|
Lebanon group seeks to 'Arabize' Shiites
 The Islamic Arab Council in Lebanon launched an anti-Hezbollah satellite channel aimed at underscoring that Lebanon's Shiites are Arabs and delinking the connection often made with Iran.The station, called Orouba --or Arabism -- is part of a group of developmental projects announced at the commemoration of the council's second anniversary and will likely counter the official Hezbollah station al-Manar. The council seeks to at unify the Muslim nation and rejects any external influences as part of a comprehensive political project that encourages more involvement in Lebanese politics. Arab rather than Iran The goals of the council, established by Sayyed Mohamed Ali al-Husseini, differs from those of Hezbollah, which favors strong links between the Shiites of Lebanon and Iran rather than the Arab world. "The Lebanese reject any kind of guardianship from outside. The Lebanese are part of this nation and they pledge allegiance to Lebanon, and not any other outsider," Husseini said. The launch of the new station came as part of a three-day celebration that ended Friday and included politicians and diplomats from different sects. "The council transcended sectarianism to nationalism," said council spokesperson Talal Awada. "We believe that the Arab nation is the core of religion and all other nations owe it a lot." Sheikh Ali Barakat, a memberof the Council's cultural division, said he rejected any "perverted" influences on the youth and announced the release of books written by Sayyed Husseini about the common ground between Sunnis and Shiites. The speech given by Fada al-Hajj on behalf of the political division stressed that the council adheres to moderation and discards any sectarian tendencies. Orouba is the latest in a string of satellite television stations that have started in the past two years as each sect and political party strives to influence public opinion. Posted by: Fred 2008-10-16 |
| http://www.rantburg.com/poparticle.php?ID=252791 |