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Hezbollahs-Ministry Appendix A Hezbollah's Sports Recruitment The Sports Recruitment is a sports activities hub of Hezbollah. For the past few years (at least since 2013), the head of Sports Recruitment has been a man named Haj Jihad Attia. His organization is responsible for sports in each of the areas where the Hezbollah is present and active. In an interview with Al-Manar TV (owned by Hezbollah) in January 2015, Attia explained the importance of the organization he heads and the importance Hezbollah gives to sports in general. First, Hezbollah perceives sports as a framework though which the younger generation can be educated in the values that are important to the it. Second, since the main activity of Hezbollah itself is military-jihadist, it is important to have a dedicated body for sports in order to attract the youth. In order to demonstrate the importance of sports to the general public, Sports Recruitment makes extensive use of a famous quote by Imam Ruhollah Khomeini ("I am not an athlete, but I love the athletes!"), and sometimes other quotations from senior clerics who focus on the importance of balancing physical and spiritual strength. Statistics concerning the Sporting Events of Hezbollah Between the years 2010-2018, there were 300 events conducted by Sports Recruitment for various fields, the most popular and common of which (about half of the events), was soccer. In December 2016, Muhammad Fneish from Hezbollah was appointed as Minister of Youth and Sports. There was a significant increase in the number of sports events in the next year, and it is possible that additional money for sports was diverted into Hezbollah. Nevertheless, it is important to note that a significant part of funding for the organization’s sports events come from private sources (mostly local businesses), as well as education (schools and academic institutes) and local governments (municipalities and associations), and sometimes registration fees of the participants. Hezbollah's policy is to conduct sporting events throughout Lebanon, but in reality the vast majority of them (76%) are held in South Lebanon, while only about 10% each in Beirut and Bekaa, indicating that in the field of sports, as in many other civilian areas, the main support base and the "natural environment" of the organization is southern Lebanon, trailed considerably by Beirut and Bekaa. +972 52 4320076 S.ZEHAVI@ISRAEL -ALMA .ORG ISRAEL - ALMA.ORG In order to use sports to indoctrinate the participants in the values of Hezbollah and the Islamic Revolution, about half of the sporting events take place on occasions of symbolic significance, especially Hezbollah and Shia holidays, and to a lesser extent on Iranian-oriented days and times (such as the Iranian Jerusalem Day, the Revolution Memorial, as well as events in response to the Trump statement including Jerusalem) or of Lebanese historical significance. Sport as a Tool for Indoctrination - details Hezbollah's usage of sports events for indoctrination, dissemination of messages, and assimilation of its desired values among the public is expressed on two main levels: symbolic and physical. On the symbolic level, it is expressed first and foremost in emphasizing the value of Shahada (martyrdom) in various aspects of sporting events: naming the event after the name of a particular martyr (shahid), or a group of martyrs (Shahid Mahar Cup, Shahid Ali Nasser Group, Shahidi Neighborhood of Ajjur, etc.). Hezbollah names sports facilities and courses after Picture of the shahid (martyr) after whom the soccer team is named on the team uniform martyrs as well (Al-Rashwan Course for Football Referees, Land Shahids, etc.) and honoring the families of martyrs at events. Similarly, sports events, groups, and facilities are also named after key figures in Shia Islam (Imam al-Mahdi, Imam Ali bin Abi-Taleb, Saida Zaynab, Abu al-Fadel al-Abbas, Prophet Muhammad, etc.). On the symbolic level, as stated, many sporting events are held at times of symbolic significance, such as memorial days and holidays, as well as linking sporting events to Hezbollah's involvement in Syria. On the physical level, indoctrination is expressed in many aspects. First, the very establishment of sports facilities near places of worship attracts the public to the sites of worship themselves. Second, some of the sporting events take place on sites of historical significance and importance +972 52 4320076 S.ZEHAVI@ISRAEL -ALMA .ORG ISRAEL - ALMA.ORG to Hezbollah, such as the monument to former Secretary General Sayyed Abbas al-Musawi or the outposts of the Al-Ahtar ridge. Pictures from the running competition within the outposts of the Al-Athar ridge in honor of the 2012 Day of Retreat. The end line (on the right) is a reconstruction of the Hezbollah flag posted on an Israeli outpost on 29/10/1994. In addition, events are used to spread Nasrallah's speeches and Hezbollah's songs, which are broadcast in the background (mainly at surfing events). In at least in one case, members of the Members of the Al-Quds al-Sadeq football school in Al- Hezbollah's soccer summer camp were taken Nabatiyeh visiting the Malita Museum. on a tour to the Jihad museum in Malita. Moreover, Hezbollah has made part of the sporting events, to provide the public with an opportunity to meet with "real" military activists. Thus, for example, at the opening of a race held in Halhush, a suburb of Tyre, in memorial of the fallen commanders in 2018, "the commander of the ground and hero of the Deir al-Zur airport,” Haj Abu Mustafa Haidar, gave an opening speech. Similarly, in 2015, Sports Recruitment organized a sports day on the shore of Tyre, with scenes from the event showing Hezbollah fighters who did not bother to conceal their identity but rather, as the pictures indicate, seemed to even emphasize it. In addition, the external appearance of the events sites also contributes to indoctrination of Hezbollah and its values: Hezbollah flags, pictures of leaders such as Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah, Ali Khamenei and Ruhollah Khomeini, among others. The events are also filled with pictures of +972 52 4320076 S.ZEHAVI@ISRAEL -ALMA .ORG ISRAEL - ALMA.ORG the Hezbollah martyrs and pictures of Karbala battle of the Shi'a history. Similarly, the setting in these events are all similar, such as opening the events with Koranic verses, speeches, the national anthem, and the anthem of Hezbollah are also part of the same atmosphere that this organization seeks to create for its own purposes. Analysis of Two Sports Events as Case-studies A. The "Road to Jerusalem" ping pong tournament, March 4th, 2018 in South Lebanon. 1 2 3 4 5 6 +972 52 4320076 S.ZEHAVI@ISRAEL -ALMA .ORG ISRAEL - ALMA.ORG In the photographs from this event we can see some of the aspects described above: • Naming the event after martyrs. • Including and honoring the father of one of the martyrs by participating in the distribution of prizes. (4) • In the background are pictures of martyrs and a picture of a coffin with the organization's flag on it. (1-3, 5) • In the background of the competition are drawings of a scene from the Battle of Karbala. (6) B. "The Sacred Defense Meeting" for Martial Arts, May 26th at the Abu-Al-Fadel Sports Club in Kalaweh Tower (South Lebanon). 1 2 \ In the photographs from this event we can see some of the aspects described above: 1. Naming the event “The Sacred Defense,” the name Hezbollah gave to the martyrs who fell in the Syrian Civil War (named after the original name of martyrs killed in the Iran- Iraq war). +972 52 4320076 S.ZEHAVI@ISRAEL -ALMA .ORG ISRAEL - ALMA.ORG 2. Naming the sports facility after Abu Al-Fadel, which is the brother of Imam Al-Hussein and an important figure in his own right. 3. On the walls of the hall in front of the ceremony for the distribution of medals at the end of the event, pictures of Ruhollah Khomeini and Ali Khamenei. (1, 2) Appendix B The Youth and Sports Ministry The Lebanese Ministry of Youth and Sports was established in August 2000. The office was established as a result of the desire of then-Prime Minister Rafik Hariri to strengthen the sports movement, the youth and the Scouts. The Ministry deals with issues of youth and sports in their various fields, such as clubs, associations, outdoor activities, summer camps, volunteer camps, youth delegations, sports abroad, health supervision, supervision of institutes and training centers, supervision of programs and curricula. The activities of the Ministry include the establishment of sports facilities in cooperation with the local authorities, the licensing of sports associations, the establishment of youth associations, financial assistance to various bodies in the field of youth and sports, the establishment of scout associations, the licensing of sports clubs and the operation of the Lebanese Olympic Committee. Appendix C Minister of Youth and Sports - Muhammad Fneish The current Minister of Youth and Sports is Muhammad Abd al-Muttalib Joad Fneish. Born in 1953 in the village of Ma'aroub in South Lebanon, Fanish is a graduate of the Faculty of Science at the University of Lebanon and a BA in political science from the Faculty of Law and Political Science at the Univesrity of Lebanon. +972 52 4320076 S.ZEHAVI@ISRAEL -ALMA .ORG ISRAEL - ALMA.ORG During the 1970s, Fneish was active in the Islamic committees in the southern suburb of Beirut in what it described as "dealing with the Zionist occupation and stop the oppression of the civilians in South Lebanon and the southern suburb of Beirut". He also took part in blocking the IDF forces who invaded Beirut during the siege imposed by Israel.
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