Hezbollah flag displays a gun over the globe, suggesting an overall aim to take over the world with the force of arm. Image credit: Hezbollah official website. |
How does a Hezbollah member see him/herself, the organisation, and the rest of us? Or, How does the average Lebanese see Hezbollah? These are the simple questions we intend to answer in this short article.
This is part of our efforts to help the world in understanding the physiology of terrorism, with the possibility of addressing its roots. Here are salient insider points of view of the organisation...
1. Hezbollah Is "The Party Of God"
The word 'Hezbollah' literally translates as "the party of God". You will begin to understand this better if you knew that Hezbollah is a political party in Lebanon. Occupying up to 15 seats in the Lebanese parliament, the organisation is a huge force to reckon with in the country.
And they actually think they are God's own political party! You can now understand some of the fervor with which they pursue their agenda.
2. Hezbollah Subscribes To Twelver Shi'ism
Sunni is the main Islamic sect existing in Lebanon. However, Shia Islam is also gaining ground in the country. The brand of Shia Islam practiced in Lebanon - which Hezbollah spearheads - is Twelver Shi'ism, which makes up about 85% of all Shia Islam worldwide.
According to Twelver Shi'ism, there are twelve imams who are considered as the spiritual and political successors to the Prophet Muhammad. They also believe that the last of these 12 imams known as imam al-Mahdi ("Mahdi" for short) has already been born, but hidden away, but will later emerge to establish peace and justice on Earth.
Yet, one wonders why Hezbollah, instead of waiting for Mahdi to establish justice, engage in so much militancy. Does anyone have a clue to this?
3. Hezbollah's Ideology?
Hezbollah was founded in 1982. Then, in 1985, it gave a detailed articulation of its ideology for the first time via a manifesto (also known as 'the Open Letter'). In 2009, it issued 'the New Manifesto'.
Based on these two documents, the ideology of the organisation can be summarised as follows:
- Eliminating Western influence from the Levant, and especially promoting anti-American sentiments. A major example here is anti-LGBT sentiments.
- The destruction of Israel or the elimination of Israeli occupation
- The establishment of an Islamic government based on the Iranian political ideology. Thus, they pledge allegiance to Iran's supreme leader.
- The importance of unity among the Muslims and the Arabs generally.
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