Ideology and practice of Hizballah in Lebanon

Islamization of Leninist organizational principles

Bibliographic Data

ID10279985
AuthorsAs’ad Abukhalil (corresponding author), As'ad AbuKhalil
Year1991
Volume27
Issue3
Pages390-403
Publication date1991-07-01
Peer ReviewedYes
Open AccessNo
TypeARTICLE
VenueMiddle Eastern Studies (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 0026-3206 • E-ISSN: 1743-7881
PublisherTaylor & Francis (PUBLISHER • GB)
DOI10.1080/00263209108700867
OpenAlexW2046885106
LanguageEN
Citations received15

The study of Islam and Islamic political movements has become a popular enterprise in the West. The religion and the world of Islam are still exotic and are hence a sensational topic. What made the study of Islam suddenly fashionable in the West is not an intellectual trend, but is rather a result of the belief that Islam is intrinsically responsible for the surge of 'international terrorism'. Western studies of Islam, however, are shrouded in generalities and reductionism. The rise of Islamic consciousness cannot be understood without specific references to the concrete conditions in every geographic area witnessing the emergence of Islamic fundamentalist movements. Islam does not mean the same thing to the people of Islamic countries; the practice and interpretation of the religion differ from one country to another. Consequently, the underlying causes behind the rise of the various fundamentalist movements are not standard or universally uniform. The subject should be approached with much more specificity. Lebanon is one of those countries that are witnessing an intense resurgence of Islamic identification. It is the country which in the eyes of the West at least has made the study of Islam and 'international terrorism' indistinguishable. Yet, the causes behind the rise of Islam as an ideology are complex and not necessarily religious in nature. Two words can sum up the deep social conflict in Lebanon. They are al-Ghabn (prejudice) and al-Khawf (fear). Al-Ghabn is used by Muslims to express their sense of injustice, and al-Khawf is used by Christians to express their fear of Arab-Muslim hegemony. While Muslims call for the redistribution of national wealth and political power, the Christians consider the privileges that they have enjoyed since the founding of the Lebanese republic in 1920 as 'guarantees', (damanat) as factors contributing to their psychological and political security. In other words, the National Pact, which set the official arithmetical formula for the distribution of political power on a sectarian basis, is a constant that is not subject to change according to Christians; while it is an invalid doctrine that time and reality had long transcended, in the eyes of Muslims. This paradoxical view of the foundation of the Lebanese political system accounts for the deep tensions in society. Any diminution in Christian powers adds to the powers of the Muslims, and vice versa. Moreover, who is to say how to distribute power within the Muslim community? Relations within the Muslim faith are far from harmonious. It is almost impossible to come up with a formula that pleases all the sects at once. Hizballah is the product of the tensions and conflicts within the Shiite community. The underlying causes for its emergence are deeply rooted in indigenous Lebanese conditions and in the aftermath of the Israeli invasion

Ideology · Islam · Islamic studies · Islamization · Muslim world · Political science · Politics · Sociology · Subject (documents · Terrorism · Theology · Islamic Studies and History · Jewish and Middle Eastern Studies · Law · Middle East Politics and Society · Philosophy · Religious studies

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