Hasan Rizvi

5/9/2007
Islam, Violence, and Democracy
Hezbollah: A Modern Political Jihad
After the smmer !ar in "e#anon #et!een Israel and Hez#ollah, the "e#anese
$hi%a militant &ro' made a h&e chan&e in the 'ortrayal of terrorism and militant Islam on a
&lo#al scale( )hile the *($(, Israel, and other fe! allies increased their level of condemnation
to!ards Hez#ollah as a terrorist &ro', an international s!ee' of mass s''ort strc+ the ,slim
)orld, and some seclar areas in the !orld, in favor of Hez#ollah( If Hez#ollah is in fact not the
e-'licit terrorist &ro' that it is hi&hli&hted as, then !e cannot address them via force and
a&&ressive tactics !ith hard 'o!er( It &oes !ithot sayin& that yo mst nderstand yor enemy
if yo !ish to defeat them( )ith Hez#ollah ac.irin& most of its s''ort from $yria and Iran,
stanch enemies of the *($(, this isse is at the forefront of ,iddle /astern 'olitics or forei&n
'olicy in &eneral( /ncora&in& 'ro-y !ars in the re&ion !ill set the contry #ac+ to the times of
the 0old )ar, and I hi&hly do#t that most citizens in the *($( have that desire( A thoro&h
stdy of Hez#ollah%s 1ihad of modern 'oliticization !ill 'erha's lead some to a''roach them
from a more di'lomatic and non23rientalist 'oint of vie!(
Is Hez#ollah in fact a terrorist &ro' or is it the most modernized manifestation of $hi4a
'olitics and resistance5 If in fact they are a terrorist &ro', can Hez#ollah #e 'ainted in the same
realm as Al26aeda in the *($( 7lo#al )ar on 8error5 Ho! can !e com'are and contrast
Hez#ollah and Al26aeda in a manner !hich !old yield reslts that cold hel' ameliorate
'otential catastro'hic incidents in the ,iddle /ast5 If Hez#ollah is no different than other
terrorist &ro's sch as Al26aeda, then one !old assme that certain similarities !old e-ist
9
!ithin #oth &ro's( Ho!ever, I 'r'ort that Hez#ollah cannot #e 'laced in the same s'here of
terrorism as !e do to Al26aeda or Hamas( Ho! does the !ay !e define terrorism affect the !ay
!e determine !ho or enemies are and ho! to condct relations !ith them5 If !e still find that
terrorism is a 'art of the Hez#ollah movement &iven an academic definition, !hat are the
differences in ideolo&ical le&itimacy in the conte-t of reli&ion and mass s''ort, es'ecially in
re&ards to the se of violence as a means of resistance5 Do the Hez#ollah leaders have the
le&itimacy of the Islamic *lema to s'ea+ on #ehalf of 7od in this manner5 Are there differences
in strate&y and tactical 'lannin& that ma+e Hez#ollah stand ot from the cro!d5 )hy are Al2
6aeda and Hez#ollah 'laced nder the same shrod of the mainstream media altho&h they #oth
heavily criticize and condemn each other5 Are they fi&htin& for the same cases #t merely
o'eratin& #y different means5 I antici'ate findin& that not only the ,slim commnity, #t de
to recent chan&es in Hez#ollah%s #ehavior, their le&itimacy as a 'olitical 'arty and resistance
movement is increasin& at a sr'risin& rate(
If !e !ish to delve into the !orld of terrorism in international relations, then !e cannot
esca'e the dilemma of definition, as fe! !ords are so 'olitically and emotionally char&ed in the
'ost 9/99 era( 8his definitional .andary is frther com'licated #y the vale laden im'lications
of the :terrorist% la#el and the fact that many in the !orld consider America, the leader of the
:!ar on terror,% to #e the leadin& terrorist nation( 8errorism e-'ert )alter "a.er in 9999 has
conted over 900 definitions and concldes that the ;only &eneral characteristic &enerally a&reed
'on is that terrorism involves violence and the threat of violence;( )ith Israel #ein& the main
o''onent of Hez#ollah and the *nited $tates #ein& a stal!art ally of Israel, it is hard to dismiss
the alle&ations that the definition of terrorism that Israel and the *nited $tates se to 'lace
Hez#ollah in, may #e e-tremely 'olitically, 'sycholo&ically, and reli&iosly char&ed(
2
In his #oo+ ;Inside 8errorism; <rce Hoffman !rote in 0ha'ter 3ne= Definin&
8errorism that
>3n one 'oint, at least, everyone a&rees= terrorism is a 'e1orative term( It is a !ord !ith
intrinsically ne&ative connotations that is &enerally a''lied to one4s enemies and
o''onents, or to those !ith !hom one disa&rees and !old other!ise 'refer to i&nore(
4)hat is called terrorism,4 <rian ?en+ins has !ritten, @4ths seems to de'end on one4s 'oint
of vie!( *se of the term im'lies a moral 1d&mentA and if one 'arty can sccessflly
attach the la#el terrorist to its o''onent, then it has indirectly 'ersaded others to ado't
its moral vie!'oint(4 Hence the decision to call someone or la#el some or&anization
@terrorist4 #ecomes almost navoida#ly s#1ective, de'endin& lar&ely on !hether one
sym'athizes !ith or o''oses the 'erson/&ro'/case concerned( If one identifies !ith the
victim of the violence, for e-am'le, then the act is terrorism( If, ho!ever, one identifies
!ith the 'er'etrator, the violent act is re&arded in a more sym'athetic, if not 'ositive Bor,
at the !orst, an am#ivalentC li&htA and it is not terrorism(D
i
8o esta#lish a &eneral 'oint of reference, !e mst cite +ey s'ecific definitions of varios 'layers
in the conflict( Eerha's the most n#iased classification can #e fond !ith the *nited Fations
definition( Altho&h no formal definition e-ists, an :academic consenss definition% !ritten #y
terrorism e-'ert A(E( $chmid is !idely sed #y social scientists=
;8errorism is an an-iety2ins'irin& method of re'eated violent action, em'loyed #y
Bsemi2C clandestine individal, &ro' or state actors, for idiosyncratic, criminal or
'olitical reasons, !here#y 2 in contrast to assassination 2 the direct tar&ets of violence are
not the main tar&ets( 8he immediate hman victims of violence are &enerally chosen
randomly Btar&ets of o''ortnityC or selectively Bre'resentative or sym#olic tar&etsC from
a tar&et 'o'lation, and serve as messa&e &enerators( 8hreat2 and violence2#ased
commnication 'rocesses #et!een terrorist Bor&anizationC, Bim'eriledC victims, and main
tar&ets are sed to mani'late the main tar&et BadienceBsCC, trnin& it into a tar&et of
terror, a tar&et of demands, or a tar&et of attention, de'endin& on !hether intimidation,
coercion, or 'ro'a&anda is 'rimarily so&ht;(
ii
A shortened version offered #y the *nited Fations follo!s that an acct of terrorism is the
'eacetime e.ivalent of !ar crime(%
,ore im'ortantly, for all the ste's ta+en to com#at terror, the *($( &overnment has #een
na#le to constrct a com'lete and a#solte classification for terrorism( 8here is no consenss in
G
the *($( of !hat terrorism is and !ho falls nder that cate&ory( Discre'ancies even 'ermeate
individal de'artments, !here varios re'orts from the same or&anizations 'rodce alternate
vie!s of !hat constittes terrorism( 0ha'ter 99G< of Eart I of 8itle 9H of the *nited $tates
Iederal 0riminal 0ode defines terrorism and lists the crimes associated !ith terrorism( In
$ection 2GG9 of 0ha'ter 99G#, terrorism is defined as=
Jactivities that involve violentJ or life2threatenin& actsJ that are a violation of the criminal
la!s of the *nited $tates or of any $tate andJ a''ear to #e intended BiC to intimidate or
coerce a civilian 'o'lationA BiiC to inflence the 'olicy of a &overnment #y intimidation or
coercionA or BiiiC to affect the condct of a &overnment #y mass destrction, assassination, or
+idna''in&A andJ B0C occr 'rimarily !ithin the territorial 1risdiction of the *nited $tatesJ
KorLJ B0C occr 'rimarily otside the territorial 1risdiction of the *nited $tatesJ;
iii
8he *nited $tates De'artment of Defense claims terrorism is the ;calclated se of nla!fl
violence to inclcate fearA intended to coerce or intimidate &overnments or societies in 'rsit of
&oals that are &enerally 'olitical, reli&ios, or ideolo&ical(; 8he most relevant definition shold
ndo#tedly come from or 'resident, !ho leads the !ar on terror( In Eresident <sh%s first
Fational $ecrity $trate&y in 2002, he defined terrorism as >'remeditated, 'olitically motivated
violence a&ainst innocents(D
iv
)ith sch #road definitions, it !old seem as tho&h !e are at
!ar !ith the ma1ority of or 'lanet, incldin& orselves( 3f corse one can ar&e for a&es on the
am#i&ity of :innocents% or :noncom#atants%, #t the 'oint here is not to drive the international
commnity insane #y attem'tin& to fi- on one definition( For shold !e allo! orselves to se
#road definitions that have no meanin& at all, es'ecially !hen identifyin& one as a terrorist
ma+es certain nations and &ro's lia#le to harsh conse.ences, sch as the cttin& of fnds to the
Ealestinian Athority de to Hamas%s electoral victories( Hez#ollah is not nanimosly
identified as a terrorist &ro' in the international commnity( 3nly for nations consider the
entire Hez#ollah or&anization a terrorist &ro'= the *($(, Israel, 0anada, and the Fetherlands(
v

vi
M
vii

viii
8he *(N( and Astralia only consider the Hez#ollah /-ternal $ecrity 3r&anization of
terrorism(
i-

-
After all the dst of the semantics de#ate is cleared, !e can no! attem't to ta+e the
varios 'ast violent actions of Hez#ollah and attem't to determine !hether or not they constitte
a terrorist act nder anyone%s definition( ,ost of the so2called terrorist attac+s a&ainst the *nited
$tates #y Hez#ollah occrred drin& the Israeli occ'ation of "e#anon from 99H222000( 3n
A'ril 9H
th
99HG, a sicide #om#er drove a van into the em#assy +illin& OG 'eo'le, 97 of !hom
!here Americans, incldin& the 0IA station chief, Ro#ert Ames( 3n $e'tem#er 20th 99HM,
another sicide #om#er sccessflly destroyed the ne! em#assy +illin& 25, !hich inclded 2
Americans( <t the most 'rominent attac+ !as on 3cto#er 2G
rd
99HG, !hen a sicide #om#er
drove a trc+ into marine #arrac+s in <eirt +illin& 2M9 servicemen( Another trc+2#om# that
mornin& annihilated the near#y Irench military com'ond +illin& 59 soldiers( Accordin& to
Ahmad Fizar Hamzeh, the attac+s !ere claimed #y the Islamic ?ihad Bal2?ihad al2IslamiC, !hich
may or may not have had lin+s to and #een controlled #y Hez#ollah(
-i
/ven the former $ecretary
of Defense nder Rea&an, 0as'ar )ein#er&er, said in $e'tem#er 2009, >J!e still do not have
the actal +no!led&e of !ho did the #om#in& of the ,arine #arrac+s at the <eirt Air'ort, and
!e certainly didn4t then(D
-ii
/ven if !e consider the ar&ment that Hez#ollah !as more li+ely
than not involved in these attac+s, are they terrorist attac+s5 It !old #e .ite difficlt to ar&e
that soldiers from another contry inside of an occ'ied contry can #e considered :innocent% or
:noncom#atants%( 8hs any definition involvin& tar&etin& those ty'es of individals #ecomes
nll and void( <t for the &eneralized definition !herein the act of violence !as of an
ideolo&ical, 'olitical, or reli&ios #ase and meant to 'ersade a third 'arty into ne! 'olicies, then
'erha's yo cold classify the #om#in&s as terrorism( Altho&h, as !as dis'ted a#ove, sin&
5
sch &eneralizations is meanin&less as all forces inside of occ'ied "e#anon at that time too+
'art in 'olitically motivated violent acts in order to #rin& a#ot chan&e( In re&ards to attac+s on
Israeli tar&ets, Dennis Ross, the ,iddle /ast envoy nder the first <sh and 0linton
administrations, has stated that Hez#ollah4s resistance to the Israeli occ'ation, nli+e its 'ast
activities aimed at )estern tar&ets, is not terrorism(
-iii
8hs, even in amidst or o!n &overnment
officials, for Hez#ollah%s actions to #e considered terrorism is at #est s'eclative(
Ho! does the Islamic commnity vie! Hez#ollah5 After 9/99, many in the mainstream media
!ere as+in& !hy there !eren%t moderate ,slim voices comin& ot to condemn the attac+s(
8here !as a h&e otcry in the Islamic commnity, there !as 1st no otlet for them to address(
8hro&hot the ,slim !orld, the 'ercenta&e of s''orters of sicide #om#in&s and violence
a&ainst civilians has dro''ed si&nificantly(
-iv
O
Fo!, if one lm's to&ether the ill conceived notion of terrorism descri#ed 'reviosly
!ith denotin& Hez#ollah as a terrorist &ro' en&a&in& in sch activities, one !old e-'ect to
have lost s''ort amon& ,slims as !ell( 3n the contrary, es'ecially since the 200O smmer
!ar, s''ort for Hez#ollah has &ro!n e-'onentially( In "e#anon, H7P of all "e#anese
s''orted Hez#ollah4s resistance a&ainst Israel drin& the smmer 200O conflict( 8his nm#er
incldes H0P of all 0hristian res'ondents, H0P of all Drze res'ondents, and H9P of all
$nnis(
-v
)hile the &overnments of $adi Ara#ia, /&y't, and ?ordan denonced Hez#ollah, their
citizenry !as s!e't !ith a sr&e of s''ort for the &ro'( Fe!s'a'ers, #lo&s, cartoons, and
television sho!s voiced their s''ort for the &ro', des'ite the so2called M00yr strife #et!een
$nnis and $hi%as( In Israel, almost 50P of Israeli Ara#s 1stify Hez#ollah%s +idna''in& of
soldiers /hd 7old!asser and /ldad Re&ev, and 90P re&ard the IDI #om#in&s in "e#anon
drin& the last !ar as !ar crimes( MHP 1stify the lanchin& of roc+ets at Israel #y Hez#ollah
drin& the !ar( 3nly MMP tho&ht it !as a !ar crime(
-vi
Amon& Israeli Ara#s, 9H(7P tho&ht
that Israel4s en&a&in& in !ar !as !arranted, com'ared to O9(7P of ?e!ish Israelis( In the *nited
$tates, the American ,slim 0oncil%s leader claimed s''ort for Hez#ollah in 2000(
-vii
8he
0oncil for American Islamic Relations also sho!s s''ort for Hez#ollah( A 0AIR affiliated
'#lication, InFocus, 'rinted an article s''ortin& Hez#ollah for its !ar a&ainst Israel(
-viii
It is
safe to say that the ,slim !orld does not vie! Hez#ollah as a terrorist or&anization(
)hat a#ot the "e#anese 'erce'tion of Hez#ollah5 Does the &overnment in <eirt feel
that Hez#ollah is a terrorist or&anization5 8he am#assador of "e#anon, Iarid A##od, has
attem'ted to convince the *nited $tates and others to rethin+ their conce'tions of Hez#ollah( He
stresses that Hez#ollah is not a terrorist &ro', nor >a frin&e element that commits otra&es no!
and then(D Rather, he says, it is a #road2#ased 'olitical 'arty that 'artici'ates in elections, !ith
7
re'resentatives in 'arliament and a le&itimate 'olitical 'resence in the system(
-i-
*nli+e other
&ro's that maintain their ran+s in a clod of secrecy and nder&rond activity, Am#assador
A##od claims that, >It is not a mysterios, cons'iratorial &ro'( Qo don%t have to di& yor
!ay in to &et in toch !ith themJ It%s 'art of the 'ost29/99 otra&e to 't "e#anon on the
terrorist train( 3ne dis.alifies a 'eo'le #y callin& them terrorists(D In a comment to Reters
after his meetin& !ith Hiz#llah 7eneral $ecretary $hei+h Hassan Fasrallah, Drze leader )alid
?m#latt said that Hez#ollah shold +ee' its arms ntil Israel !ithdra!s from the dis'ted areas=
;)hen or am#itions are met, in a&reement !ith the resistance, over $he#aa Iarms, then !e !ill
tal+ a#ot KHez#ollahL arms(; In 9999, Hez#ollah !as 't on the *($( list of terrorist &ro's and
then ta+en off the list a co'le of years later follo!in& Hez#ollah4s stron& condemnation of the
9/99 attac+ on America( Hez#ollah !as retrned to the list !hen Dic+ 0heney o'ined that a
;'resmed Hez#ollah o'erative; 'ro#a#ly met !ith an Al 6aeda re'resentative in $oth
America in 2009( 8hese claims seem .ite similar to 0heney4s $adam Hssein2Al 6aeda
4contacts4 claim( "e#anese officials incldin& "e#anese Eresident /mil "ahod contem'tosly
dismissed re'orts of sch a meetin& as Israeli2s'onsored 'ro'a&anda( Accordin& to "ahod=
;8he media cam'ai&n, !hich is condcted #y Israeli circles, see+s to e-'loit the $e'tem#er 99
attac+s to slander the "e#anese resistance #y sti&matizin& it !ith the ima&e of terrorism;(
"e#anon contines to re1ect *($( and Israeli &overnment demands to ta+e action a&ainst
Hez#ollah and freeze their #ac+ acconts and force them to sto' 'rovidin& social services(
--
Hez#ollah is accsed #y Israeli and the <sh administrations of a ty'e of Islamist
8errorism similar to Al26aeda #t sed in the conte-t of Fational "i#eration, 1st li+e Hamas(
<oth of !hich have fo&ht Israel in the "e#anese and Ealestinian conte-ts, res'ectively(
H
Ho!ever, nli+e Al26aeda, their enemy, Hez#ollah and Hamas are com'le- social and 'olitical
movements( Hez#ollah no! ses different ty'es of force, incldin& &errilla tactics !hich are
le&itimate nder international la!( 8hey are also different from Al26aeda in that their alle&ed
terrorist activity aims to li#erate Ealestine and "e#anon, as o''osed to #ein& 'art of a 4&lo#al
str&&le4 a&ainst the *nited $tates !ith ndefined o#1ectives(
In there vie!s on ho! innocents are identified in Islam, the difference is as clear as ni&ht
and day( Hez#ollah4s vie! of the A'ril 97, 99HG /m#assy #om#in& is different from some
militia o'eratin& drin& this 'eriod( Hez#ollah has consistently o''osed attac+s on forei&n
civilians( It !as one of the first to condemn the 9/99 o'eration as !ell as the 9997 attac+ at the
8em'le of Hatshe'st at "-or, /&y't !hich +illed 5H civilians as ;#loody and terri#le, callin&
them crimes a&ainst Islam( Hez#ollah also condemned the 0airo attac+s on the 7ree+ torists,
and the Al&erian +illin& of 7 tra''ist mon+s in Al&erian #y claimed Islamists( Hez#ollah
$ecretary 7eneral Hassan Fasrallah, in a 200O intervie! !ith the )ashin&ton Eost, condemned
violence a&ainst American civilians= >If there are American torists, or intellectals, doctors, or
'rofessors !ho have nothin& to do !ith this !ar, they are innocent, even tho&h they are
Americans, and it is for#idden(;
--i
8his is a shar' detor from the calls of 3sama #in "aden%s
1ihad a&ainst any and all Americans( He contines, >)hat do the 'eo'le !ho !or+ed in those
t!o to!ers, alon& !ith thosands of em'loyees, !omen and men, have to do !ith !ar that is
ta+in& 'lace in the ,iddle /ast5 3r the !ar that ,r( 7eor&e <sh may !a&e on 'eo'le in the
Islamic !orld5 8herefore !e condemned this act 22 and any similar act !e condemn(;
A different res'onse comes !hen .estioned a#ot the attac+ on the Eenta&on( ;I said
nothin& a#ot the Eenta&on, meanin& !e remain silent( )e neither favored nor o''osed that act(
)ell, of corse, the method of 3sama #in "aden, and the fashion of #in "aden, !e do not
9
endorse them( And many of the o'erations that they have carried ot, !e condemned them very
clearly(; It is evident that Fasrallah clearly distin&ishes his &ro' from that of Al26aeda(
8here have even #een attem'ts on his life carried ot #y Al26aeda cells( He has even criticized
the #ehavior of the 8ali#an callin& them a >hideos e-am'le of an Islamic $tateD( 0learly, the
terrorists the *($( dealt !ith on $e'tem#er 99
th
are not mirrored in Hez#ollah( 8hey share or
disa''roval of Al26aeda and the 8ali#an( In this case, as the *($( has done in the 'ast, can !e
say the enemy of or enemy is or friend5
Amon& the reli&ios leaders in the $hi4a commnity, Hez#ollah is no enemy to the
reli&ion or its core vales( Ior s'irital and sometimes 'olitical &idance, Hez#ollah has trned
to Ayatollah al2$ayyed ,hammad Hssein Iadlallah( He hel'ed &ide the 'arty thro&h their
ideolo&ical str&&les and &ave them a >matre vision of Islam and of the Islamic movement(D
--ii

Altho&h he !as nominated to lead the &ro', the Ayatollah refsed any direct involvement in
the or&anizational as'ect of the &ro'( He !anted to remain the 'ro'hetic voice to Hez#ollah
and to sim'ly oversee their activities and 'oint them in the ri&ht direction !hen necessary( In
re&ards to resistance and violence, Iadlallah is #elieved to #e the first cleric in the Islamic !orld
to have '#licly denonced and condemned the $e'tem#er 99
th
attac+s(
/ven if one !ants to contine to ta+e the 'osition that Hez#ollah, de to their s''osed
'revios actions drin& the "e#anese 0ivil )ar and Israeli occ'ation !as involved in terrorist
activities, many of those 'ro'onents also conclde that Hez#ollah has transformed into a fll
fled&ed 'olitical 'arty de to varios endo&enos varia#les( Dr( Rola /l2Hsseini of Qale
*niversity maintains that ;!hile Hiz#llah had #een a terrorist or&anization in the 99H0s, it is a
le&itimate 'olitical 'arty in "e#anon today(; Dr( /l2Hsseini ma+es the case that the la#el
:terrorist% is lar&ely #ein& sed to cate&orize and descri#e Hiz#llah #y t!o &ro's of 'eo'le= ;9C
90
Americans in their !ar on terrorism and Israelis !ho do not a&ree !ith the 'arty4s 'olitics vis2R2
vis Israel, and 2C some "e#anese &ro's and individals nha''y !ith Hez#ollah%s increasin&
im'ortance in "e#anese 'olitics and !ith its social and 'olitical a&enda(;
--iii
Accordin& to Dr( /l2Hsseini, ;several events since 99H9 contri#ted to the
transformation of Hiz#llah from a terrorist or&anization into a 'olitical 'artySif not social
movement( 8his transformation !as 'art of a conscios effort on the 'art of Hiz#llah to
transform itself into a 'olitical 'arty, e-actly to avoid the la#el of #ein& a terrorist or&anization(;
$he 'ointed to Hez#ollah%s 'artici'ation in the first 'ost!ar le&islative elections of 9992 as 1st
one e-am'le( ;8his event is +no!n as the :"e#anonization4 of Hiz#llah, and manifests not only
in the 'arty4s 'artici'ation in 'olitical life, #t also in the develo'ment of the net!or+ of charities
it has esta#lished since the 99H0s(; $ince 9992, Hiz#llah has 'artici'ated in every le&islative
and mnici'al election and, accordin& to Dr( /l2Hsseini, has !on on avera&e 92 seats in each
election(
Irthermore, !hile the &ro' a''ears as a terrorist or&anization on the lists of the
contries mentioned 'reviosly, the /ro'ean *nion has not #randed the 'arty as sch(
Accordin& to Dr( /l2Hsseini, ;des'ite *$ 'ressre, and the !ishes of the *N and the
Fetherlands, the /ro'ean *nion has refsed to 'lace Hiz#llah on its list of terrorist
or&anizations, ar&in& that it is a le&itimate 'olitical 'arty !ith an e-tensive net!or+ of
charita#le or&anizations o'eratin& in "e#anon(; )ith re&ard to the charita#le or&anizations, t!o
'rimary ty'es of services have #een identified= 9C instittions 'rovidin& services to the armed
resistance, and 2C those deliverin& services to a !ider &ro' in need of social and economic
assistance( In addition to the nmeros schools and hos'itals that rely on Hez#ollah for financial
and administrative s''ort, Hez#ollah has o'ened a ne! 'ro1ect= ;<enevolent "oan, Al26ard al2
99
Hassan, !hich o'ened in 99HM, s'ecializes in 'rovidin& micro2credit, and administers an avera&e
of 750 loans 'er month(;
Addressin& those !ho claim that Hez#ollah is a terrorist or&anization condctin&
o'erations a&ainst Israelis, one shold o#serve that in recent times the &ro' has only condcted
attac+s on Israeli Defense Iorces in the $he#aa Iarms area, a dis'ted stri' on the #order
#et!een "e#anon, Israel and Israeli2occ'ied $yrian territory( Hez#ollah has not 'artici'ated in
any sicide #om#in&s or other attac+s aimed at Israeli civilians since the 99H0s, !hich is
consistent !ith !hat Eresident <sh said in an intervie! on ,arch 95, 2005, that ;Hez#ollah has
#een declared a terrorist or&anization #y the *nited $tates #ecase of terrorist activities in the
'ast(;
Dr( /l2Hsseini concedes that Israel4s !ithdra!al from $othern "e#anon in 2000 has
;created an 4identity crisis4 for Hez#ollah #y de'rivin& the 'arty of its main raison d4etre(; $he
said that she !old ;li+e to ma+e a case for the idea that Hiz#llah has since 2000 #een in search
of a role in the re&ion, !hich mi&ht e-'lain its attem'ts at involvement in the Ara#2Israeli
conflict, !hat has #een termed its 4Ealestinianization,4 or its attem'ts to react to the Ira. !ar(;
Fevertheless, she said, the 'arty cold #e comin& ot of its identity crisis today( ;8he nances in
$hei+h Hassan Fasrallah4s s'eech on ,arch H, 2005 sho! that the 'arty is attned not only to
international o'inion and 'ressre #t also to the feelin&s and o'inions of its o!n "e#anese
constitency,; she ar&ed(
Accordin& to Dr( /l2Hsseini, the assassination of former "e#anese Erime ,inister Rafi.
Hariri in Ie#rary 2005 accelerated events and hastened the emer&ence of Hez#ollah%s ne!
identity, transformin& it into a le&itimate 'olitical 'arty( ;$everal anti2$yrian demonstrations led
to a 'ro2$yrian conter2demonstration led #y Hiz#llah !hich #ro&ht a#ot half a million
92
'eo'le into the streets on ,arch H, 2005( 8he s'eech made #y the $ecretary 7eneral of
Hiz#llah that day 'ro1ected an ima&e of a national movement and a messa&e that !as
sym'athetic to $yria !ithot #ein& ali&ned !ith it,; she asserted( Dr( /l2Hsseini maintained that
the demonstration reflected the &ro'4s or&anizational and recritment ca'acities and clearly
sho!ed its #road 'o'lar s''ort(
;8oday, $yria4s 'llot from "e#anon is com'lete, and Hiz#llah finds itself at an
im'ortant crossroads( It !ill have to decide !hether to #ecome a more conventional 'olitical
'arty, #t it !ill 'ro#a#ly do so only if and !hen that #ecomes a#soltely necessary( )hile that
time has 'erha's not yet come, it a''ears to #e close,; she said( In this re&ard, the *$ role in the
re&ion may 'rove crcial( Dr( /l2Hsseini conclded #y statin& that ;the *$ shold sto' la#elin&
Hiz#llah as a 4terrorist or&anization4 and shold encora&e the 'arty to consolidate its
transformation and #ecome a mainstream 'olitical 'arty(;
--iv
)hen si- 'ro2$yrian ca#inet mem#ers !al+ed ot of the )estern2#ac+ed &overnment of
"e#anon in Fovem#er, Hez#ollah offered a variety of soltions !ithot resortin& to e-treme
terrorism and violence( Fasrallah called 'on the &overnment to hold early elections or
or&anizin& a referendm so that the !ill of the 'eo'le cold #e e-ected(
--v
Hez#ollah !old not
allo! itself to #e dra&&ed into a civil !ar, Fasrallah reasserted( ;)e !ill contine to se
'eacefl, democratic and civil means; of 'rotest( Hez#ollah hel'ed condct these 'eacefl
'rotests in o''osition to the crrent &overnment( 8he call for 'eacefl street action came after a
statement #y Fasrallah and other leaders( ;)e a''eal to all "e#anese, from every re&ion and
'olitical movement, to ta+e 'art in a 'eacefl and civilized demonstration on Iriday to rid s of
an inca'a#le &overnment that has failed in its mission,; he said( 8hese 'rotests !ere not
9G
com'rised 1st of Hez#ollah mem#ers, #t in fact, ;8hese are not Hez#ollah s''orters, they are
"e#anese from every sect,; Al ?azeera4s Rla Amin said(
A ma1or contention of the anti2Hez#ollah &ro's in "e#anon have #een as+in&, alon&
!ith the *nited Fations resoltions, to disarm immediately( 8hey claim that this militia ta+es
a!ay soverei&nty from the "e#anese &overnment and 'ts an Iranian2$yrian army in "e#anon(
Fasrallah has recently contered these demands in a manner that any modern 'olitician !old(
Hez#ollah has told the "e#anese &overnment recently that it !ill disarm if a national referendm
is held and the ma1ority of the "e#anese 'o'lation !ishes for Hez#ollah to do so( 8hey reason
that only Hez#ollah has the ca'a#ility of defendin& "e#anon from Israeli a&&ression(
--vi
8his is a
shar' trn from the ideolo&y of Al26aeda and the li+es( 8hey claim to #e actin& in the name of
the mma and the tre messa&e of Islam, !ithot of corse consltin& any +no!led&ea#le
scholars or clerics mind yo( /ven tho&h the mma has voiced their disa''roval of Al26aeda,
they contine to act a&ainst the !ishes of those !hom they claim to re'resent( )hile 3sama #in
"aden and his follo!ers ans!er to Allah only, Hez#ollah ma+es its modern 'olitical alle&iance
+no!n #y actin& in the name of the "e#anese 'eo'le, and actally #e !illin& to a&ree to disarm
if they so !ish it(
$o, is Hez#ollah a terrorist &ro'5 )e can ans!er this .estion from a fe! different
a''roaches( Iirstly, !e cold ar&e that #ased on the am#i&ity of terrorism, this is a .estion
that can only #e ans!ered !hen terrorism enters the 'olitical, media, and '#lic vernaclar
defined in a more narro!, concrete terms than the media or certain &overnments crrently
em'hasize( A #road definition that the '#lic is sed to is far from academic or constrctive and
is sim'ly a dehmanizin& device of 'ro'a&anda(
9M
$econdly, if tan&i#le evidence does srface that Hez#ollah did ta+e 'art in varios
hosta&e ta+in&s, assassinations, and #om#in&s of innocentsA they are still only #ein& classified
#ased on these 'ast actions( It has #een illstrated ths far that Hez#ollah has matred into a
'olitical, social, and cltral em#odiment of "e#anese resistance and nationalism( )ithin a
&iven concrete definition, Hez#ollah has #een sho!n to em#ody a 'olitical 'arty and resistance
movement !hich drive thro&h modern seclar roads and not that of an e-treme, terrorist, radical
&ro', at least not anymore( 8hro&h their varios elections, social !or+, condct in !ar, and
'resent 'olitical achievements, Hez#ollah cannot #e addressed in the same !ay that the crrent
*($( administration !old li+e to address it as( International intervention seems not only
nnecessary, #t ille&al, as the 'ro#lems in "e#anon can #e mended only via non2violence and
domestic 'olitics(
)e cannot assme to 1d&e Hez#ollah !ith s#1ective eyes( 8hey hel'ed to solve the
r#an reconstrction isses more sccessflly and efficiently after the smmer !ar in 200O than
the *($( administration did after Hrricane Natrina( It es'oses a 'athetic ima&e of or contry
!hen a so2called terrorist or&anization is #etter ca'a#le and more 'assionately dedicated to
hmanitarian cases than the 'resmed :&reatest contry on /arth%( )e need to ta+e a ste' #ac+
and loo+ at the other interests involved in desi&natin& Hez#ollah as a terrorist or&anization( As
of A'ril 2007, a 'lrality BG9PC of the or&anizations on the *$ 8errorism list re'resent ,slim
&ro's recommended for inclsion #y, amon& others, AIEA0, the American Israeli E#lic
Affairs 0ommittee, and their friends in 0on&ress( Accordin& to former AIEA0 Director of
0on&ressional Relations, $teve Rosen, soon to start his trial for 'assin& classified information to
Israel, ;AIEA0 o!ns the 48KerroristL4 listT;
--vii
95
i
<rce Hoffman ;Inside Terrorism; 0olm#ia *niversity Eress 999H( '&( G2(
ii
;Definitions of 8errorism(; *F 3ffice on Dr&s U 0rime( 200O( *nited Fations(
iii
;*$ 0ode= 8itle 9H, 2GG9 Definitions(; *$ 0ode 0ollection( H ?ly 200O( 0ornell "a!(
iv
,i+e Hston( ;)hat Ro&h <east5 Definin& 8error(; $!ords U Elo&hshares B2007C= OM277(
v
;Iorei&n 8errorist 3r&anizations(; *($( De't( of $tate( 99 3ct( 2005( De'artment of $tate(
vi
;8errorism Iinancin&(; 3ffice of the $'erintendent of Iinancial Instittions 0anada( G0 A'r( 07( De't of
Iorei&n Affairs(
vii
;$mmary of 8errorist Activity 200M(; ,inistry of Iorei&n Affairs( 5 ?an( 2005( Israel ,inistry of Iorei&n
Affairs(
viii
Annal Re'ort 200M( ,inistry of Interior U Nin&dom Relations( 8he Ha&e= 7eneral Intelli&ence U $ecrity
$ervice, 2005( 97299(
i-
;6ic+ 7ide= Hez#ollah(; <<0 22 A&( 200O(
-
;Hiz#allah /-ternal $ecrity 3r&anisation(; Astralian 7overnment Attorney 7eneral4s De'artment( 5 ?ne
2005(
-i
Ahmad F( Hamzeh( In the Eath of Hiz#llah( 9st ed( $yracse= $yracse *E, 200M( G22GM(
-ii
0as'ar )ein#er&er( Intervie! !ith Irontline( E<$( $e't( 2009
-iii
$ami Ha11ar, ( Hiz#allah= 8errorism, Fational "i#eration, or ,enace5 *$ Army )ar 0olle&e( 0arlisle=
$trate&ic $tdies Institte, 2002( G22GM(
-iv
Richard )i+e and Filanthi $amaranaya+e( )here 8errorism Iinds $''ort in the ,slim )orld( 2G ,ay
200O( Ee! Research 0enter(
-v
Amal $( 7horaye#( Intervie! !ith Amy 7oodman( Democracy Fo!T 27 ?ly 200O(
-vi
Ahiya Raved( ;Half of Israeli Ara#s ?stify Hiz#llah Nidna''in&(; Qnet 9H ,ar( 2007(
-vii
Daniel Ei'es( ;Kthe American ,slim 0oncil=L 4,ainstream4 ,slims5; Fe! Qor+ Eost 9H ?ne 2002(
-viii
;0oncil on American2Islamic Relations B0AIRC(; Anti2Defamation "ea&e( 29 Dec( 200O(
-i-
Homayra Viad( ;Hez#ollahS8errorist 7ro' or Eolitical Earty5; )ashin&ton Re'ort on ,iddle /ast Affairs
,ay 200G(
--
Iran+lin "am#( ;)hy is Hez#ollah on the 8errorism "ist5; 0onter'nch O A'r( 2007(
--i
Ro#in )ri&ht( ;Inside the ,ind of Hez#ollah(; )ashin&ton Eost 9O ?ly 200O
--ii
Faim 6assem( Hiz#llah( 8rans( Dalia Nhalil( "ondon= $a.i, 2005( 97(
--iii
$teve A ?odi( ;Hiz#llah= Eolitical Earty or 8errorist 3r&anization5; *0"A International Institte( 9 A'r(
2005(
--iv
$teve A ?odi( ;Hiz#llah= Eolitical Earty or 8errorist 3r&anization5; *0"A International Institte( 9 A'r(
2005(
--v
;Referendm to Resolve "e#anon Eolitical 0risis= Fasrallah(; "e#anon 8oday H A'r( 2007(
--vi
;Hez#ollah $ays )ill 3nly Disarm If ,andated #y "e#anese Referendm(; Haaretz 9O A'r( 2007(
--vii
Iran+lin "am#( ;)hy is Hez#ollah on the 8errorism "ist5; 0onter'nch O A'r( 2007(