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A Divine Seal of Approval for Hizballah's War

[Washington Post] Alia Ibrahim - By the standards of ordinary warfare, last summer's conflict between Israel and Hizballah ended with an inconclusive truce and no real winner or loser. But don't tell that to the residents of southern Lebanon. Here in the land that is Hizballah's headquarters, the 33-day war has been branded beyond a doubt: It was a holy war fought for the glory of God. And Hizballah warriors, with God's help, won a magnificent victory against the Israeli invaders. Three months after the fighting ended, parts of Lebanon remain a shambles. So the slogans and messages can be an effective way to help the community deal with the loss. "I believe Hizballah felt they were in crisis, they didn't have many choices, they have strong propaganda skills, and they felt they needed to rely on supernatural forces to help their audience," said Mona Fayyad, a professor of psychology at the Lebanese University. Walid Jumblatt, leader of the minority Druze community, declared that anyone who considers the war a divine one is "crazy."
2006-11-24 01:00:00
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