Lebanese Shiites' Divisions Intensify Over Syria
The murder of a student leader of an anti-Hezbollah Shiite group has served as a reminder of historical and shifting divisions within Lebanon’s Shiite community.
On June 23, around 20 Shiite supporters of Ahmad al-Assaad, the president of the small anti-Hezbollah Lebanese Option Party, arrived in front of the Iranian Embassy in Beirut to declare their objection to Hezbollah’s participation in the Syrian war.
This protest followed another that took place at the end of last week for the same purpose. Supporters backing Assaad and his Shiite party gathered in front of the embassy and a clash erupted between them and Hezbollah supporters, leading to the death of the head of the party’s student body, Hashem Salman. In the wake of the incidents, there were reactions accusing Hezbollah of repressing any opinion opposing it within the Shiite community.
Some considered the murder of Salman a message from Hezbollah to its Shiite rivals to warn them against expressing their discontent with the party’s decisions.
There are several symbolic aspects to the challenge launched by Assaad against Hezbollah, yet they do not stem from an objective ability to defy the latter. Assaad’s popularity among Shiites does not exceed a few thousand supporters at best, while Hezbollah enjoys huge popular Shiite support. However, this tug of war unmasks a repressed historic and social aspect within Shiite society that is attempting to recreate itself, even if it had to use new justifications. Yet, there are serious doubts that it will succeed.
