From Jihad to Muqawamah: the case of Hizballah in Lebanon

Kanaaneh, Abed

From Jihad to Muqawamah: the case of Hizballah in Lebanon

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Published Version

Date

2018

Authors

Kanaaneh, Abed

Publisher

ISASR in association with the Study of Religions, University College Cork

Abstract

The history and politics of the Middle-East are often understood as a battle-field where various religious currents and ethnic factions are constantly struggling for hegemony. In contrast, in this paper I argue that this history and politics is better understood as a struggle between two competing world-views or political theologies: the exclusionary world-view of Jihad on the one hand, and the inclusive world-view of Muqawamah, on the other. Focusing on Hizballah in Lebanon as my case-study, I show how this Islamic movement has traded a discourse that emphasizes Jihad, to one that emphasizes resistance. By so doing, I argue, Hizballah's discourse of resistance provided a common-ground for cooperation with other forces and groups on the local, regional, and global scene.

Keywords

Hizballah , Jihad , Muqawamah , Resistance , Lebanon , Syria

Citation

Kanaaneh, A. (2018) 'From Jihad to Muqawamah: the case of Hizballah in Lebanon', Journal of the Irish Society for the Academic Study of Religions, 6, pp. 38-59.