Advice for Hezbollah:
How to Win Over the Pro-West Opposition
"Now is the time for Hezbollah
to express policy positions sufficient to dispel Sunni fears … No one can doubt
the affection of Lebanese Sunnis for their homeland and the Umma
[Muslim nation]. Nor can anyone doubt their differences with American-Zionist
plans."
A picture worth a thousand
words: A supporter of the beleaguered pro-Western government holds a
poster of assassinated former prime minister Rafiq Hariri, in the
northern city of Tripoli. With Hezbullah in a commanding position and in
possession of much of Beirut, things don't look good for pro-Western
forces.
If not for the
sectarian crowd that dominates the region, no one in the Arab and Muslim street
would hesitate to support the Lebanese opposition and Hezbollah in the context
of the current fighting in Lebanon. The masses of the Arab nation are
accustomed to opposing any camp supported by the Americans and Israelis,
regardless of which party it is. But this is even more true
given America's recent ugly policies, which are the antithesis of the Umma's yearning for unity and liberation and the
confirmation of its Arab and Muslim identity.
[Editor's Note:
The author of this article - who appears to be a Hamas supporter, repeatedly
refers to the "Umma." Some believe the Umma was originally conceived by the Prophet Muhammad. The
term refers to the "Muslim nation," which is supposed to supersede
the boundaries of nationalism. But in practice, it rarely has
].
Now the people of
the Umma and in particular the Sunnis, are as captive
as they are perplexed. On the one hand, they know that what's happening in
Lebanon is an integral part of the battle that the Americans and Israelis are
waging against forces of resistance and opposition in the region. Meanwhile,
they feel concern in regard to the Iranian project, which sometimes smells of
[Sunni-Shiite] sectarianism, and at other times nationalism. This is clearly
reflected in Iraq, where Iran insists on an Iraq that is its junior
politically, economically and even culturally and religiously.
This [Iran's ties
with Iraq] is not unlike the alliance between Iran and Hezbollah, along with
the other alliance with Syria which has been imposed by the political
situation.
But none of this [the
involvement of Iran or Syria] should diminish the important achievements
accomplished by Hezbollah in the context of the conflict in the region: the Umma's struggle against its main enemy, which is the chief
promoter of the American-Zionist project. It is a source of pride that
Hezbollah is responsible for the two biggest victories in the history of this
struggle: The May 2000 victory that drove the Zionists from Southern Lebanon
and the July 2006 victory that the Zionist entity still suffers from and will
continue to suffer from until it meets its end, Allah willing.
[The author
refers to the settlement in 2000 that resulted in an end to the 1982-2000 civil
war and Israel's withdrawal from that country , and Israel's
offensive in the summer of 2006 ,
which was prompted by Hezbollah's kidnapping of two Israeli soldiers. Israel
eventually withdrew and Hezbollah still holds the kidnapped Israeli soldiers].
A
poster on a Jerusalem bus equates America's jailing of nuclear spy
Jonathan
Pollard with the abduction of Israeli soldiers conducted by
Hamas
and Hezbollah, May 12.
But in light of
the sectarian build-up in the region, Arab and Sunni fears about Iran's
intentions and the near consensus of fear among Lebanese Sunnis about the
infiltration of Hezbollah and Shiites among them, a new approach must be found
beyond pro-government vs. opposition and American project versus the
Lebanese/Arab/Muslim project.
No one can doubt
the affection of Lebanese Sunnis for their homeland and the Umma.
Nor can anyone doubt their differences with American-Zionist plans, which their
long history demonstrates. All of which show that the approval of groups and
politicians that more-or-less agree with the Americans is only a reaction to
the injustice suffered due to the assassination of Rafik
Al Hariri, along with the fears mentioned previously,
none of which implies a change in their overall political stance.
Which is why now
is the time for Hezbollah to express policy positions sufficient to dispel
Sunni fears that its objective [Hezbollah's objective] is to find a new
Lebanese equilibrium beyond the Taif Agreements [the
agreements that ended the last civil war ]
and beyond what everyone agrees is needed to manage Lebanese domestic affairs.
Posted by WORLDMEETS.US
[Editor's Note:
The author is being disingenuous here, as it is clear that "finding a new
equilibrium" is exactly what Hezbollah is after. The group is not
satisfied with the arrangements under the Taif
Agreements and the old constitution.
Meanwhile, the Sunni and Druze that have been running the government insist
that Hezbollah lay down its weapons before being permitted to take part in
civil society.]
It's especially
important for Hezbollah to clarify its position because at the moment, fears of
an Israeli invasion of Lebanon seems fairly distant, unless - Allah forbid -
America decides to strike Iran's nuclear facilities and Hezbollah insists on
using Lebanon as part of the Iran-U.S. struggle.
Druze leader Walid
Jumblatt: His pro-West constituency is withering away, along with its
influence.
In return, the Sunnis
should refuse to become embroiled in the childish game of revenge being
promoted by the infantile Saad Al Hariri
(son of the assassinated RafikHariri
and a leader of the pro-West governing coalition) or the path of madness that
leads them to Jumblatt (a central figure for the
pro-West governing coalition - see video left). Those paths ignore reality: As
long as it turns its back on Syria, Lebanon's situation will never be
stabilized. When Lebanon is at odds with Syria - its can and usually is used as
a knife to stab Damascus in the back - and Syria has always been the target of
the Zionists.
There is as much
of a need to correct the political compass of Lebanon's Sunnis as there is to
put the Weapon of the Resistance in its proper context, which will not
happen - regretfully - without a change in the relationship between Egypt and
Saudi Arabia on the one hand and Syria on the other, along with a serious
dialogue between the Arabs and Iran on a number of thorny regional issues -
including Lebanon and the Iraqi situation - none of which will occur without a
rebellion against American domination.
We pray to Allah
to spare the blood of the Lebanese people and to inspire their wise men with
the means to achieve and overcome this crisis. It's a shame that Arabs and
Lebanese have given such a precious gift to the Jewish state on its sixtieth
birthday.
Help Support Worldmeets.us
Worldmeets.us is a non-partisan, volunteer-based, not-for-profit organization that operates solely in the public interest. The opinions expressed in articles posted by Worldmeets.us are not necessarily those of Worldmeets.us, its sponsors or its volunteers.
