Yet another close call for Lebanon. At the last minute, the government made a decision, one that is sure to evoke condemnations from Hezbollah and its sponsors, but for Lebanon’s sake it was the right – and in the current political climate, a brave – move.

No, we are not talking of the decision to boycott the Arab Summit. In fact, it is a ruling on a far more mundane matter – a movie – yet the threat it posed to Lebanon’s identity (and reputation) as a nation founded on openness, tolerance and liberal principles, was arguably more insidious.

On Thursday, Lebanon overturned the ban on Academy-award nominee Persepolis, a French animated film based on the graphic novels of Marjane Satrapi about her experiences growing up during the 1979 Islamic revolution.

Iran has banned the film, of course (although there have been several unauthorized screenings at Tehran cultural centers). But the decision taken by General Security chief (and Hezbollah sympathizer) General Wafik Jezzini to ban the film in Lebanon – apparently upon the request of Shia clerics who considered it an attack on the Iranian regime – came as something of a surprise, triggering an uproar among many Lebanese, especially after the international press caught wind of the story.

Jezzini has offered no explanation for his change of heart. The surge of negative publicity surely played a role, but so did Culture Minister Tarek Mitri, who by all accounts vigorously fought the ban, bringing a welcome dollop of prestige to what is generally considered to be a second-string portfolio.

Censorship is always a divisive issue, a tool that is often the hallmark of repression and authoritarianism – we saw it with Lebanon’s equally bigoted banning of the Di Vinci Code in 2006, over the film’s controversial treatment of Christianity – but this instance was all the more sinister in that it was carried out to protect the delicate sensibilities of a foreign, rather than Lebanese entity. And not just any foreign entity: one that is actively working to impose itself on Lebanon, through massive spending, military training and political interference in Lebanon’s Hezbollah-led opposition.

On a day-to-day basis, much of the struggle between Lebanon’s opposition and majority is acted out through political theater. But it is vital we remember that, behind the accusations and grand declarations, a very real battle over the future of our country is being fought. The censorship of Persepolis would have been more threatening than any speech or political posturing, because it is something real, something basic. As, ironically, the story of Persepolis itself demonstrates, freedom of speech can disappear all too quickly. So, as the Iranian-Syrian axis moves strives to seize political control of Lebanon, we must not be distracted away from its concurrent attempts to commandeer our cultural and ideological spheres.

The Persepolis affair is emblematic of the ongoing struggle between two Lebanons, and those who attempt to rationalize Hezbollah’s actions – and dismiss concerns over the threat the party and its Iranian backers pose to our way of life – would do well to pay close attention to this equally close call.

Now that the ban is overturned, they’d also do well to go and see Persepolis. Let it be a cautionary tale for anyone who thinks that an alliance with radical Islamists can lead to a secular revolution. After all, how many liberals, leftists, feminists cheered alongside Khomeini three decades ago?

There is no happily ever after for this story.