Scandal: In Lebanon, Facebook Comments Can Land You In Jail

A case involving four Lebanese university students being jailed for “insulting” a woman on Facebook shows just how backward our justice system can be.

Last year in the U.S, a girl by the name of Megan Meier was found dead in her room. She had hanged herself.

Megan wasn’t particularly attractive and she had troubles with her parents. Fortunately, she found solace at Myspace with a boy who regularly complimented her and told her how wonderful she looked. The couple would chat everyday, and Megan got out of her depressive mood.

A few weeks later, the boy suddenly turned on her and used a barrage of hurtful language: I wonder why anyone would want be your friend! He told her. The troubled girl ended up killing herself.

Later it was found out that the “boy” never existed. He was a fictional Myspace character designed by the Meiers’ next-door neighbors specifically to cause them harm (although they didn’t mean to have the girl kill herself)

Everyone in the neighborhood knew about this, but it took national TV coverage and intense pressure for legal action to finally take place. The reason? Internet privacy rights that many Americans take for granted.

Why am I bringing this up? 

Just to contrast it with the silly Lebanese legal system that jailed 4 university students simply because they had gossiped on Facebook about one woman’s singing. 

How backward do you have to be to do that? The act wasn’t very nice, but come on, hasn’t each one of you at some point made fun of someone else on Facebook?

Sometimes, Lebanese officials just need to get a life.