Arabic → English transcript

He locked up their dowries,

that was his way, and in the end, may God not hold us accountable. With you.

I am proud and it is an honor that my father is Nouh Zeaiter.

And I wish everyone in the world had a father like Nouh Zeaiter.

Here is where Nouh Zeaiter sleeps. Here he sleeps o… — There’s no room?

There isn’t, for thirty years he has been sleeping on the couch.

For thirty years he hasn’t slept on a bed.— Why?

— That is how his situation is, so that he can keep moving from one place to…

for thirty years he has been sleeping in jeans, Nouh Zeaiter.

He has never slept and felt at ease. Your mother always

has his bag ready?— Yes, a bag…

A bag that you pack and a bag that…— So your mother spent…

yes, my mother was shocked.

My sister is Nouh Zeaiter’s daughter. What is your name? — Me.—“ Me,”

what a nice name. What do you say to Daddy?— I love you. Do you miss him?— Yes.

Now he is like a father to you.— Praise be to God.

Mahdi, what do you do for work?

I do not work, I have my father and we inherited from hou…

agricultural lands and farmland and buildings. We make a living off them.

Today, when the viewers hear that there are buildings and lands…

they will ask,“ Where did you get this from?”

God rest my grandfather’s soul. Because of him,

we inherited and secured land and crops.

But people are curious to know how much you all own, for example. You, in the bank,

for example…- There is nothing in the bank.

They say Nouh Zeiter has millions of dollars. How much do you have?

How much do you all have?

How much does Nouh have?- He has less than five hundred thousand.

No, now you want to tell me Nouh Zeiter has less than half a million dollars?

Yes, I swear, and we have buildings and rentals…

We get ten thousand dollars a month, twelve thousand.

Does he have land in Beirut?- No, no,

we do not have any property in Beirut at all, at all. We have in Chtaura.

This plain here belongs to Nouh Zeiter. Did he turn himself in?

- He turned himself in to the Lebanese judiciary. He spoke to me on the phone,

he and they were with him as soon as they took him.

Were you the last one he spoke to?- The first one he spoke to was me.

He told me,“ I turned myself in,

Dad, to be at ease and to put you at ease… from what they are doing to us.”

- What did he tell you in the last moments when he called you?

He told me,“ Take care of yourselves, take care of your siblings,

take care of your family.”

So you do not want this action- packed life your father lived?

No, no, my dad always kept us away from that life, and he still does.

Today, do you see your father Nouh Zeaiter as a drug dealer?

No, no one ever knocked on his door asking for his help without him answering them.

Nouh Zeaiter is loved in Tripoli more than he is loved in Baalbek.

You see those parties who say that Nouh supported them… they always go after me,

they go after me on television against him.

Are you talking about Hezbollah?— Hezbollah, okay, what is the proof?

Where were they supporting him?

Were they giving him a salary or what?

Do you think they abandoned him or not?

They have abandoned him for a long time.

You came to show us how you are living? How we are living,

show the people and the judiciary.

We plant potatoes, as you can see, there are potatoes and wheat.

Growing hashish does not pay off anymore?

It does not pay and it does not work for him.

Since 2008 my brother has been away from everyone. Where was he living in Lebanon?

He was living in Syria and in Turkey, and everyone knows that.

But his reputation is what goes out on social media.

Nouh himself promoted himself as a drug dealer…

Because it is for social media and Robin Hood.

Like, he is fancy on his own for nothing.

Do you blame your brother that he…— Yes, I blame him, we blamed him.

You got beaten because of him?— What did we blame him for? I want to do like

so- and- so… I want to see myself as if I am Robin Hood.