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1
IR06.10 
Politics
of
Islamic ResurgenceLebanon (1)The Lebanese Case is especially illuminating on four key issues:1 The
plasticity
of
culture ( the degree to which culture
or
ideologies can
be
reformulated or reinterpreted to mean something radically new)2) The degree to which context shapes the interpretation
of
a cultural tradition3) The extent
to
which culture/ideology should
be
seen as an independentvariable in politics4) Political Islam's capacity for moderation and the the role that politicalinclusion can play in moderating extremism
I.
Bird's eye view
of
the Lebanese political system:A. Since the early 1930s, the political system in Lebanon
=
an imperfectdemocracy organized along sectarian (i.e. religious) linesPolitical rights and privileges are distributed on the basis
of
one's religiouscommunity (e.g there are sectarian quotas for seats in parliament, positions in the civilservice, etc.)B. Origins
of
the system:Lebanon, the country, is the artificial creation
of
its former colonialoverlord: FranceThe population
was
extremely fragmented culturally and religiouslyIn 1932 Lebanese society counted more than 15 t religious sects (e.g. SunniMuslims, Shia Muslims, Druze, Jews, and more than
11
different kinds
of
Christiansfrom Greek Orthodox to Maronite
to
Protestant)To manage the country's centrifugal diversity: the National Pact (1932)
 
2
IR06.10 
National Pact promised to protect the interests
of
each religious community bydistributing political power along strictly confessional lines, in proportion to the size
of
each communityFlaw: system did not uphold the principle
of
proportionality
(I.e. did not distribute political spoils to the different religiouscommunities in proportion to their size in the populationChristians, esp. Maronite Christians, got more than their fair
share~
while Muslims, esp. the Shia, got less
than
their fair shareThe distribution
of
spoils was based
on
a population census conducted in 1932 thatovercOlmted Maronite Christians and undercounted Muslims and that seriouslyundercounted the number
of
ShiaII. PositiQn
of
Shia Community in Lebanon
A.
Important repercussions
of
the political system for the Shia community:Shia did not get a fair deal
politically
(did not get enough seats in parliament
or
civil service postsShia did not get a fair deal
economically
(did not have sufficient political cloutto channel public resources toward their community)Shia community was economically disadvantaged to begin with:Because they tended to live in remote rural areas in Lebanon
(As
apersecuted minority they sought refuge from persecution by settling far frompopulation centers)Geographical remoteness provided the Shia with safety,But it also condemned them to the developmental retardation that comes fromliving in a backwaterSo the confessional political system in Lebanon certainly worked to reinforce thedisadvantage
of
the Shia community
 
3
IR06.10 
B.
Desperate situation
of
the Shia community further compounded by thecommunity's less than visionary leadership.The traditional leaders
of
the Shia community did little to redress the sorry state
of
Shia community
Traditional
political bosses
of
the Slria community had an interest insuppressing the advancement
of
their people in order to guarantee theirown domination
of
the community.(By denying their Shia constituents empowering things like education, thetraditional bosses could guarantee their own relative power) (Example:Ahmed Bey)The religious leaders
of
the Shia community, also did little to mobilize theShia in ways that might have redressed their miseryThe clerics eschewed this activism because :
l.
philosophically, they believed that the Shia tradition counseleddistance from politicsShiism, they believed, counseled quietism, passivity, anddissimulation not activism, mobilization, or publicconfrontation in the name
of
the communityn. fmancially, the Shia clerics were economically dependent on thetraditional Shla political bosses for their livelihoods
C.
The miserable condition
of
the Shla was further reinforced by the state, andits studious neglect
of
Shla areas.The state failed to invest in infrastructure in Jebl
Aml
and the Bekaa (e.g. buildroads, extend the electrical grid, provide potable water, invest in local education,industry, or agriculture)
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