, taking care of everyday chores. So, it was a lot of fun living with my brothers and sisters.”

2. How are your brothers and sisters now, and how have they changed since you moved to the U.S.?

“Okay. Brothers and sisters, I don’t know if I mentioned before. I have like, all of us, seven brothers and two sisters. They’re all married, they have children, grandchildren, and all. Four of my brothers already passed away that are older than me. My two sisters are still alive; one of them lives in the U.S., and one of them lives back home in Lebanon. But, if you’re asking me how they’ve changed: I don’t think they have changed. I think I am the one who changed since I came to the U.S., and I did change to the better, not to the worse. That’s it! They live their lives, like nothing happening.”

3. How would you compare living in the city of Beirut and living here in Kennesaw?

“Well, living in Beirut is completely different than living in Kennesaw. Beirut is like a big, cosmopolitan city, a lot of things going on. People are busy, a lot of traffic, people honk their horns all the time for no reason because they’re used to it. They grew up with it. Kennesaw, here, is very quite compared to Beirut. Very quiet. It feels like you’re living out in the country in Kennesaw compared to Beirut. A lot of hustle and bustle, a lot of night life, night clubs and all. Beirut is the city of the world. You know, everything happens there. Good stuff happens.”

4. Can you recount one of your stories while living in Lebanon during the civil war?

“Okay. Actually, I did not live in Lebanon during the civil war, but I made frequent visits to Lebanon. And one of those stories I can recount is when my mom passed away. That was in 1982, and I happened to go there, you know, for the funeral and all. And I was there for over a month; I was stuck in Lebanon, actually. My trip was supposed to be one week or so and come back. I was going to college at that time, so I needed to come back to finish my college. But, war broke out while I was there. Israel came to Lebanon, invaded Lebanon, all that, and I was stuck in the country. The whole country was shut down. No airports, no transportation to get out, so I was stuck for over a month. Until finally, I went to the French Embassy and they happened to have a naval ship. They sent a naval ship to evacuate all foreigners, including Americans (and especially French and Europeans, and then Americans). So I left the country with the French naval vessel. They took us to Cyprus, and from Cyprus, the president of France sent another plane to Cyprus to pick up everybody to Paris. We stayed in a nice hotel, it was nice. Then, I took a flight to San Fransisco, that’s where I used to live. And, I was interviewed the next day I arrived with CBS, I believe. They came to my house and interviewed me because I was the first one to leave Lebanon from that war. I was the very first person to leave the country. And I was the first one to be interviewed. And I was on CBS, for like, almost five minutes, interviewed.”

5. How was it like having to leave your family and travel halfway across the world to a new country?

“Well, leaving Lebanon was a little bit scary, but I was excited at the same time to come to the U.S. and go to school and go to college and all that. Actually, I worked and saved some money for a plane ticket, and then I had like fifty or a hundred dollars in my pocket when I came here. I had a friend, so I was supposed to stay with him, but I couldn’t because he was staying with a family for free, so I couldn’t stay with him. So I slept in his car for about two weeks, until I found a part-time job to support myself and rent a room. And, it was exciting. I mean, it wasn’t a big shock to me because I could speak the language. English was my favorite subject in school, so that was the easy part. Culture, I knew all about the culture, because we saw a lot of American movies growing up, so it was fine. And here I am, still here, after forty-five years.”

6. Was living in a country with a completely different culture a culture shock to you?

“Well, I cannot call it a culture shock, because, back home, I used to have a lot of American friends in the American University of Beirut. So, I know the language, and I know how the culture is and everything. The only thing that was a little bit different was like, when I came to the U.S., I used to dress in a suit all the time, a tailor-made suit. So, for about two or three weeks, I was probably the only one wearing a suit. So, finally I got the message, and it said, ‘Take the suit off and wear jeans!’, and stuff. But, you know, and then I adopted to the culture. It wasn’t really a total shock to me. It was fine, and I like the American culture. The only difference, also, was that the food was a little bit of a shock; like, mostly hamburgers and stuff. It’s different from Lebanese food.”

7. How did you meet my mother?

“Oh, that’s a good question. I was on vacation. Actually, I was like, on a two month vacation or a three month vacation. Three months, actually. So, while I was there, I met my wife through some kind of family friends. My older sister knew my [current] wife’s cousin. And, her cousin kind of introduced us, and I visited, met her and her family. It took us a while, you know. We started dating and going out and everything. And we did like each other. The only problem was that she used to smoke, and that’s one thing I never liked. And I asked her if she could quit, and she did a good job. She slowed down quite a bit, and finally she quit. And now, she’s a smoke-free lady, thanks to me [Lauging]. Then, while I was there, we engaged, and we decided to get married. We got married. Then, I got her VISA to come to the U.S.. It was gonna take six months for the for her to receive the VISA, but I did get it for her in one week, because I told the ambassador that she has to come with me because I have to go back to work and I cannot go back without her. And if I leave her behind, her family might marry her to somebody else; then I would have lost her. So, I told the ambassador that story, and they said, ‘Oh, okay!’. And then, finally, they said, ‘Okay, we’ll give her the VISA’. So she came with me on the same plane! Okay, and that’s what happened!”

8. How has the American culture impacted your Lebanese culture?

“Okay. The American culture is completely different from the Lebanese culture or Middle Eastern culture. I kind of adopted to it a little bit, even after all these years. But, I remember, when I go back to Lebanon for a visit, or whatever, the culture there is that, when people wanna come and visit you, they don’t even call or anything; they just surprise you, knocking at the door: ‘Here we are, coming to visit!’. Here, if you wanna visit somebody, you call, you make an appointment, and you tell them, okay, a few days before or whatever, or a week, we’re gonna get together. We’ll meet, or whatever. So, it’s different than American culture here. Over there, it’s kind of more friendly. People feel more friendly towards each other. They like to get together in big groups, especially, not just one, two, three people. You know, it’s like many people, they like to get together. They’ll have a party while they’re meeting, or have a party with turkish coffee or sweets, and stuff like that . That’s a big thing back home. Here, you know, you get together, you just talk for an hour, and then everybody goes home, and that’s it. But, I adopted some to the American culture, definitely.”

9. How do you think Lebanon has changed from before and after the civil war?

“Well, yeah, Lebanon changed quite a bit, before and after…definitely. Okay. The way I remember Lebanon back, what, I was born in ’46, back when I was growing up like say in the sixties, before the seventies: it was a beautiful country. Compared to Switzerland, it was very peaceful. It’s a touristic country. People come to Lebanon from all over the world for the nice beaches, for skiing up in the mountains. You can be swimming on the beach, you can get in the car, half an hour, you’ll be up in the mountains skiing at the same time. So, it’s a nice country (It WAS, I mean, a nice country), until the civil war came and destroyed everything. We rebuilt it again, but still, it’s not like before, the way I remember it. Right now, I mean, I go back once in a while, you know, every — last time I went home, it was fifteen years before I went home. Then I went back last year, and it’s really completely changed. I felt like I was a stranger here, because roads are changed, freeways, and everything. Everything’s different to me. So, I couldn’t drive. I had to have somebody drive me around, because people over there, they drive like crazy, like maniacs. I can drive like them, but would be a nerve-racking situation. I mean, I had to have somebody drive me around: my nephew. But, here, it’s different.”

10. Describe your mother and father. How did they raise you and what do you remember about them?

“Well, my mother and father were very loving parents. We had big families. Total, we were seven brothers and two sisters. And, I felt sorry for my mom all the time because she had to deal with nine kids. You know, it’s not easy. Could you imagine, having to cook for nine kids everyday: breakfast, lunch, and dinner? My dad, his job was to go to work and make money, enough money so he can feed us [Laughing]! So, he used to go to work at like six ‘o clock in the morning, and wouldn’t come home until like eight ‘o clock at night, maybe nine ‘o clock, it depends. I mean, it was hard taking care of a big family, especially for my mom, and my mom treated me really good. I was kind of in the middle in the age between my brothers and sisters. I was like the third youngest from the whole family, so I think I had a good life. I was raised, and I’ve never been spanked. I remember that. I mean, always, kids get a spanking every once in a while for doing something wrong, but I think I was almost the perfect kid. That’s why I remember I’ve never been spanked, either by my mother or my dad. I was always a good student in school. Always, you know, the top of my class. Just like my son, Omar. He’s almost a perfect kid! Perfect grades, good student, good kid. So, I mean, this is what I remember about my family. And my mom used to cook a lot, and during holidays, whatever, you know, like Thanksgiving here for example, she’ll invite all the relatives and everything. You’ll have like four or five families in the home, and my mom will cook from seven in the morning until at night, just preparing food all day long. But, she’s an excellent cook. She was the best cook of the whole family (between her sisters, brothers, whatever, you know). She was the best cook. All of them, they used to come to her to ask her advice about how to cook this dish or that dish. But, you know, she was good. I miss her.”

11. How was it like going to school in Lebanon compared to going to school here in the U.S.?

“Back in Lebanon, school is completely different. Because, you’re growing up and, in school, for example, they are very strict. The teachers want every kid to be perfect in the class; no playing, no fooling around, nothing. And, if they catching anybody doing anything wrong, he [or she] can be punished. And, you know, they hit you with a stick on your palm, like ‘DOO, DOO, doo!’, until your hands start swelling. I think maybe I got hit a couple times, but I was a good student, so I was in the top of my class in like English or Math. Those are my favorite subjects. In English, I was a straight-A student all the time, my favorite subject. In Arabic, I used to get like C’s, or B-, or, you know, the best grade I got was maybe B- in Arabic language. But, English, always straight-A’s. Math, always straight-A’s. They used to take me to different classes to compete with other students in different classes. And I used to always, you know, beat everybody with the grades and everything. And schools here are different, you know. I mean, more professional than in Lebanon. I went USF (University of San Fransisco). I went for a Business major. It was nice experience, very pleasant experience, you know, going to college here. And it’s different than any other place.”

12. Do you ever plan to move back to Lebanon in the future?

“Yes and no. Okay. I’ve been here, what, almost forty-five years since 1970 in the U.S.. The U.S. has given me a pretty good life. I enjoyed it. Yeah, but I always feel like someday, maybe I wanna go move to Lebanon and retire. But, with the situation in the whole Middle East and everything, I think it’s gonna be a little bit difficult to go back and retire there because the situation is not that great like I was hoping for. For many years, I’ve been thinking, ‘Okay, someday I wanna go back and live there’, and everything, because I miss my family, relatives, and everybody. I miss the life in Lebanon, because Lebanon is a very nice country to live in. Especially, you know, they are all alive. You know, you have the best clubs in Lebanon. You have the best food, and the best of everything. But, the security situation is not that great right now, and I don’t know when it’s gonna be solved, or when it will be really peaceful like I remember it forty-five years ago. So, maybe someday, I might, I might not. Who knows.”

13. Did you ever feel disconnected from your roots while living in the U.S.?

“Of course I do. I mean, I do miss my family a whole lot. Especially, you know, I’ve been here for so long. Like, I haven’t been here for a couple years; I’ve been here for forty-five years. And, I miss them a whole lot. Especially my brother Marwan, my sister Hyatt, and you know, their kids, too. I know my parents passed away, but I miss them too. But, yeah, I do. Especially, I miss them during the holidays, because it’s a completely different feeling. Holidays there, almost like Thanksgiving here or Christmas, it’s a big deal too. Especially during Ramadan, I mean, for forty-five years, I haven’t experienced living back home during the month of Lebanon. It’s a really good feeling. And also, after Ramadan comes Eid al Atthah, which is the Holiday of Sacrifice. And also, Eid al Futurr, where you break fasting. Those holidays are our biggest holidays in Lebanon, and I do miss being there with my whole family, you know, celebrating all these holidays. I enjoy the holidays here, of course, but it’s not the same like being with your immediate family. I have my family, of course; I have my son Omar, my son Alex, and my wife Fadia. We enjoy being here, we enjoy being with friends and everybody. But, like I said, Lebanon is different; you know, being with immediate family is completely different.”

15. What family traditions do you still carry, and which ones do you wish for me to pass down?

“Well, even though I’ve been living here for so long, I do still carry my Lebanese traditions in the way of everyday life here. I mean, the way conduct myself, the way I eat, what kind of food I eat, what kind of — like, for example, my religion is the Muslim religion, and I do practice the Muslim religion even in the U.S.. During Ramadan, we fast, for example. And I wish for my son Omar and my son Alex to carry the same traditions. For example, I would wish on him, if he can marry a Lebanese lady, so they can pass the tradition to their kids. Because, when you have two Lebanese, it’s different than having one parent Lebanese, one parent American, or Spanish, or whatever nationality. It helps more when you have both parents from the same culture, same traditions, same everything, so they can understand each other. So, I would like my son Omar to keep those Lebanese traditions and pass them onto his kids. Tradition is like the food, for example, the type of food they eat, the kind of celebrations we celebrate, the language, for example. I would love, even, for my son Omar to — he’s taking Arabic classes right now — but, I would love for him to continue taking Arabic classes so he can speak the language as good as I am, or his mom. His brother, for example, Alex, and he can speak the language fluently: he can read and write, and speak the Lebanese language fluently. So, I would love for Omar to keep learning and pass that onto his kids in the future. That would be great.”

16. Describe the typical day in pre- civil war Lebanon; what sort of things did you do on an average day?

“Well, the average day is like waking up in the morning, drinking turkish coffee, we eat breakfast (for example, knafe, it has some cheese in it, you put some syrup on top; it’s like an American pancake here). So after that, you know, we either go to school or to work, and afterwards, you know, you come home and do your homework, or, you know, typical homework everyday. Then, after that, we could go to see a movie, go to the theaters, like an Lebanese AMC here. Or, you know, we go visit families and we get together. The girls will get up and dance, belly-dancing and all. Or, the boys will join with the dancing, you know. There is a dance called debke (folk-dancing). And, people there enjoy that a lot. Everybody who has a good voice, they start singing and dancing, and all that. And that’s how life is in Lebanon. They get together and have fun and dance and eat food, lots of food. The women, they cook lots of food. And that goes on all night long. Or, if you don’t see family, you could go out to nightclubs. We’re supposed to have the best nightclubs in the world. So you can go out to a nightclub, with dancing and drinking, and whatever you wanna do! This is a typical Lebanese life.”

17. How did you spend time with your family in Lebanon compared to here in the U.S.?

“Well, when I was growing up back in Lebanon before I came to the U.S., I mean, daily life, families used to get together more often. I mean, a lot of people come and visit. Say, for example, my parents. A lot of people come and visit, a lot of relatives, and you know, they sit down around the table. It’s more about food, a lot of food, a lot of cooking. They talk and dance, and sing, and everything. And, this is daily life. I mean, at night, that’s what they do, people there. And during the day, people are busy working and everything. But here in the U.S., it’s different. Here, you go to work in the morning, come back at night, watch TV maybe, and go to sleep. Life here is more about work, work, work, make more money. You know, stuff like that. Back home, it’s more like, have fun, a lot of fun, less work. Here, more work [Laughing]. So, this is the difference between the two countries. The quality of life there is much, much, much better than here, the quality of life. And social life is more like, social life, there, than here. People are so friendly to each other. They like to have fun. Here, it’s a little bit difference. It’s work, work, work here. That’s it. Mainly work.”

18. Describe the typical meals that were prepared in your household in Lebanon. How does it compare to food here in the U.S.?

“Okay. The food back home in Lebanon is completely different than here. It’s much, much healthier than the U.S. food, here. I remember my mom, when she used to prepare food sometimes, I would watch her and see what she does. And that’s the reason I tried to cook similar food here, because I remember how she used to do it, and I remember how it tastes! So, okay. The typical food back home is like, for example, kousa mahshi: stuffed zucchini with rice and ground meat. It’s cooked, you know, maybe with yogurt. That’s the kind of sauce it’s cooked with. They cook it for like two or three hours over the low fire. Or, stuffed cabbage; you stuff the cabbage the same way you stuff the zucchini. Or, you have the kibbeh. You can eat it raw. It consists of cracked wheat, ground meat (very fine), chopped onions (very fine), and special, secret Lebanese spices. And, that’s raw kibbeh. It’s almost like steak tartar. And everybody knows what steak tartar is here. You can order it in the U.S., especially in the Italian restaurants. Or, you can have kibbeh maklieh, or stuffed kibbeh. It’s like goofballs, and it’s stuffed with meat also. And then, you fry it in the oil, or you can bake it, and it’s so delicious. For example, salads, we have the famous salad: tabouleh . It consists of mainly chopped tomatoes, chopped parsley (very fine), chopped fresh mint, lemon juice, olive oil, salt, pepper, all that. And the tabouleh is sold almost everywhere you can find it: Publix, Kroger, all super markets carry it, Cosco, everybody carries tabouleh. And also, as famous as tabouleh is hummus. Hummus also is well known all over the world. It’s the garbanzo beans with tahini sauce, lemon juice, and all that. It’s so good, you can eat it as a snack, or as a dip with pita bread. These are the typical things, and back home, in Lebanon, most people eat fresh fruits and vegetables all the time. Here, you only get those fresh fruit and vegetables from the vitamins you take everyday in a matter of pills, which I do sometimes. So, for example, they go and buy fresh meat everyday from the butcher, because the meat will be butchered everyday fresh, and they hang it from the ceiling. And then, you can go to the butcher and say, ‘Hey, I need a pound of this meat, or that meat, or this part of the lamb or the cow’, or whatever. So, it’s freshly cut everyday, not like here. You know, they butcher the meat six months ago and they put it in the coolers and everything. It’s different over there. Now, comparing to the food here: mainly, there is no such thing as American food. Hamburgers, hot dogs, and pizzas, this is called junk food, compared to [there]. But here, in my household in the U.S., of course, I used to be a chef in the past, and I cooked all kinds either Lebanese food or Italian food. Italian food is as good as Lebanese food, and it’s all fresh and everything: a lot of pastas, a lot of ingredients and everything. And Lebanese and Italian food, supposedly, are the best food in the world. So, this is the difference between cultures when it comes to food. Bon Appétit! [Laugh]”

19. Now that you have lived in the U.S. for many years, do you wish you stayed in Lebanon, or do you prefer to live here now?

“Of course I prefer to live here, and I’ve been living here for a long time. And I’m very glad I left Lebanon to come to the U.S. and go to school and, you know, learn a new way of life, a new culture, a new everything. Of course, there’s no comparison between education in the U.S. and any other country in the world. The U.S. is the best country for education, a lot of opportunities. This is the land of opportunities. So, I’m really glad I came and studied here. I’ve enjoyed my life here a lot. If I had stayed in Lebanon, I don’t know if I would have any future, because, you know, the civil war came and took everything away, ruined a lot of lives. We lost a lot of lives in Lebanon; like, during the war, we lost like 200,000 people during that civil war. Just like what’s happening in Syria right now, almost the same thing. Luckily, somebody came in an stopped the war, and Lebanon has been rebuilt again. And, hopefully, you know, in the near future, they’ll be going back to where it used to be before. But, no, I’m really glad I left. Because, it’s like, I came here because maybe I felt it was coming, the war. [Lauging] So I decided, no, I’m gonna leave! Because I left in 1970, and the war started in 1975. As soon as I finished college in 1975, I was gonna go back and, you know, apply my education to the country, and contribute to the country. But when the war came, I said, ‘Forget it! I’m staying in the U.S! Forget Lebanon for now!’. And here I am! After forty-five years, I’m still here! Someday, I might go home. Who knows.”

20. What role do you believe ethnic minority groups play in the creation of Lebanon’s societal struggle, and what can be done to help resolve the issues with the ethnic minority groups?

“Okay, the ethnic minority groups are struggling really bad, because of the politicians. The politicians, what they’re doing is…well, what we need to do with the politicians, actually, to fix in the problems in the country: take all the politicians, put them all in one row boat (‘Row, row, your boat!’), put them on a boat, throw them in the ocean, and let them fight among themselves. Because all these politicians, they are relying on outside countries to solve the problems of the country. And the country’s problems are many. I don’t even know where to start to tell you about the problems. So, if we do this, we’ll have new politicians: young people, educated, moderate. And they will fix the problems of the whole country within, like, probably three to six months. Okay?”

21. What impact has influential music from your childhood had on your life?

“Actually, music is a very good thing to have, you know, to listen to. Especially, you know, when you’re growing up. In Lebanon, you grow up listening to Lebanese music, for example, and mostly to Egyptian music, because Egyptian music is the most popular music in the world (or in the Middle East, at least). And you grow up with it, and I’m still listening to that music until today! You know, from the fifties, sixties, seventies. Music: I’m still listening to it until today. It’s very good to have music. Music is good for the soul.”

22. How would you compare democracy in Lebanon to democracy here in the U.S.?

“Okay. Democracy in Lebanon used to be almost the same thing like democracy in the United States a while back. Let’s say, before the civil war, which erupted in 1975 in Lebanon. It lasted about almost seventeen, eighteen years. But it used to be almost the same like here. But now, it’s completely different. Democracy is run by different religions, and different sects of religions. And we have about eighteen religions in the country, but democracy is run by four religions, which is: Christians, Muslims (divided into two groups: Sunni and Shi’ite muslims), and then there is a Druze sect, which is like an offshoot of Sunni muslims, and this is how the country is run. And each group answers to outside powers, like say, the western world. And the other group is run by the hardliners, the Iranians, Syrians, or whatever. So, it’s kind of divided the country into groups, and we don’t have a president right now, and we hardly have any parliament either. And, the country is just running…by itself! Without a captain. But the American democracy, of course, is supposed to be the best democracy in the world, because this is the land of freedom. Okay, democracy, that’s what it is. That’s it.”

23. Pretend as if all conflict in Lebanon had just ended today; would you go back and live there again (temporary or permanent, it doesn’t matter)? Why or why not?

“Okay, definitely, I would go back and live there, when I retire. When I retire, I would go live there, if, that’s correct, if the conflict ended completely and the country goes back to [being] peaceful, like I remember it the day I left, which was a long time ago. Okay? Definitely, I would go.”

24. What is your position on the government’s role in modern-day Lebanon, and what could they improve on to restore Lebanon to what it once was many decade ago?

“Well, right now, we hardly have any government. Because, we don’t have a president, right now, for a whole year. The country is running without a president. There’s only, what do you call it, a person in place — a Prime Minister. I mean, in place of the president right now. And, because outside forces like Hezbollah, Iran, whatever, they are in the way of electing a new president. They don’t want a president in the country. Right? Now, if things change between, for example, the U.S. and Iran and about the nuclear facilities and all that stuff, then that will impact Lebanon, and then they probably will elect a president. Once we elect a president, the country could start going back to normal like it used to be. And we need to elect a new blood: young people, educated people, educated in the west, for example, they have new ideas, and everything new. So, they can fix the country, and they can fix it really fast. Okay? This is my view on it.”

25. Why did you decide to move to the U.S. and not Europe or some other region?

“Okay. Originally, I was supposed to go to Europe: to Germany. And, my brother was living in Germany, working for the United States army in Germany as a mechanical engineer. But, when he came home from a visit one time on a vacation, he had a car accident and passed away, so I decided to come to the U.S. because of a buddy of mine, we grew up together. He moved to the U.S. with his family, and then he sent me a student VISA to come and study in the U.S.. So I got my VISA and I came to the U.S. and went to college, and after I finished college, the civil war started in Lebanon. So I decided to stay in the United States and become a citizen. And now, here I am. I’ve been here for forty-five years! How’s that?”

26. Compare living as a Muslim in Lebanon to living as a Muslim here in the U.S.. How different is it? Also, do you believe living in Lebanon as a Muslim today is any different then how it was a few decades ago?

“Okay. Living as a Muslim in the U.S., it was really good; there was nothing wrong with that…until 9/11, when a bunch of guys came and blew up the twin towers. So, they made a bad name for all Muslims around the world, and everybody in the U.S. thinks, ‘Okay, every Muslim is a bad Muslim.’. That’s not true. I mean, they made a bad name for us, but that’s not fair, you know. Living in Lebanon as a Muslim would probably be the same, nothing different than in the past. But it’s different here in the U.S. because of 9/11. But we deal with it, and people know that we are — well also, another reason it’s a little bad here, is because people think that all Muslims belong to Isis, or, you know, associated with Isis, which is not true. I mean, Isis is an offshoot of Muslims. All Muslims around the world, they don’t deal with Isis, because they are the really bad guys. So, they make us look bad in front of everybody, and they should eliminated by somebody. Okay? — So, picking up where I left: [Lauging] we need to eliminate Isis from the face of the earth, because they are bad news for everybody around the world. I mean, they are the evil of everything. So, maybe with the help of the United States, maybe we can get rid of them. Or, maybe we can call Arnold Schwarzenegger; maybe he can take care of them. Who knows! Somebody will! someday!”