From Jihad to Muqawamah: The case of Hizballah in Lebanon

The history and politics of the Middle-East are often understood as a
battle-field where various religious currents and ethnic factions are constantly
struggling for hegemony. In contrast, in this paper I argue that this history and
politics is better understood as a struggle between two competing world-views or
political theologies: the exclusionary world-view of Jihad on the one hand, and the
inclusive world-view of Muqawamah, on the other. Focusing on Hizballah in
Lebanon as my case-study, I show how this Islamic movement has traded a
discourse that emphasizes Jihad, to one that emphasizes resistance. By so doing, I
argue, Hizballah's discourse of resistance provided a common-ground for
cooperation with other forces and groups on the local, regional, and global scene.