Fadlallah passed away yesterday. I would have commented on it sooner but I was in the Bay area for the weekend and didn’t get around to blogging until now. Contrary to media reports, Fadlallah was not the “spiritual guide” to Hizbullah. He did not establish the group nor did he sanction all of its activities, but he did endorse those that were in harmony with his own beliefs. His main contribution, however, was the his role in a Shi’i militant awakening in Lebanon in the 1960s and 1970s. Like Imam Musa as-Sadr, Fadlallah’s writings and sermons helped create a militant consciousness among the dispossessed and war-ravaged Shi’i of Lebanon. One of his most important writings was a book titled “The Logic of Force” which gave religious sanction to revolutionary violence. His teachings helped foster a militant environment from which Hizbullah – in tandem with the Iranian Revolution in general and Khomeini in particular – was launched and has since become arguably the most powerful resistance organization in the entire Middle East and wider Muslim world. But make no mistake about it, it was Khomeini who ordered the creation of Hizbullah and provided it with crucial guidance, financial, and military support. In 1985, after 3 years of underground existence, Hizbullah came out into the open by declaring its existence and aims through the publication of its first communique, in which Khomeini was declared the leader of the organization, his ideology was recognized as that of Hizbullah’s, and his image appeared on the back of the pamphlet. Today, officially, Khamenei is Hizbullah’s spiritual leader. Nevertheless, as an aspiring historian who wrote his master’s thesis in part on Hizbullah’s origins, seeing him pass is witnessing history. Read about his death here. Here’s a good obituary by The Guardian.
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“The greatest enemy of knowledge is not ignorance; it is the illusion of knowledge.”
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I am sorry to see him die like that. I wish he would have been sent there by the Israelis so he could meet his 72 virgins.
Na Ghaze, Na Lobnan, Janam Fadaye Iran!
The above quote demonstrates the problem inherent in the Green Movement… they quote Sa’adi’s “bani adam” poem to get people to identify w their movement, and then they go and say “Na Ghaze, Na Lobnan, Janam Fadaye Iran!” What happened to human beings being part of a singular body and that if one limb is in pain, then the whole body is suffering?
The issue of Palestine is of major importance for a large segment of the Iranian populace and such sloganeering only polarizes those people. If the Green Movement wants to succeed it needs to figure out a way to get everyone involved, not the opposite. I’m afraid with such hypocrisy, the movement will only be limited in scope and potential.
He was a great man, ruhesh shad.
As a person who voted for Mousavi, I think it is now clear that the majority of the Green movement is an orchestration.
Oh are the Arabs to blame for Iranian Shii fascism now? Is that what we are going with? Because Iran’s entire modern history is not wrought with clerical interference and anti-secular forces in politics? Because Iranian ancient history is not wrought with Islamic and Zoroastrian clerical fascism?
What is wrong with you, Arash?
Smiley face- seriously dude, stop making bogus conclusion of things that I write. I never intended to make such argument. So your technique is basically to take things out of contexts and make your own bogus conclusion to satisfy your own theory?!
Let me clearify: I never argued Shii fascisim. Many in Green Movement (notice I said many: not all, not most, not majority) are tired of Islamic notion of the rulling regime. They are fighting to bring or create a democracy that religion and government do not interfere. A lot of these people are also seeing hypocritical acts done by the government in the name of Islam. As we know, Islam as a religion has carried a lot of Arab culture within it. If there is any notion of religious justification involved in any aspect of this government, it will carry with itself notions of Arab culture with it. Islam was born out of Arab culture, therefore it is part of it. Many Iranians has come to this realization and they are disatisfied with the way this regime handles every issue through eye of religion. Perfect example that relates to this convo is the “duty to liberate Quds” which the regime considers as a religious duty.
Iranians see these acts of the regime as a form of Arab invasion of their culture and they want to distance themselves from it. At the same time, they have seen how fraudulent Palestinian cause is and the only thing they see is Iran is sending Iranian money to these territories and in return they are buying themselves missionaries to secure their government. They have lived through the propaganda and they see the same fraudulent acts being done by these groups that has been exported to these groups from Iranian regime. They have seen it, they know it, they recognize it and they are simply tired of it. They are simply tired of it and as time will prove, sooner or later this growing distrust of government and anything that this government represent in the name of religion will be discredited or has already been discredited. Iranians are tired of dying for others or seeing their national wealth being wasted on Terrorist groups. Of course, this is only “many” and not “all” or “majority” or “most”.
However, “most” Iranian as we saw in the protests, are tired of their country being a martyr for others and they want their cause to focus on Iran. They want Iran’s best interest being the focus, not for illegitimate fradulent cause of some people thousands miles away being put forth as the primary goal of government in order to legitimize itself in the region.
AS YOU SEE, I DIDN’T TALK ABOUT FASCISIM. I do agree with you with Iranian historical battle with religion. But that was not the point I was making here.
Despite your grammar, I am able to take your above post seriously for the following sentence: “Of course, this is only “many†and not “all†or “majority†or “mostâ€.”
Good boy, you are beginning to learn how to think like an adult. Of course, I dont know what “Arab” culture you are talking about. I assume you mean a particular Bedouin tribal culture in the Gulf, not all Arab culture.
I also assume you dont want me to talk about “fraudulent” causes. You dont want to get in another debate about the historical record again. You of course remember how often you would make things up and I would expose your blatant fabrications. Remember when you said….do you want me to start? I dont think so. You are failing in life Arash, focus on your Bar exam which you have failed twice now. Focus on your weight, and your dissapointed family. Good boy.
Arash, let me “clearify” somethings for you… the issue of Palestine is not an Arab issue. For the Islamic regime, it is an Islamic one but for me and the rest of the world who is concerned with their plight and is not Muslim, it is a human one. I don’t care if the majority of Palestinians are Muslim and I don’t care that 20% are Christian. I see the Palestinians as the German Jews organizing the next flotilla do – as human beings.
And if you think by saying “fraudulent” over and over again makes it so, you are dead wrong. You are dead wrong to think that human beings, any human beings, deserve to live under that cruel never ending ILLEGAL military occupation. Yes, I said “illegal.” What? Do you think by failing the bar exam twice now that that gives you a monopoly on the word? Wrong again.
And yes, I understand why “some” activists in the Green Movement say those slogans. It doesn’t take a rocket scientist to understand their frustrations. But it’s inconsistent and hypocritical in the context of their other words and it is polarizing to many who want to “sympethize” with the movement.
They should seek to draw parallels w their movement and the Palestinian revolution, not quote Sa’adi and then only demand attention to their plight.
As for you, you have absolutely no business talking about freedom. As an ex-soldier who fought for the occupation of Palestinian lands, you have relinquished any legitimacy to talk about freedom, whether in Iran or otherwise.
Good night.