The Liberal Cleric of the Dahiyeh
Michael J. Totten
HARET HREIK, LEBANON – In the dahiyeh, the suburb, of Haret Hreik south of Beirut, where Hezbollah built its command and control center and the “capital” of its illegal state-within-a-state, lives Sayyed Mohammad Ali El Husseini, a moderate Shia cleric with a doctorate in religion from Qom in Iran, who steadfastly and publicly opposes Hezbollah Secretary General Hassan Nasrallah’s doctrine of war and jihad. He uses the Koran and the Islamic religion as the basis for an alternative vision of peace, independence, and democracy for the people of Lebanon.
My translator Henry informed me that Lebanese journalists are no longer allowed to publish or interview Sayyed Husseini. Dissent from the likes of this man is intolerable and has to be smashed. Hezbollah issued its threats. After the two-year spree of car-bombs against journalists, threats from Nasrallah pack weight.
Foreign journalists, though, are allowed to meet with Husseini. Foreign journalists can’t be managed and bullied the same way local journalists can. Foreigners like me are, so far anyway, outside the bounds of car-bombs and murders.
I met with Husseini in his modest apartment in the dahiyeh, within walking distance of the rubble that recently was Hezbollah’s “Security Square.”
Naftali, there are several reasons he hasn't been killed. First, he has little power and less influence because he gets no attention in Lebanon. Also, he is a cleric, and the his black turban indicates that he is a descendent of the Prophet Mohammad. Killing him would take some serious nerve and would likely provoke a backlash of some sort.
One question I certainly have is the same as Naftali's. Why hasn't Nasrallah had this peace-loving and patriotic Lebanese killed so far?
And one point of possible correction. The Arabic word "Islam" only loosely translates to the English word "peace". From my earlier studies, I learned that it's closest translation to English is "submission". I think that what Arabs and non-arab islamic theologians mean by it is that true peace comes about only with submission to the will of Allah, with the degree of peace you achieve depending literally on the degree of submission you offer.
Problem: Who knows what exactly the will of Allah? The same applies to Christians, Jews, etc. Who knows exactly the will of any god, under whatever name. If he/she/it/they are so omnipotent, why the hell would they bother telling you or me their intentions, or even care about such intentions, for that matter?
Good work, Mr Totten. You stuff is even better than I first thought when I began reading you.
Doesn't mean I agree with all your reportage. But one thing I'll say for you. You report rather than pontificate. And it's been a while since this old wire service reporter saw much of that in the Dan Rather age.
Arnold Harris
Mount Horeb WI
The point of the Tanakh, Christian Bible or Koran is that they contain a trustworthy account of God will. We know God's will because He reveals it to us in the religious text of your flavor. 'Course, if one is right then the others must be wrong.
Why would God reveal His will and intentions to us? If He cared for us He would. Why does a parent teach their child? It's the same thing. A parent doesn't drop thier kid off in the woods and say, "Good luck!" Parents create children (for the most part) out of love. They want to create something they can share their love with and that can love them back. The same goes for God. I find the arguement that God is unknowable illogical. If God was unknowable then your questions have a point. If God was unknowable then how could we know His will?
But the Bible makes it clear that God is knowable and, better still, wants to be known.
Not neccessarily - most muslims believe that the Bible contains truth, as does the Torah. Divergence is explained as either human-sourced (translation, etc) or simple evolution of the Message.
"Divergence is explained as either human-sourced (translations, etc) or simple evolution of the Message."
Of all three western groups of religions, I will say this much for Islam and Judaism. Their theology are the most clearcut, along with their conception of a single exclusive deity. Christianity, including all its branches, shows most clearly it roots in the paganism of the Greeks.
The problem, as I see it, is that the frequently vicious and aggression-laden culture of the Arabs was the carrier of the message of original Islam. I sometimes wonder how islamic relations with everybody else on this planet might have developed over time under the peoples of India or China, with their calm and typical readiness to accept divergence of interpretation of religious matters. Or so it seems to me.
One of these days, I intend to take up serious examination of the sufist brand of Islam.
Arnold Harris
Mount Horeb WI
Of course we all lose our tempers now and then. Dean freely admits to being imperfect in this regard, which is why regulars to this establishment will generally be cut more slack than people who we don't know very well.
Still: behave like an adult, or go find somewhere else to play. Thanks.