Lebanese Shiites are making progress: Member of the Amal movement
The Lebanese member of the General Assembly of the AhlulBayt (a.s.) World Assembly stated, “For many reasons, the situation of Shiites in Lebanon is now moving forward and progressing. One of the reasons for this progress is the unity between the Shiites of the country, including between the Hezbollah and the Amal movements. Because they have common enemies and common friends.”
ABWA Official Website – A West Asian country on the Mediterranean Sea, with a civilization history of several thousand years, Lebanon was formerly part of the Levant and became an independent country after the collapse of the Ottoman Empire. Most of Lebanon’s population is Muslim, with Shiites making up about 30% of the country’s population.
Most of the Lebanese Shiites live in Beirut, the Bekaa Valley, and the south of the country. In recent decades, thousands of Lebanese Shiites have migrated to West and Central African countries, including Senegal, Guinea, Nigeria, Liberia, Ivory Coast, and Sierra Leone. Also, a significant number of Lebanese live in the sheikhdoms of the Persian Gulf, especially in Kuwait, as well as in Iran and Australia.
The Amal movement, one of the first resistance movements in Lebanon, was founded in 1974 as the successor of the “Movement of the Dispossessed” social movement. The founder of the Amal Movement was Imam Musa Sadr, with Martyr Mustafa Chamran as its first commander. After Imam Musa Sadr, Nabih Berri took the leadership of the movement who is currently the speaker of the Lebanese parliament.
The Amal movement covers some social, health, advertising, and cultural institutions which either belong to it or just cover them, the most important of which are the Jabal Amil Education Institute in Tire, the Lebanese Cultural Movement, Al-Zaman Newspaper, NBN TV, Al-Rasalah Radio, Cultural Assembly of Nabih Berri, Al-Amal and Al-Awasif magazine, the Lebanon Foundation for the Support of Disabled People, Islamic Mission Student Scouting, and Bilal Publishing House.
On the sidelines of the 7th General Assembly of the AhlulBayt (a.s.) World Assembly, ABNA conducted an interview with Dr. Khalil Hamdan, a Lebanese member of the General Assembly of the AhlulBayt (a.s.) World Assembly and a member of the Board of Trustees of the Lebanese Amal Movement.
In the beginning, Dr. Khalil Hamdan said in his introduction, “I am Dr. Khalil Hamdan, a member of the Board of Amal Movement. On behalf of Nabih Berri, head of the Amal movement, and speaker of the Lebanese Parliament, I participated in the 7th General Assembly of the AhlulBayt (a.s.) World Assembly in Tehran, along with a delegation from this movement, including Dr. Talal Hasim, Sheikh Hassan Abdullah, and Dr. Salah Fahs, representative of the Amal Movement in Iran.
In response to a question about the situation of Shiites in Lebanon before the presence of Imam Musa Sadr in the country, Dr. Hamdan said, “By studying the history of Lebanon, the situation of Shiites in the country can be divided into two periods before and after the presence of Imam Musa Sadr. Before the presence of Imam Musa Sadr in Lebanon, although Shiites participated in the fight against French colonialism, were persecuted by others. This situation prevailed during the Ottoman rule over Lebanon, and even before that during the other rulers of the country. Imam Musa Sadr took great steps to improve the situation of Shiites in Lebanon. He emphasized removing deprivation from the poor areas of Lebanon. Imam Musa Sadr was an important supporter of the Palestinian Cause, and he founded the Amal Movement together with Martyr Mustafa Chamran. By the grace of Almighty God and the blessing of Imam Musa Sadr’s Jihad, the situation of Shiites in Lebanon improved day by day.”
Also, on the current situation of Shiites in Lebanon, he said, “For many reasons, the situation of Shiites in Lebanon is now moving forward and progressing. One of the reasons for this progress is the unity between the Shiites of the country, including between the Hezbollah and the Amal movements. Because they have common enemies and common friends. Another reason for this progressing situation is the excellent relationship between the Lebanese Shiites and the Islamic Republic of Iran, which is strengthening day by day. We seek to remove the deprivation of Shiites in all areas of Lebanon. Lebanese Shiites have very high capacities in religious and cultural fields. Throughout history, the Jabal Amal region, [one of the most important Shiite areas in Lebanon], has been the birthplace of great scholars such as the First Martyr, the Sheikh Baha’i, and Al-Karaki. In Lebanon, Shia has a long history, and the country’s Shiites have many capabilities.”
Evaluating the 7th General Assembly of the AhlulBayt (a.s.) World Assembly, Dr. Khalil Hamdan said, “Holding this conference at the present time is considered a turning point. There was a need to hold such a conference for the meeting and dialogue between the representatives of the world’s Shiites from different countries. In my opinion, the 7th General Assembly of the AhlulBayt (a.s.) World Assembly was successfully held. Holding such a conference shows the attention of the Islamic Republic of Iran to the Shiites of the world. The Islamic Republic, according to the guidelines of the late Imam Khomeini (r.a.) and the Supreme Leader of the Revolution, Grand Ayatollah Khamenei, defends every oppressed person in the world, regardless of his religious affiliation.”
“We are eager that our relationship with the AhlulBayt (a.s.) World Assembly is not limited to the days of holding the General Assembly. The AhlulBayt (a.s.) World Assembly needs to strengthen its position through audiovisual media. The communication between the AhlulBayt (a.s.) World Assembly and the members of the Assembly must be continued constantly through messengers and email. My other suggestion is to prepare and publish a cultural quarterly by the AhlulBayt (a.s.) World Assembly with the participation of the members of this Assembly,” he said at the end, presenting his suggestions for holding the next editions of the General Assembly.
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The Lebanese member of the General Assembly of the AhlulBayt (a.s.) World Assembly stated, “For many reasons, the situation of Shiites in Lebanon is now moving forward and progressing. One of the reasons for this progress is the unity between the Shiites of the country, including between the Hezbollah and the Amal movements. Because they have common enemies and common friends.”
ABWA Official Website – A West Asian country on the Mediterranean Sea, with a civilization history of several thousand years, Lebanon was formerly part of the Levant and became an independent country after the collapse of the Ottoman Empire. Most of Lebanon’s population is Muslim, with Shiites making up about 30% of the country’s population.
Most of the Lebanese Shiites live in Beirut, the Bekaa Valley, and the south of the country. In recent decades, thousands of Lebanese Shiites have migrated to West and Central African countries, including Senegal, Guinea, Nigeria, Liberia, Ivory Coast, and Sierra Leone. Also, a significant number of Lebanese live in the sheikhdoms of the Persian Gulf, especially in Kuwait, as well as in Iran and Australia.
The Amal movement, one of the first resistance movements in Lebanon, was founded in 1974 as the successor of the “Movement of the Dispossessed” social movement. The founder of the Amal Movement was Imam Musa Sadr, with Martyr Mustafa Chamran as its first commander. After Imam Musa Sadr, Nabih Berri took the leadership of the movement who is currently the speaker of the Lebanese parliament.
The Amal movement covers some social, health, advertising, and cultural institutions which either belong to it or just cover them, the most important of which are the Jabal Amil Education Institute in Tire, the Lebanese Cultural Movement, Al-Zaman Newspaper, NBN TV, Al-Rasalah Radio, Cultural Assembly of Nabih Berri, Al-Amal and Al-Awasif magazine, the Lebanon Foundation for the Support of Disabled People, Islamic Mission Student Scouting, and Bilal Publishing House.
On the sidelines of the 7th General Assembly of the AhlulBayt (a.s.) World Assembly, ABNA conducted an interview with Dr. Khalil Hamdan, a Lebanese member of the General Assembly of the AhlulBayt (a.s.) World Assembly and a member of the Board of Trustees of the Lebanese Amal Movement.
In the beginning, Dr. Khalil Hamdan said in his introduction, “I am Dr. Khalil Hamdan, a member of the Board of Amal Movement. On behalf of Nabih Berri, head of the Amal movement, and speaker of the Lebanese Parliament, I participated in the 7th General Assembly of the AhlulBayt (a.s.) World Assembly in Tehran, along with a delegation from this movement, including Dr. Talal Hasim, Sheikh Hassan Abdullah, and Dr. Salah Fahs, representative of the Amal Movement in Iran.
In response to a question about the situation of Shiites in Lebanon before the presence of Imam Musa Sadr in the country, Dr. Hamdan said, “By studying the history of Lebanon, the situation of Shiites in the country can be divided into two periods before and after the presence of Imam Musa Sadr. Before the presence of Imam Musa Sadr in Lebanon, although Shiites participated in the fight against French colonialism, were persecuted by others. This situation prevailed during the Ottoman rule over Lebanon, and even before that during the other rulers of the country. Imam Musa Sadr took great steps to improve the situation of Shiites in Lebanon. He emphasized removing deprivation from the poor areas of Lebanon. Imam Musa Sadr was an important supporter of the Palestinian Cause, and he founded the Amal Movement together with Martyr Mustafa Chamran. By the grace of Almighty God and the blessing of Imam Musa Sadr’s Jihad, the situation of Shiites in Lebanon improved day by day.”
Also, on the current situation of Shiites in Lebanon, he said, “For many reasons, the situation of Shiites in Lebanon is now moving forward and progressing. One of the reasons for this progress is the unity between the Shiites of the country, including between the Hezbollah and the Amal movements. Because they have common enemies and common friends. Another reason for this progressing situation is the excellent relationship between the Lebanese Shiites and the Islamic Republic of Iran, which is strengthening day by day. We seek to remove the deprivation of Shiites in all areas of Lebanon. Lebanese Shiites have very high capacities in religious and cultural fields. Throughout history, the Jabal Amal region, [one of the most important Shiite areas in Lebanon], has been the birthplace of great scholars such as the First Martyr, the Sheikh Baha’i, and Al-Karaki. In Lebanon, Shia has a long history, and the country’s Shiites have many capabilities.”
Evaluating the 7th General Assembly of the AhlulBayt (a.s.) World Assembly, Dr. Khalil Hamdan said, “Holding this conference at the present time is considered a turning point. There was a need to hold such a conference for the meeting and dialogue between the representatives of the world’s Shiites from different countries. In my opinion, the 7th General Assembly of the AhlulBayt (a.s.) World Assembly was successfully held. Holding such a conference shows the attention of the Islamic Republic of Iran to the Shiites of the world. The Islamic Republic, according to the guidelines of the late Imam Khomeini (r.a.) and the Supreme Leader of the Revolution, Grand Ayatollah Khamenei, defends every oppressed person in the world, regardless of his religious affiliation.”
“We are eager that our relationship with the AhlulBayt (a.s.) World Assembly is not limited to the days of holding the General Assembly. The AhlulBayt (a.s.) World Assembly needs to strengthen its position through audiovisual media. The communication between the AhlulBayt (a.s.) World Assembly and the members of the Assembly must be continued constantly through messengers and email. My other suggestion is to prepare and publish a cultural quarterly by the AhlulBayt (a.s.) World Assembly with the participation of the members of this Assembly,” he said at the end, presenting his suggestions for holding the next editions of the General Assembly.
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