www.ssoar.info Hizbullah's identity construction Alagha, Joseph Veröffentlichungsversion / Published Version Monographie / monograph Zur Verfügung gestellt in Kooperation mit / provided in cooperation with: OAPEN (Open Access Publishing in European Networks) Empfohlene Zitierung / Suggested Citation: Alagha, J. (2011). Hizbullah's identity construction. Amsterdam: Amsterdam Univ. Press. https://nbn-resolving.org/ urn:nbn:de:0168-ssoar-273678 Nutzungsbedingungen: Terms of use: Dieser Text wird unter einer CC BY-NC-ND Lizenz This document is made available under a CC BY-NC-ND Licence (Namensnennung-Nicht-kommerziell-Keine Bearbeitung) zur (Attribution-Non Comercial-NoDerivatives). For more Information Verfügung gestellt. Nähere Auskünfte zu den CC-Lizenzen finden see: Sie hier: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0 https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/deed.de Alagha remains one of the most thorough and careful analysts of Hizbul- lah’s political ideology and Alagha · practice. Scholars, analysts, and policymakers will find in this work a veritable trea- sure trove of research and insights into this complex organization. Construction Identity Hizbullah’s The important study Hizbullah’s Iden- Michaelle Browers, tity Construction offers a revolution- Associate Professor of ary new perspective on the political Political Science, Wake phenomenon of Hizbullah, whose Forest University evolution has frequently confounded scholars and politicians. Drawing on Alagha displays a rare mas- Hizbullah’s field research and his unparalleled tery of ideological and socio- access to primary sources, Alagha has political analysis, combining produced a unique work which traces them in a scholarly view all the shifts in Hizbullah’s construc- that makes this book indis- Identity Construction tion and reconstruction of its identity. pensable for understanding this movement within the Joseph Alagha, associate professor of Muslim world. Islamic studies at Radboud University Farhad Khosrokhavar, Nijmegen (the Netherlands), is the au- Professor of Sociology at the thor of The Shifts in Hizbullah’s Ideol- École des Hautes Études en ogy (2006) and Hizbullah’s Documents: Sciences Sociales (ehess), From the 1985 Open Letter to the 2009 Paris Manifesto (2011), both published by Amsterdam University Press. This is a compelling read which demystifies Hizbullah isbn 978 90 8964 297 4 and also the Middle East’s apparently contradictory relationships. A must-read. Anoush Ehteshami, Professor of International Relations, Durham University 9 789089 642974 Joseph Alagha amsterdam university press For more reviews,” see the www.aup.nl last pages in the book. amsterdam university press Alagha-Hizbullah-DEF.indd 1-3 22-4-2011 11:40:44 Hizbullah’s Identity Construction Alagha-PROEF-4.indb 1 26-4-2011 13:42:04 Hizbullah’s Identity Construction Joseph Alagha amsterdam university press Alagha-PROEF-4.indb 2 26-4-2011 13:42:04 Hizbullah’s Identity Construction Joseph Alagha amsterdam university press Alagha-PROEF-4.indb 3 26-4-2011 13:42:05 For a better understanding of Hizbullah, Hizbullah’s Identity Construction ought to be read in conjunction with Joseph Alagha: Hizbullah’s Documents, Amsterdam: Pallas Publications/Amsterdam University Press (2011), ISBN 978 90 8555 037 2. Both titles are fully searchable on Amazon. Cover illustration: This unique propaganda painting, across the side of a huge buil- ding in Tehran contains an important saying of Imam Khumayni: “Religious mino- rities are accorded special respect in Iran. They stood side by side with the Muslims in serving their own country.” Below stands the diagram of the “Star of Martyrs.” In the middle, a Jew is depicted with his name inscribed in Hebrew and Farsi. To his right, a Zoroastrian with his name inscribed in Farsi and the Zoroastrian symbol intersecting it. To his left, an Armenian Christian with his name inscribed in Arme- nian and Farsi. On the top and bottom are Syriac or Aramaic Christians with their names inscribed in Syriac and Farsi. In the extreme left below, stands the emblem of the Martyr’s Association with the Qur’anic verse (3:169) on top: “And do not think that those who have been killed [‘martyred’] in the way of Allah as dead; they are rather living with their Lord, well-provided for.” Picture taken by the author. Cover design and lay-out: Maedium, Utrecht ISBN 978 90 8964 297 4 e-ISBN 978 90 4851 395 6 NUR 697 © Joseph Alagha / Amsterdam University Press, Amsterdam 2011 All rights reserved. Without limiting the rights under copyright reserved above, no part of this book may be reproduced, stored in or introduced into a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means (electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise) without the written permission of both the copyright owner and the author of the book. Alagha-PROEF-4.indb 4 26-4-2011 13:42:06 To my family Alagha-PROEF-4.indb 5 26-4-2011 13:42:06 Alagha-PROEF-4.indb 6 26-4-2011 13:42:06 Table of Contents A Note on Transliteration | 11 Acknowledgements | 13 List of Abbreviations | 15 Summary | 17 Introduction and Analytical Framework | 19 1 Prologue: Brief history over the past three decades | 19 1.1 A continuous process of identity construction | 22 2 Analytical framework | 24 2.1 Identity construction | 24 2.2 Resource mobilization as a bridge between identity and Pierre Bourdieu’s capitals | 27 2.3 Pierre Bourdieu’s capitals as interpreted and employed by Ousmane Kane | 28 3 The controversy | 30 4 Synopsis of the book | 31 1 Tolerance and Discrimination: Ahl Al-Dhimma in the Islamic Order | 33 Introduction | 33 1.1 Hizbullah’s relations with the Lebanese myriad: The Christians as a prominent example | 34 1.2 Phase I: The place of the Christians in the Islamic state | 35 1.3 Phase II: The 1990s till the present | 38 1.4 Tolerance and acceptance | 42 1.5 Conclusion: From dhimmis to citizens | 43 7 Alagha-PROEF-4.indb 7 26-4-2011 13:42:06 2 Interpretation and Authority: Wilayat Al-Faqih | 45 Abstract | 45 2.1 Introduction | 45 2.2 Anecdote: Michel Foucault in Karbala’! | 48 2.3 The controversy surrounding the interpretation of Wilayat Al-Faqih doctrine: Khumayni’s 1988 Fatwa | 49 2.4 First stage (1978-1985) | 50 2.5 Second stage (1985-1991) | 51 2.6 Islamic state in relation to wilayat al-faqih (stages I and II) | 51 2.7 Third stage (1992 to the present) | 52 2.8 Hizbullah gains more independence in decision making, consolidating its financial resources: NGOs and civil institutions | 53 2.9 Lebanonization or infitah (‘opening-up’) | 55 2.10 Stage three: An application of the progressive nature of Shi‘ite jurisprudence | 56 2.11 Conclusion | 59 3 Political Violence: Terrorism and 9/11 | 61 Abstract | 61 3.1 Introduction | 61 3.2 Working definition of terrorism | 64 3.3 The terrorism charge | 65 3.4 The regional confrontation: Supporting the Palestinians | 69 3.5 The Arab summit and its repercussions | 72 3.6 Resetting the clock | 75 3.7 Hizbullah’s dialogue with the US, EU, and non-state actors | 83 3.8 Conclusion | 85 4 Political Violence: Suicide Operations | 87 Abstract | 87 4.1 Introduction | 88 4.2 Jihad and martyrdom | 93 4.3 Martyrdom | 95 4.4 Do only Islamic movements engage in martyrdom? | 107 4.5 Conclusion | 111 5 From Cooptation to Contestation to Political Power | 113 Abstract | 113 5.1 Cooptation to contestation | 114 5.2 Attempts at manipulation and gaining political power | 119 5.3 Conclusion: The tug of war | 137 table of contents 8 Alagha-PROEF-4.indb 8 26-4-2011 13:42:07 6 The Doha 2008 Accord and its Aftermath | 141 6.1 Coups d’état: From 8 March 2005 to 8 May 2008 | 141 6.2 The Understanding with the Salafi Movement | 143 6.3 The run-up to the June 2009 elections | 145 6.4 Conclusion: Mending the ties, rapprochement, and more political power | 154 7 The Eighth Conclave: A New Manifesto (November 2009) | 155 7.1 The salient points of the Open Letter | 155 7.2 Hizbullah’s eight conclaves | 160 7.3 Analysis of the new Manifesto | 168 7.4 Conclusion | 175 8 Epilogue: Future Prospects – Disarmament and the Peace Process | 177 8.1 Introduction | 177 8.2 Hizbullah’s new face: From al-hala al-Islamiyya to al-saha al-Islamiyya | 178 8.3 Hizbullah’s future | 181 8.4 Future prospects: Disarmament and the peace process | 182 8.5 Conclusion: The shift from resistance identity to project identity | 185 Afterword | 187 Glossary | 191 Additional Reading | 197 Notes | 211 Selected Bibliography | 273 Index | 289 table of contents 9 Alagha-PROEF-4.indb 9 26-4-2011 13:42:07 Alagha-PROEF-4.indb 10 26-4-2011 13:42:07 A Note on Transliteration The transcribing of words and phrases in Modern Standard Arabic into Eng- lish is in conformity with the transliteration system of the International Jour- nal of Middle East Studies, with a few modifications that cater to the guide- lines of the highly simplified transliteration system of Amsterdam University Press, where all diacritical marks have been omitted save for the ‘ayn (‘) and hamza (’). Concerning the translation of controversial terms, the author gave the English equivalent and included the original Arabic word in transliterated form in brackets beside each term. 11 Alagha-PROEF-4.indb 11 26-4-2011 13:42:07 Alagha-PROEF-4.indb 12 26-4-2011 13:42:07 Acknowledgements I would like to profusely thank the entire Amsterdam University Press (AUP) team for all the hard work and dedication they invested in bringing this book to publication. I wish to extend my deepest gratitude and appreciation to scholars Daniel L. Byman, Franck Salameh, Asher Kaufman, Seteney Shami, Armando Salva- tore, William B.