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WEEKLY NEWSLETTER
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Lebanon
Index
Established in 1982 at the initiative of a group of Shia
clerics who were adherents of Shaykh Muhammad Husayn Fadlallah, by
1987 Hizballah (Party of God) was the second most important Shia
organization. Fadlallah, who was born in southern Lebanon but
educated in An Najaf, Iraq, moved to East Beirut, where he wrote
books on Islamic jurisprudence. Having been evicted by Christian
forces during the fighting in 1976, he relocated in Beirut's
southern suburbs. Fadlallah continued his work and developed a
following, which later evolved into Hizballah.
In 1987 Hizballah followed strictly the theological line of
Iran's Ayatollah Sayyid Ruhollah Musavi Khomeini and called for the
establishment in Lebanon of Islamic rule modeled on that of Iran.
In pursuit of this goal, the party had developed close ties with
Iranian representatives in Lebanon and Syria. In terms of secular
policies, Hizballah rejected any compromise with Lebanese
Christians, Israel, and the United States. This hardline approach
appealed to many Shias, who abandoned the mainstream Amal movement
to join Hizballah. These members tended to be young, radical, and
poor.
The party's internal structure revolved around the Consultative
Council (Majlis ash Shura), a twelve-member body, most of whom were
clerics. The council divided among its members responsibilities
that covered, among other matters, financial, military, judicial,
social, and political affairs. The party's operations were
geographically organized, with branches in Al Biqa and Al Janub
provinces and in West Beirut and its southern outskirts. Among
prominent Hizballah leaders in late 1987 were Shaykh Ibrahim al
Amin, Shaykh Subhi at Tufayli, Shaykh Hasan Nasrallah, Shaykh Abbas
al Musawi, and Husayn al Musawi; Fadlallah insisted that he had no
formal organizational role but was merely Hizballah's inspirational
leader.
Hizballah gained international attention in 1983 when press
reports linked it to attacks against United States and French
facilities in Lebanon, to the abduction of foreigners, and to the
hijacking of aircraft
(see Internal Security and Terrorism
, ch. 5).
Nonetheless, Fadlallah (who was himself a target of a terrorist
assassination attempt) and Hizballah spokesmen continued to deny
any involvement in anti-American attacks.
Data as of December 1987
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