Document #1186309
IRB – Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada (Author)
Lebanon: 1) The differences between Sunni
and Shi'ite Muslims; 2) The relationship between these two sects in
West Beirut; 3) Who has controlled West Beirut since 1976?
1)
The Sunni - Shi'ite split occurred after
the death of Mohammed, when one group - the traditionally
dispossessed - maintained that there should be a hereditary
successor to the Prophet. They chose to follow Ali, the cousin and
son-in-law of Mohammed. These Shi'ites (literally partisan or
follower) follow leaders who they believe are imams
(divinely inspired - "one who leads the caravan"), or are the
deity. In 680 A.D., Hussein, the son of Ali, led less than 100
followers against the "Caliphate" (the representative of God on
earth) to retain his line's right to succession [Robin Wright,
"Clashes grew out of Islam's Sunni-Shi'ite schism", The
Christian Science Monitor, 17-23 August 1987.] His band was
massacred, and Hussein became the "symbol of man's struggle against
tyranny" - "it was more honourable to die for belief than to live
with injustice." [Ibid.] The Shi'ites split into a number of sects,
including the radical Isma'ili, who split even further, into such
groups as the Alawi of Syria (who fused Shi'ism with pagan
rituals).
The Shi'ites in Lebanon have traditionally
been among the less educated and privileged classes, and, prior to
1978, "Lebanon's Shi'ites were politically irrelevant though they
were the largest of the country's many religious cantons." [ Tom
Hundley, "Islamic revival has potential of reshaping global
politics", Citizen, 27 March 1987.]
The Sunnis, the followers of Islamic
tradition, believe that the successor (Khalifah) of Mohammed is to
be elected from Mohammed's tribe, the Quraysh, but do not believe
in a hereditary Khalif, as the Shi'ites do. Sunnism represents the
status quo of Islam.
2) The political system in Lebanon has a set number of seats for
the representatives of the various religious groups, and even in
public sector employment, the Christians were allotted six jobs for
every five given to the Muslims. According to the U.S. Department
of State, at first this system worked well for the traditionally
underprivileged Shi'ites, but they now represent the largest
confessional group, and thus feel discriminated against. [U.S.
Department of State, Country Reports on Human Rights Practices
for 1988.] The disintegration of central authority escalated
the militarization of the country. Each of Lebanon's religious
cantons established militias to represent its interests. The main
Shi'ite militias are the Amal, and the Hezbollah. The Amal militia
group has strong links to the Syrian army, and the Hezbollah (Party
of God), to the Iranians. The Sunnis are represented by different
militias as well, including the Mourabitoun, who were prominent in
West Beirut in the early 1980s.
The area of Beirut west of the Greenline is
referred to as "Muslim West Beirut", differentiating it from East
Beirut, which has been dominated by Maronite Christians. Neither
the Sunnis nor the Shi'ites have totally controlled West Beirut for
extended periods of time in recent years. See the attached
information on militia groups from Revolutionary and Dissident
Movements.
3) West Beirut, particularly the southern part (see attached map),
has traditionally been a Shi'ite (Amal) stronghold. The Nasserist
(Sunni) Mourabitoun militia helped defend West Beirut during the
Israeli invasion in 1982. [Lebanon: A Conflict of
Minorities, p. 15.] When the Israeli forces moved into West
Beirut, they brought the Christian Phalangist (Kata'ib)- Lebanese
Forces with them. Following the massacre of Palestinian refugees in
Sabra and Shatila by Lebanese militias friendly to Israel, the
United States ordered the Israelis out of West Beirut. [Ibid., p.
16.] By 1984, as the Shi'ite forces of Nabi Berri grew stronger,
Amal gained power in West Beirut, and by 1985, Amal had pushed the
Mourabitoun out. In May 1987, with Syrian encouragement, Amal
launched the "war of the camps" against the Palestinian refugee
camps in West Beirut. Ninety percent of Palestinians in Lebanon are
Sunni. [Ibid., pp. 17, 19, 8.] The Amal attack on the camps was an
attempt to prevent Arafat supporters from regaining a power base in
Lebanon. [Keesing's Record of World Events, Volume XXXIV,
December 1988, p. 36363.]
Please see the attached information:
Roger Caratini, La Force Des Faibles:
Encyclopédie Mondiale des Minorités, Paris:
Larousse, 1987 (pp. 66-67 discusses the Shi'ites of Lebanon).
Robin Wright, "Clashes grew out of Islam's
Sunni-Shiite Schism", The Christian Science Monitor, 17-23
August 1987.
"The Other Side of Islam: A gun, a beard
and a chador do not make a good Muslim", The Economist, 15
February 1986.
John Kifner, "Shi'ite Radicals: Rising
Wrath Jars the Mideast", New York Times, 22 March 1987.
Augustus Richard Norton, "The Rise and
Decline of Lebanon's Shi'ites", The New Leader, 22 February
1988.
2. The Mourabitouns
West Beirut, particularly the southern
part, has traditionally been a Shi'ite (Amal) stronghold. The
Nasserist (Sunni) Mourabitoun militia helped defend West Beirut
during the Israeli invasion in 1982 [David McDowall, Lebanon: A
Conflict of Minorities, Minority Rights Group, No. 61, p. 15.]
When the Israeli forces moved into West Beirut, they brought the
Christian Phalangist (Kata'ib) Lebanese Forces with them. Following
the massacre of Palestinian refugees in Sabra and Chatila by
Lebanese militias friendly to Israel, the United States ordered the
Israelis out of West Beirut [Ibid., p. 16.] During 1984, the
Shi'ite forces of Nabi Berri grew stronger, and Amal began to gain
power over the Mourabitouns [George Delury, World Encyclopedia
of Political Systems and Parties (Detroit: Gale Research
Company, 1984), pp. 673-674.] The Mourabitouns have declined in
influence in recent years, having suffered defeats in 1984, 1985,
and 1986 at the hands of Druze and Amal militias [see the attached
information from Henry Degenhardt, Revolutionary and Dissident
Movements, London: Longman Group UK Ltd., 1988, p. 218.]
The Mourabitouns allied themselves with
Amal and Druze militias at different times during the 1980s. They
were driven out of positions along the Green Line in Beirut by
Druze forces in March 1984, but fought with Palestinians, Amal and
Druze militias against the Christian Lebanese Forces under the
command of Samir Geagea in Sidon in March 1985. [ Keesing's
Record of World Events, Volume XXXI, June 1985, p. 33688; Henry
Degenhardt, Revolutionary and Dissident Movements, London:
Longman Group UK Ltd., 1988, p. 218.] The Mourabitouns and
pro-Arafat Palestinian Liberation Organization (PLO) fighters
clashed with Amal in Beirut in April 1985, and in November 1985,
the Mourabitouns sided with Druze PSP fighters against Amal.
[Keesing's Record of World Events, Volume XXXII, January
1986, p. 34132.] Amal gained control of West Beirut from the
Mourabitouns in the 1985 conflicts [Amnesty International,
Report 1987, (London: Amnesty International Publications,
1987), p. 358.] No information on executions of the Mourabitouns
during 1985 is currently available to the IRBDC, however, Amnesty
International reported that Amal held hundreds of Palestinians and
members of the Mourabitoun movement in detention during 1986
[Report 1987, p. 358.] and Amnesty International reports for
1986 and 1987 allude to torture and execution of prisoners by Amal
and other militias.
On 3 June 1986, Mourabitoun militiamen
attacked Amal positions, but on 4 June 1986, "Amal decisively
defeated [the] attack by the Sunni `6th February' militia".
[Keesing's Record of World Events, Volume XXXII, August
1986, p. 34587.] (Henry Degenhardt, in Revolutionary and
Dissident Movements, identifies the 6th February militia as a
brigade of Mourabitoun.) [Henry Degenhardt, Revolutionary and
Dissident Movements, London: Longman Group UK Ltd., 1988, p.
218.] The Mourabitouns were allied with the Druze militia in
February 1987 when they again fought against Amal. [ Ibid.]
Another example of a Shi'ite-Sunni conflict
in Lebanon began in May 1985, when Amal launched the "war of the
camps" against the Palestinian refugee camps in West Beirut.
[Amnesty International, Report 1986 (London: Amnesty
International Publications, 1986), p. 343.] Ninety percent of
Palestinians in Lebanon are Sunni. The Amal attack on the camps was
allegedly at "Syria's behest", and constituted an attempt to
prevent Arafat supporters from regaining a power base in Lebanon
[Keesing's Record of World Events, Volume XXXIV, December
1988, p. 36363.]
Three Palestinian camps, Bourj al-Barajneh,
Chatila, and Rashidiyeh, were placed under siege by Amal during the
latter half of 1986. In April 1987, the arrival of the Syrian army
resulted in the partial lifting of the siege, and women and
children were allowed to leave the camps for supplies [Ibid.]
Between April and July 1988, Arafat supporters were driven from
Chatila and Rashidiyeh by members of the Fatah Revolutionary
Council (Fatah al-Intifadeh), and in July, the last of the
pro-Arafat fighters from Bourj al-Barajneh were removed to
Sidon.