During the last four decades, Lebanon has witnessed changes in its political and demographic structure, the most prominent of which came to pass within the Shiite community during the time of the First Republic of Lebanon (1943-1989). At the time, the Shiite community was, to a great extent, socially and economically marginalized. Their economy relied heavily on tobacco farming, the harvest of which was bought by the state at rock-bottom prices. During that era, the farmers rose up in rebellion multiple times, demanding that the state increase their purchasing terms.

At the end of the 1960s, Musa al-Sadr, an imam who came from Iran to Tyre, the largest Shiite-dominated city in south Lebanon, stood out within the Shiite community. What was remarkable was that the Lebanese Maronites embraced his emergence at the time. In fact, the Holy Spirit University of Kaslik [Mount Lebanon] hosted many of his conferences on religious coexistence. In addition, late President Fouad Chehab, the most respected Maronite figure in Lebanon, facilitated the process of granting Sadr Lebanese citizenship.

Chehab, who had a military background as army commander prior to assuming the post of president, was a reformist par excellence. During his mandate, the majority of Lebanese laws were redeveloped and the pillars of the state were consolidated. Chehab sought through embracing the presence of Sadr to get the Shiites out of the vicious cycle of persecution and introduce them to the concept of citizenship, by encouraging them to integrate into the Lebanese political system through participation. Chehab also wanted to disentangle the ties the Shiites had with the leftist parties as compensation for the neglect of the state.

Indeed, the charismatic Sadr succeeded in drawing the Shiites away from the leftist parties in favor of uniting them within a political entity of their own, which was known as the Amal movement. Amal entered the ruling system under the banner of “partnership.” In this sense, parliament speaker Nabih Berri is seen to embody Sadr’s conception of the Shiite role in Lebanon.