Between Jabal ʿAmil, Karbala and Jerusalem: The Lebanese Shi‘a and the Struggle for Palestine (Muslims in Global Societies Series, 11)

This book tells the story of the Lebanese Shi’a and their development from a marginalized, discriminated minority to a highly politicized community that has given birth to Hezbollah, one of the most powerful paramilitary forces in the contemporary Middle East. It explores the Arab-Israeli conflict through the lens of Shi’a intellectuals and scholars from South Lebanon, and chronologically reflects on trending perceptions of Palestine, the Zionist movement, and the Jewish community in Lebanon. The monograph illustrates how Zionism and the establishment of Israel played a decisive role in the intellectual revival of early Muslim perceptions of Jews. It demonstrates how political conflicts after 1948 have impacted the work of scholars such as Musa as-Sadr and Muhammad Hussein Fadlallah, and have triggered the formation of social and Islamist movements. It also shows how Hezbollah’s leaders have used religious sources and Western anti-Jewish narratives to construct a deep-rooted ideology to support their struggle for South Lebanon and Palestine. The combination of social needs, religious beliefs and political interests forms the core of the analysis. This text appeals to students and researchers working within the convergence of politics and Middle Eastern religions. Between Jabal ʿAmil, Karbala and Jerusalem The Lebanese Shi‘a and the Struggle for Palestine Copyright Preface Notes on Transliteration Acknowledgments About This Book Contents About the Author List of Figures List of Figures Chapter 1: Introduction: The Shi‘a and the Power of Ideology 1.1 Origins: Traditional Shi‘i Narratives of Jews 1.2 Between the Frontlines: The Lebanese Shi‘a and Their Search for Identity 1.3 Ancient Tales and Modern Challenges: Islamist Narratives About Jews and Zionism References Chapter 2: Lebanese Shi’i Scholars and the Rise of Zionism 2.1 Shi‘i Intellectual Life in Jabal ‘Āmil 2.2 Early Perceptions of the Jewish Community 2.3 The Emergence of Zionism 2.4 From the 1936–1939 Revolt to the Division of Palestine 2.5 The Years of the Great War 2.6 The Challenges of the 1948 “Catastrophe” 2.6.1 Publications About the Nakba 2.6.2 Perceptions of Jews and Judaism 2.7 Orientation After the Nakba References Chapter 3: Mūsā aṣ-Ṣadr: Palestine and the Struggle for South Lebanon 3.1 Ṣadr and the Challenges of Jabal ‘Āmil 3.2 Pursuing Christian-Muslim Unity 3.3 The Palestinian Cause as a Lebanese Concern 3.4 Addressing a Non-Arab Audience 3.5 The Dilemma of the Palestinian Resistance 3.6 Shi‘i Doctrines as a Tool for Social Mobilization 3.7 The 1975–1976 War and the Rise of Amal 3.8 The Struggle to Save the South 3.9 Facing the First Israeli Invasion References Chapter 4: Faḍlallah’s Discourse Between Dialogue and Jihad 4.1 The Shi‘i Framework of the Struggle for Social Justice 4.2 Dialogue with the “People of the Book” 4.3 On Early Muslim-Jewish Relations 4.4 Jewish History Revisited 4.5 Jihad and the Struggle for Palestine 4.6 Israel and the West 4.7 From Karbala to Palestine References Chapter 5: Naṣrallah and the Power of Martyrdom 5.1 The Birth of the Islamic Resistance 5.2 The Israeli Invasion and Shi‘i Reactions 5.3 The Ideological Foundation of the Islamic Movement 5.4 Ḥusayn in Palestine: Naṣrallah’s Ideological Approach to Anti-Zionism 5.5 Merging Anti-Zionism and Anti-Jewish Thought 5.6 A Strategy of Adaptation 5.7 The May 2000 “Victory” and Its Consequences 5.8 Playing with Fire: Towards the 2006 War 5.9 Risking the Future of Lebanon 5.10 Hezbollah’s Game of Deterrence 5.11 Saving the “Shi‘i axis” – Naṣrallah and the War in Syria References Chapter 6: Conclusions: Anti-Jewish Narratives in the Service of Political Agendas Index