the news in arabic

Al-Jazeera used this shot from al-Manar with their article.

Al-Nour, the Hezbullah radio station, used this screen shot with their article.

The Secretary General of Hezbullah Hassan Nasrallah gave a speech today in Beirut 40 days after the assassination of Hezbullah military commander Imad Mughniya. (The time period of 40 days is significant because it represents the 40 days of mourning in Shi’i Islam for Imam Husayn, who is seen as the most prominent martyr.)

You can listen to the full speech here with Real Player, but al-Jazeera also has a concise wrap-up. Nasrallah reiterated that he is determined to react to Israel’s assassination of Mughniya. He also said that the public has expressed their support for the Resistance (al-muqawama) through a series of several polls. Nasrallah said that 80% of Lebanese from different sects expressed support action that would lead to the downfall of the zionist regime (al-nidham al-sahyoniyya) and that 50% want to see Israel totally disappear (zawal).

There will be mixed translations of the word “zawal” which I have chosen to translate as “disappearance,” but it can also be translated as “extinction” or “cessation.”

(Image of Sayyid Muhammad Ali al-Husayni from al-Arabiya.)

Al-Arabiya reports that Sayyid Muhammad Ali al-Husayni, a Lebanese Shi’i marja (source of religious emulation), has received a series of letters threatening to kill him and his family which are signed by the Shi’i Youth of the Resistance (shabaab al-shia al-muqawama). Al-Husayni has recently given several interviews to newspapers in which he has been critical of Hezbullah, even suggesting that he could be an alternative to the current secretary general Nasrallah. Al-Husayni describes his relationship with Hezbullah as “very bad.” But al-Husayni does not claim that Hezbullah sent the letters to him.

(Image of Mughniya and Nasrallah from al-Arabiya.)

Al-Arabiya reports that the wife of assassinated Hezbullah military leader ‘Amad  al-Mughniya has accused Syria of playing a role in the assassination of her husband. Al-Arabiya conveniently has the article in English and Arabic. Here’s an excerpt from the English article:

“The Syrian traitors assisted in killing my husband,” the Italian news agency AKI quoted Mughniah’s widow as telling an Iranian website. She asserted that the Syrians’ refusal to allow Iranian investigators to probe the assassination proves their involvement in the murder of Mugniah.

This man –

is not this man –

but some media institutions and “terrorism experts” can’t tell the difference between Abbas al-Musawi (top photo) and Hassan Nasrallah (bottom photo).

Musawi was the second secretary general of Hezbullah and Nasrallah is the current secretary general.

The Memorial Institute for the Prevention of Terrorism might have a better shot at preventing “terrorism” if they could actually identify the supposed terrorists. Their information page on Hassan Nasrallah labels the poster below as a “poster of Sheikh Hassan Nasrallah,” but it is actually Ragheb al-Harb on the left and Musawi on the right.

The group took the above image from PBS who also erroneously labeled Musawi as Nasrallah, but it seems PBS is a repeat offender. In this web-version of a FrontLine documentary from 2004, the poster below of Musawi is labeled again as Nasrallah. They have had four years to correct this error!

Hezbullah’s weekly journal “al-Intiqad” meaning “review” or “critique” publishes political, cultural, and analytical articles. The textual fare is pretty standard, but some of their covers deserve a look.

“Sign of the definitive victory.” From left: Hezbullah military commander ‘Amad al-Mughniya (assassinated 2008); Sayyid Abbas al-Musawi (assassinated 1992); and Shaykh Ragheb al-Harb (assassinated in 1984). Underneath Mughniya, the text reads, “Commander of the Resistance”; Musawi “Sayyid of the Resistance”; and Harb “Shaykh of the Resistance.”

“After August 14th 2006 — a different ‘Middle East’.” August 14th is the day the 2006 July War ended — a day celebrated by Hezbullah as “yom al-intisar” or “day of victory”. The image of Nasrallah in the upper corner of this cover was part of a widespread ad campaign in the summer of 2007 which touted the much-awaited one-year anniversary of Hezbullah’s victory in the July War. Billboards promising a new era of victories popped up all over southern Beirut.

“Defeat.” Most likely in reference to the July War, or possibly a reaction to the findings of the Winograd Commission.

To see more covers, click here.

Here are some posters submitted to the website Wa’ad.

The text reads: Lebanon

Secretary General of Hezbullah Sayyid Hasan Nasrallah will give a speech Friday at the Martyr’s Complex in al-Dahiyya, continuing the mourning of assassinated military leader ‘Amad al-Mughniya. Al-Manar quotes Hezbullah representative Husayn Fadlallah (not the Ayatullah) as saying, “The Zionist enemy is working [for a new time] in ignorance because it did not understand, until now, what is the meaning of killing a leader to our people. . .” Tens of thousands of chairs have been set up in anticipation of the ceremony.

(Mughniya’s father, on the left, mourns his son’s death. Image from al-Jazeera.)

Al-Jazeera reports on Nasrallah’s speech yesterday at a ceremony for the assassinated Hezbullah military leader ‘Amad al-Mughniya. Nasrallah said that Israel assassinated Mughniya because of the country’s defeat in the 2006 July War. Nasrallah vowed that if Israel wants an open war (al-harb al-maftoha) in this manner, then they will get one — referring to the way they killed Mughniya.

(Screen shot of southern Beirut from al-Jazeera. The caption reads: Breaking: Hezbullah blames Israel for the assassination of ‘Amad al-Mughniya and Tel Aviv denies any connection to the assassination.)

Al-Jazeera reports that a senior Hezbullah military leader, ‘Amad al-Mughniya, was killed by a car explosion in a residential area of Damascus. Hezbullah says that Israeli operatives are responsible for the assassination. Crowds flooded the street in al-Dahiyya (southern Beirut) and Mughniya’s brother opened up his home for mourning.

The al-Jazeera correspondent in Damascus said that the security situation around the site of the explosion in Damascus is incredibly tight and no one is being allowed to take photographs. (Contrast this with every explosion in Beirut in which images are immediately and widely publicized.) The correspondent said that the car (a Mitsubishi) was moved an hour after the explosion — the bulk of the damage can be seen on the driver’s side.

Al-Jazeera reports that in the US, Mughniya is being portrayed as a “big terrorist” who was responsible for several hostage situations.

Israel’s Involvement

Al-Jazeera says that Israeli officials have denied any connection to the assassination after a period of silence, but Hezbullah is confident that Israel was behind the assassination — a claim bolstered by Israel’s numerous assassinations and attempted assassinations of Hezbullah leaders in the past.

The Muslim Brotherhood in Lebanon has condemned the assassination and so has Hamas. The March 14th forces have called for shared mourning on February 14th, which is the third anniversary of the assassination of Prime Minister Rafiq al-Hariri. Sayyid Fadlallah, who has been the target of a failed Israeli assassination attempt, issued a statement condemning the assassination.

Al-Manar Coverage

Al-Manar published an article which praises his involvement in the Resistance and his love of Palestine. A statement from Hezbullah states that Mughniya was martyred at the hands of the Zionist enemy and that the Resistance will continue on his path until a full victory has been achieved, God willing. Al-Manar also says that Mughniya is joining a list of martyrs that have been assassinated by Israel.

Western Press Coverage

The Western press has already launched a campaign to further demonize Hezbullah and cast the assassination as a much-deserved killing. ABC News portrays Mughniya as a “U.S.-Wanted Terrorist,” even commenting that, “His death is a significant achievement for the intelligence organization that caused it.”

The NY Times also focuses on Mughniya’s role in “terrorist” activities and says that American officials consider Mughniya responsible for the bombings of the Marine barracks and the US embassy in Beirut in 1983. The Times article, as well as several others, makes reference to Mughniya being a “master of disguises” by having undergone plastic surgery to change his appearance.

Al-Manar reports that Druze leader Walid Junblatt’s recent comments on civil war were welcomed by Israel, whose newspapers framed Junblatt’s words as a direct statement to Sayyid Hasan Nasrallah.

Hezbullah is very keen on the idea that Israel is a central force behind internal conflicts in Lebanon. Not necessarily that Israel is propelling the conflict forward, but that Israel is the one party that will benefit from instability in Lebanon. So, when politicians such as Junblatt make very divisive speeches that are seen as encouraging conflict, Hezbullah views this as further helping Israel in their ultimate goal of destabilizing Lebanon.

The LA Times published a short profile of Sayyid Fadlallah, the highest-ranking Shi’i cleric in Lebanon. The photo below ran next to the web-version of the story. Everyone knows that the open-mouth photo of a public figure is NEVER flattering, so I question why the LA Times chose to run a photo of Fadlallah where he looks like he’s about to sneeze or yell at somebody.

(AP)

The LA Times article is sympathetic to Fadlallah — or as sympathetic as a Western media outlet will allow — and doesn’t fall back on too many misconceptions, namely, that Fadlallah is the “spiritual leader” of Hezbullah. (Though the author does erroneously say that Fadlallah was “once” the group’s spiritual leader.) In fact, the author portrays Fadlullah’s relationship with Hezbullah as more of a competition. A quote from the article:

“There’s a real rivalry with Nasrallah, [the secretary general of Hezbullah] who has become both a military and religious leader,” Traboulsi said. “Many conservative Hezbollah clerics are reacting against Fadlallah’s rulings.”

I think it is a little hasty and probably inaccurate to portray the situation as a “rivalry” between Fadlallah and Nasrallah. Both figures occupy totally different roles in Lebanon — and I doubt that many people would argue that Nasrallah fashions himself as a religious leader. Fadlallah’s position as a widely-respected and followed marja has been solidified and there is nothing that either camp could gain by engaging in a competition.

But still, A.R. Norton’s book on Hezbullah actually states that the majority of Lebanese Shi’a follow Sistani, as opposed to Fadlallah, but this does not lessen Fadlallah’s impact.

(Obama drinks Aquafina!)

Al-Manar breaks down the US political system for its internet readers:

Since 1856, the United States has elected a president from one of two parties: the Republican or Democratic parties. All the governors in the states and members of the Congress belong to one of these two parties. There are 33 political parties in the US, but only these two parties get to the level to have a candidate run for president. Furthermore, these two parties decide the campaign finance laws, political policies, and the media outlets. In this sense, American society is divided into two camps, in contrast to the French system which allows for many different views.

The author says that it’s too early to tell who will win the US election, but that “in light of opinion polls and the 2006 congressional elections, then it will be the Democrats.”

In a separate article, al-Manar criticized Sen. Barack Obama for his refusing Palestinian refugees the right of return (al-haq al-’auda). Al-Manar said that Obama related to Israeli media sources that he would make great efforts to ensure Israeli security and that Israel would stay a Jewish state. The article repeatedly refers to Obama as the “black candidate” (al-murashah al-aswad).

Hezbullah released a statement via al-Manar on the recent clashes in southern Beirut (al-Dahiyya) between security forces and demonstrators, many of whom were followers of Hezbullah and the more secular Shi’i party, Amal. (Yeah, it’s a secular and sectarian.) Here is my rough translation of the statement:

A number of citizens gathered in protest of the continuing cutting of their electricity and their continued difficult living situations. A force from the Lebanese Army arrived to disperse the demonstrators. Representatives (a commission) arrived from Amal and Hezbullah to remove the demonstrators and shots were fired that led to the martyrdom of Ahmed Husayn Hamza…several more were later martyred by gun fire. Hezbullah considers this to be a great crime against those who were demanding their basic living rights.

Later in the statement, Hezbullah places the responsibility for this crime on the current ruling government. Amal has issued a statement calling for its followers not to take to the streets to react.

(Image from al-Manar. Nasrallah wears all black to commemorate the martyrdom of Imam Husayn.)

On Ashoura, Nasrallah made his first public appearance since the end of the July War on Lebanon in 2006. He gave a surprise speech in al-Dahiyya (southern Beirut). Normally, thousands gather in the public square in al-Dahiyya to watch Nasrallah’s speech via satellite, so it’s a big deal that he appeared in person. Whenever Nasrallah makes a speech, it is top news in the Arabic-language media.

Al-Jazeera
Nasrallah warned Israel not to continue her encroachments on Lebanon, promising that a new war would change the region. He said, “We do not want war, but we refuse with force to have one launched on us.”

Nasrallah also said that Hezbullah has the remains of a large amount of Israeli soldiers that Israel left on Lebanese soil in the July War. He said, “I’m not talking about normal remains…the Israeli Army left the remains of a large amount of soldiers — among them heads, hands, and legs…”

You can access the speech in its entirety (in Arabic) through al-Manar. The video will be uploaded here in a few days.

Image of the crowd in Dahiyya from al-Hayat.

Image of Naim al-Qassem from al-Manar.

Al-Manar reports on Ashoura commemorations in Lebanon and on several speeches made by Hezbullah officials. The streets of towns throughout Lebanon, especially the South, are packed with people carrying Lebanese flags and black signs mourning the death of Imam Husayn.

The Deputy Secretary General of Hezbullah (and author) Naim Qassem commented on Hezbullah’s participation in a united Lebanese government.

The President of the Hezbullah Executive Committee Sayyid Hashim Safi al-Din gave a speech in Baalbek. He said: Politics is not malicious and should not be taken in a personal direction. He called for a return to logic and participation in the government.

During an Ashoura majlis in Bint Jbeil, Mohammad Fanish, an independent Hezbullah minister, said that the only exit from the current political situation is not through stunting political efforts, but is through dialogue with the Opposition and coming to terms on certain decisions through true participation.

Image of Nasrallah taken from al-Manar television.

Secretary General of Hezbullah Sayyid Hassan Nasrallah issued a statement on al-Manar (Hezbullah’s television station, meaning Lighthouse or Guiding Light in English) condemning Tuesday’s bombings of an American convoy. His statements were issued on the 7th night of Muharram, a period of mourning for Shi’i Muslims centered around the martyrdom of Imam Husayn in Karbala. Nasrallah said that individuals must take a calm and clear look around them to see what is happening in the region. He emphasized that Hezbullah condemns any type of bombing on Lebanese soil.

Nasrallah also commented on Bush’s visit to the region. He said that it’s necessary for the people to look at the words, actions, promises, and threats of Bush during his visit. He said that the current American administration is representative of an alliance between three forces: big oil companies, weapons companies, and the Zionist-Christian trend — he emphasized that this is not to be confused with ordinary Christianity.