This book tells the story of the Lebanese Shi'a and their development from a marginalized, discriminated minority to a highly politicized community that has given birth to Hezbollah, one of the most powerful paramilitary forces in the contemporary Middle East. It explores the Arab-Israeli conflict through the lens of Shi'a intellectuals and scholars from South Lebanon, and chronologically reflects on trending perceptions of Palestine, the Zionist movement, and the Jewish community in Lebanon. The monograph illustrates how Zionism and the establishment of Israel played a decisive role in the intellectual revival of early Muslim perceptions of Jews. It demonstrates how political conflicts after 1948 have impacted the work of scholars such as Musa as-Sadr and Muhammad Hussein Fadlallah, and have triggered the formation of social and Islamist movements. It also shows how Hezbollah's leaders have used religious sources and Western anti-Jewish narratives to construct a deep-rooted ideology to support their struggle for South Lebanon and Palestine. The combination of social needs, religious beliefs and political interests forms the core of the analysis. This text appeals to students and researchers working within the convergence of politics and Middle Eastern religions.

Auteur

Dr. Gidon Windecker is a social scientist and development consultant who combines his academic skills with his proficiency in non-profit and government consultation. He lived and worked in the Middle East for seventeen years, mainly in the Levant and the Gulf. He was the head of the Regional Office for the Gulf States of the Konrad-Adenauer-Foundation, a renowned German Think Tank, and has many years of experience as a researcher and advisor on human rights and civil society development in Palestine, Israel and Lebanon. His areas of expertise are Middle Eastern politics and society, international relations, and conflict transformation. He is a speaker and published author of several research papers. He currently works for the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development.