Calgarypuck Forums - The Unofficial Calgary Flames Fan Community - View Single Post

longsuffering · 08-25-2006, 12:08 PM

With so many 'facts' being thrown about, I thought a little historical background might be in order.

From Wikipedia - admittedly not the best source but an apolitical one at least.

The Hezbollah is a Shia Islamist political party in Lebanon, comprising a militia and extensive front programs for social development. It was formed to combat the Israeli occupation following the 1982 invasion of Lebanon.

Now the famous Hezbollah manifesto:http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hezbollah_Manifesto

What does it say? How many have bothered to read it?

In a single night the Israelis and the Phalangists executed thousands of our sons, women and children in Sabra and Shatilla. No international organization protested or denounced this ferocious massacre in an effective manner, a massacre perpetrated with the tacit accord of America's European allies, which had retreated a few days, maybe even a few hours earlier, from the Palestinian camps.

We have no alternative but to confront aggression by sacrifice. A hundred thousand victims - this is the approximate balance sheet of crimes committed by them and by the US against us. Almost half a million Muslims were forced to leave their homes. The Zionist occupation then launched its usurpatory invasion of Lebanon in full and open collusion with the Phalanges.

To the Christians

If you were deceived and misled into believing that we anticipate vengeance against you - your fears are unjustified. For those of you who are peaceful, continue to live in our midst without anybody even thinking to trouble you.
We don't wish you evil. We call upon you to embrace Islam so that you can be happy in this world and the next. If you refuse to adhere to Islam, maintain your ties with the Muslims and don't take part in any activity against them. Free yourselves from the consequences of hateful confessionalism. Banish from your hearts all fanaticism and parochialism. Open your hearts to our Call (da'wa) which we address to you.

The manifesto does call for the destruction of Israel. Why? Is it because of simple hatred of the Zionists? I don't think so, not if you read it in context.

The Necessity for the Destruction of Israel

We see in Israel the vanguard of the United States in our Islamic world. It is the hated enemy that must be fought until the hated ones get what they deserve. This enemy is the greatest danger to our future generations and to the destiny of our lands, particularly as it glorifies the ideas of settlement and expansion, initiated in Palestine, and yearning outward to the extension of the Great Israel, from the Euphrates to the Nile.
Our primary assumption in our fight against Israel states that the Zionist entity is aggressive from its inception, and built on lands wrested from their owners, at the expense of the rights of the Muslim people. Therefore our struggle will end only when this entity is obliterated. We recognize no treaty with it, no cease fire, and no peace agreements, whether separate or consolidated.

I'm not supporting Hezbollah's tactics. I'm trying to add some perspective to those who see it as a black and white issue. If you believed that your neighbour entered your land, slaughtered your people, stole their land and is intent on expansion, what would YOU do?

If you haven't made up your mind by now, and I doubt anyone's mind has been changed, read the The Electoral Program of Hezbollah. Pretty radical stuff including:

A just and balanced electoral system that treats all the Lebanese even-handedly, allows for real representation, and leads towards developing the Lebanese political status through the approbation of Lebanon as one constituency with a proportional representation system.

The chronic demand of enhancing and reforming public schooling has not taken its implementation course seriously and effectively until today, therefore; it is vital to seek enhancing and developing public schooling, as schools, teachers and administrations. Furthermore, the development of the educational structure must be followed by the policy of reestablishing and modernizing the curriculums in harmony with the modern necessities, besides accomplishing the history book drafting on objective basis and working on increasing the interest in vocational education, taking into account the necessity of linking it to the Lebanese market needs.
Uplifting the Lebanese University is a vital demand that we will work on achieving through modernizing its curriculums, uniting the branches of the capital and the surrounding areas, enhancing the branches of the areas, reviving specialization scholarships and sponsoring topping students and strengthening research methods to get out of the currently-adopted dictation method and allow for developing talents and qualifications.

The woman's role is based on her being the other half that raises and is effective in all the political, educational, social, cultural and economical life. Women must not be treated as supplements nor as commodities of advertisement.

- Enhancing and maintaining the unity of the family that is the cornerstone in building a good society and providing all the educational and social conditions to establish this direction.

- The completion of resolving the two issues of naturalization and the displaced so as those who have the right to the nationality obtain it and all the displaced return to their houses or villages in dignity, plus giving the displaced of the occupied strip a special priority attention and consideration.

- Completing the task of improving public hospital and health clinics with the required equipment, spreading these health centers all over the country especially in remote areas and the steadfast and resisting areas in the South and West Bekaa, in addition to making health security accessible to all the sectors of the Lebanese society.

- Developing the social welfare foundations, supporting the social care institutions, adopting old-age pension, and establishing institutes specialized in treating the various social problems and perversions.

To work carefully and persistently on safeguarding public freedoms, i.e. the freedom of belief, freedom of syndical and political activity, freedom of practicing religious rituals and schooling, in addition to accomplishing the regulation of the media without abating the freedom of press, on one hand, but while preserving the maintenance of the identity, public ethics and morals on the other.

08-25-2006, 12:08 PM	#59
longsuffering First Line Centre Join Date: Jan 2004 Exp:	With so many 'facts' being thrown about, I thought a little historical background might be in order. From Wikipedia - admittedly not the best source but an apolitical one at least. The Hezbollah is a Shia Islamist political party in Lebanon, comprising a militia and extensive front programs for social development. It was formed to combat the Israeli occupation following the 1982 invasion of Lebanon. Now the famous Hezbollah manifesto:http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hezbollah_Manifesto What does it say? How many have bothered to read it? In a single night the Israelis and the Phalangists executed thousands of our sons, women and children in Sabra and Shatilla. No international organization protested or denounced this ferocious massacre in an effective manner, a massacre perpetrated with the tacit accord of America's European allies, which had retreated a few days, maybe even a few hours earlier, from the Palestinian camps. We have no alternative but to confront aggression by sacrifice. A hundred thousand victims - this is the approximate balance sheet of crimes committed by them and by the US against us. Almost half a million Muslims were forced to leave their homes. The Zionist occupation then launched its usurpatory invasion of Lebanon in full and open collusion with the Phalanges. To the Christians If you were deceived and misled into believing that we anticipate vengeance against you - your fears are unjustified. For those of you who are peaceful, continue to live in our midst without anybody even thinking to trouble you. We don't wish you evil. We call upon you to embrace Islam so that you can be happy in this world and the next. If you refuse to adhere to Islam, maintain your ties with the Muslims and don't take part in any activity against them. Free yourselves from the consequences of hateful confessionalism. Banish from your hearts all fanaticism and parochialism. Open your hearts to our Call (da'wa) which we address to you. The manifesto does call for the destruction of Israel. Why? Is it because of simple hatred of the Zionists? I don't think so, not if you read it in context. The Necessity for the Destruction of Israel We see in Israel the vanguard of the United States in our Islamic world. It is the hated enemy that must be fought until the hated ones get what they deserve. This enemy is the greatest danger to our future generations and to the destiny of our lands, particularly as it glorifies the ideas of settlement and expansion, initiated in Palestine, and yearning outward to the extension of the Great Israel, from the Euphrates to the Nile. Our primary assumption in our fight against Israel states that the Zionist entity is aggressive from its inception, and built on lands wrested from their owners, at the expense of the rights of the Muslim people. Therefore our struggle will end only when this entity is obliterated. We recognize no treaty with it, no cease fire, and no peace agreements, whether separate or consolidated. I'm not supporting Hezbollah's tactics. I'm trying to add some perspective to those who see it as a black and white issue. If you believed that your neighbour entered your land, slaughtered your people, stole their land and is intent on expansion, what would YOU do? If you haven't made up your mind by now, and I doubt anyone's mind has been changed, read the The Electoral Program of Hezbollah. Pretty radical stuff including: A just and balanced electoral system that treats all the Lebanese even-handedly, allows for real representation, and leads towards developing the Lebanese political status through the approbation of Lebanon as one constituency with a proportional representation system. The chronic demand of enhancing and reforming public schooling has not taken its implementation course seriously and effectively until today, therefore; it is vital to seek enhancing and developing public schooling, as schools, teachers and administrations. Furthermore, the development of the educational structure must be followed by the policy of reestablishing and modernizing the curriculums in harmony with the modern necessities, besides accomplishing the history book drafting on objective basis and working on increasing the interest in vocational education, taking into account the necessity of linking it to the Lebanese market needs. Uplifting the Lebanese University is a vital demand that we will work on achieving through modernizing its curriculums, uniting the branches of the capital and the surrounding areas, enhancing the branches of the areas, reviving specialization scholarships and sponsoring topping students and strengthening research methods to get out of the currently-adopted dictation method and allow for developing talents and qualifications. The woman's role is based on her being the other half that raises and is effective in all the political, educational, social, cultural and economical life. Women must not be treated as supplements nor as commodities of advertisement. - Enhancing and maintaining the unity of the family that is the cornerstone in building a good society and providing all the educational and social conditions to establish this direction. - The completion of resolving the two issues of naturalization and the displaced so as those who have the right to the nationality obtain it and all the displaced return to their houses or villages in dignity, plus giving the displaced of the occupied strip a special priority attention and consideration. - Completing the task of improving public hospital and health clinics with the required equipment, spreading these health centers all over the country especially in remote areas and the steadfast and resisting areas in the South and West Bekaa, in addition to making health security accessible to all the sectors of the Lebanese society. - Developing the social welfare foundations, supporting the social care institutions, adopting old-age pension, and establishing institutes specialized in treating the various social problems and perversions. To work carefully and persistently on safeguarding public freedoms, i.e. the freedom of belief, freedom of syndical and political activity, freedom of practicing religious rituals and schooling, in addition to accomplishing the regulation of the media without abating the freedom of press, on one hand, but while preserving the maintenance of the identity, public ethics and morals on the other.