Hizbu'llah: Politics and Religion (Critical Studies on Islam)

Hizbu'llah: Politics and Religion (Critical Studies on Islam) by Saad-Ghorayeb, Amal. paperback edition. ISBN: 9780745317922.

Hizbullah is the largest and most prominent political party in Lebanon, and one of the most renowned Islamist movements in the world. In this book, Amal Saad-Ghorayeb examines the organisations understanding of jihad and how this, together with its belief in martyrdom, brought about the withdrawal of Israeli occupation forces from Lebanon in May 2000. Saad-Ghorayeb explores the nature of the partys struggle against the West by studying its views on the use of violence against Westerners. Crucially, she also addresses the question of whether Hizbullah depicts this struggle in purely political or civilisational terms. The existential nature of the movement’s conflict with Israel is analysed and the Islamic roots of its anti-Judaism is unearthed. The author explores the mechanics and rationale behind the partys integration into the Lebanese political system, and sheds light on how it has reconciled its national idenitity with its solidarity with the Muslim umma.