Hezbollah: The Story from Within
Naim Qassem, translated by Dalia Khalil
Saqi 2010
£9.99
Lebanon’s decline into a state of civil turmoil and escalated restlessness following the first 1978 Israeli invasion nourished a militant organization that would eventually shake the foundations of Lebanese politics. Other activist movements emerged but were unable to obtain the organized comprehensiveness of Hezbollah’s direction, or see the potential in inserting an ideology of unity at a time when the region’s shattered multi-ethnic identity needed it most. Today, Hezbollah, Lebanon’s Shi’a Islamist political party and paramilitary organization, continues to exert significant influence in government affairs.
In an English translated account, Hezbollah: The Story from Within, the organization’s Deputy Secretary General and founding member, Sheikh Naim Qassem, presents an overview of the Islamist party’s mandate and life span. Through a marriage of occasionally ambiguous statements and detailed accounts of its history, Qassem allows for a rare glimpse into this once underground and otherwise secretive faction. Although the author claims an indifference towards our verdict, the dialogue that follows is often laced with bias towards his party’s doctrine and public image. The prevalent intention appears to be to present a “moderate” understanding of the US-labeled “terrorist” organization and its motives by providing honorable justifications for its controversial deeds.
It has been suggested that the party’s success lies primarily in its shrewd ability to introduce clear answers to vital national questions. Along this vein, Hezbollah: A Story from Within, puts forward a comprehensive and thorough guide to the party’s highly organized framework and chronicles milestone events of military combat, whilst carefully acknowledging fears over a jihad structured movement in a multi-confessional state. Despite declaring an Islamic state as “a supreme representation of human happiness,” Qassem professes that his party’s interest in its establishment is of a moderate nature, referencing its 1985 open letter, which “beckons the creation of an Islamic state based on free public choice.”
The book monitors Hezbollah’s early roots from an Islamic activist movement in 1960s Lebanon to its formation in 1982, involving various Islamic factions functioning under the chosen banner of Hezbollah, or “Party of God.” Qassem charts its underground military activity, shedding light on the training camps geared towards an ultimate mission to resist Israeli occupation and eventually shift into the wider and more legitimate sphere of mainstream Lebanese politics.
The book is indeed intriguing for its insider viewpoint and resulting detailed synopsis of Hezbollah’s vision, including the specifics of the Islamic principles it serves to emulate, and the occasional citation of phrases from the Qur’an as a means of justifying the party’s dogma. Notably, its conviction in jihad is explicitly and somewhat unsettlingly detailed, as it asserts not only a distinction between “ground work jihad” and “defensive jihad,” but also the existence of a distinction between martyrdom and suicide.
Though Hezbollah is criticized by many of those whom belong to Lebanon’s numerous minority groups, an element of the book is focused on the success the party has had in connecting with these groups, as well as the party’s desire to bring together Sunnis and Shi’as for the sake of national unity. Hezbollah’s groundbreaking meeting with the Maronite Catholic Patriarch and other Christian sects, including the party’s allowance of minority members through peripheral membership, centered on the basis that “Lebanon is for all and not for one or another division.”
US assertions that Hezbollah is a terrorist group are met with reciprocity. Qassem paints the US as a devious and manipulative hegemonic force with intentions of capitalizing on Arab nations. He does of course extend his abhorrence for Zionism and Israel, which he presents as an evil and illegitimate state—“a cancerous gland”—functioning under US protection. He further accounts for Hezbollah’s killing of Israeli civilians by deeming them a “society of militants,” and therefore a “form of military target.”
Hezbollah's transition into electoral politics in 1992 follows a deep internal debate over whether it should abandon its Islamic and jihadi vision. It is not until 2005, after the assassination of Rafik Al-Hariri and the onset of discussions around the withdrawal of Syrian troops from Lebanon, that Hezbollah members participate in the government cabinet. The party’s initial decision to run for elections requires them to adopt a new set of principles, which will allow them to foster strong ties and better understand civilian needs. Thus, Hezbollah becomes, according to the author, the advent of salvation for the downtrodden, restoring damaged buildings by Israeli air raids and floods, and founding health organizations, educational institutions and mosques. Qassem, nonetheless, refutes claims that Hezbollah’s social work was essentially aimed at recruitment.
Although the author is quick to disassociate Hezbollah as a protégé of Iran, the party’s strong relationship with the country, which supplies the organization with funding and arms, is discussed, and its regime, bestowed with consistent praise. Opinions on and relations with Syria and other Arab regions are also outlined, but Hezbollah’s primary focus has been the plight of the Palestinians, a so-called central issue for Hezbollah members, who propose continued armed struggle as the only means for sustaining Palestine’s existence.
Hezbollah’s status, success and power within Lebanon are paramount and look to be long sustained under its placard as emancipator of occupied lands. The question of Hezbollah’s fate, should it achieve its objective of total liberation, however, remains tactfully unanswered. It also raises another question of whether Hezbollah members will begin to place more emphasis on its own agendas.
Just as his party both magnetizes and repels Lebanese citizens, there are times when Qassem’s dialogue manages to both draw in and isolate the reader. To those already doubtful of Hezbollah’s “wide-ranging interests,” the book may prove to echo such concerns. Despite this, Hezbollah: A Story from within, is informative. While we certainly see the inside perspective of the organization, it also reveals how Hezbollah would effectively like to be viewed from the outside as well. Whether they are successful in this or not is indeed down to the reader’s judgment.
