The Blitzing of Haret Hreik
Michael J. Totten
HARET HREIK, LEBANON - I have been to Haret Hreik, Hezbollah's dahiyeh and de-facto "capital" south of Beirut, many times. But I didn't expect to see it on my most recent trip. Every Lebanese person I know warned me to stay out of there. The destruction from the summer war is severe and Hezbollah's fear and loathing of visitors, especially Americans, is even more so. The most paranoid party in Lebanon is more paranoid than ever before. Best to steer clear of their base.
That was before I met the resident moderate Shia cleric Sayyed Mohammad Ali El Husseini, an outspoken enemy of Hezbollah from within the community. I interviewed him in his modest apartment, and afterward he showed me around the bombed out parts of his neighborhood.
"You can take pictures," he said. "Don't worry. No one will do anything or say anything to you if you are with me."
This was important. Hezbollah's media relations office explicitly warned me never to take pictures in the dahiyeh. Even local people aren't allowed to take pictures. You never know who might be working for the CIA or the Mossad. Lebanon has more Israel supporters and "collaborators" than any other Arab country by far.
Husseini is a Sayyed, which means he is supposedly a descendent of the Prophet Mohammad. He can take pictures if he damn well pleases, and so can anyone who is his guest. He is as close to untouchable as a person can be in an assassination-plagued country like Lebanon.
So we went downstairs and hopped in his sporty SUV outfitted with tinted black windows.
Our first stop was only a few streets from his house. Whole blocks of towers were missing.
Some of these may be "false friends" and others may simply be names taken regardless of ancestry, but is there more classism in the Middle East than is usually reported?
Oh yeah.
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.