The secret behind Hezbollah’s survival
Despite the Zionist regime’s repeated threats to bomb Beirut, a million Lebanese participated in the gathering, which delivered important messages.
The first is that Hezbollah has attained a status in Lebanese society beyond a political and military faction for all citizens, whether they are Shia, Sunni, Christian, or Druze. This foundation will never become unstable under any circumstances.
The other message is the statement by Hezbollah Secretary General Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah in which he proclaimed that the Islamic resistance’s weapons do not belong exclusively to the Shias but belong to the entire Lebanese nation for the protection of the territorial integrity of the country.
It is a wise statement, pointing out that the secret behind the survival of the Islamic resistance is the sublime Shia ideology, which is inclusive and multi-ethnic.
Lebanon has experienced many ups and downs, and the country’s political, social, and individual liberality, in contrast with the situation in regional countries, has allowed many different political and religious factions to arise.
Yet, over the course of regional and internal developments, almost every faction lost its base and left Lebanon’s political-military stage as a result of their limited and elitist attitudes.
Dozens of leftist, centrist, religious, and ethnic factions were formed in Lebanon over the past century, but most quickly faded away because their leaders typically leaned toward Arab nationalism or Soviet-style socialism or Christian bigotry and were thus unable to establish a broad national base.
However, the establishment of Hezbollah created a new political climate in Lebanon‘s diverse society and paved the way for all Lebanese youths to join the group.
When the Islamic resistance of Lebanon was established, it accepted members of all Lebanon’s groups, Maronite Christians, Druze, Shias, Alawis, and Sunnis. To the devoted youths, religious affiliation was not a restriction to joining the group.
The noble Jafari Shia ideology is the essence of the resistance, but the position of the Hezbollah leaders is not limited by ethnic or sectarian considerations. This humanistic approach is the forte and secret behind Hezbollah’s survival.
Throughout history, Lebanon’s political and ethnic factions have experienced several tests and lost their identities due to their contentious elitism during regional and internal developments.
But Hezbollah stayed the course, weathering the political storms, and never became involved in factional-political disputes. This helped Hezbollah establish a political following not only in Lebanon but also in the entire Arab world.
Yet the group has had to face an extensive propaganda campaign launched by the regional and Arab media over the past two decades. This situation arose because some Arab regimes do not want to see Arab nations take Jafari Shia ideology as their example on the political stage of the region and the world, even if the ideology is resisting the greatest enemy of the Islamic world, the Zionists.
The efforts to increase the psychological operations, the accusations that Hezbollah is beholden to certain countries in the region, and the synchronization of the actions of some Arab governments with the United States and Israel meant to politically isolate Hezbollah and then disarm it are all within the same framework.
However, Hezbollah’s glorious victory over the Zionist regime opened a new horizon in the conflict between Muslim nations and Israel and proved that human willpower is superior to state-of-the-art weapons.
In fact, the defeat of the Israeli army in the 33-day war motivated regional nations to use their own wherewithal to liberate occupied lands. It also guarantees that the management of the Middle East will no longer remain exclusively in the hands of the U.S. and Israel and that regional nations will directly participate in the decision-making process to determine their own destiny.