[lbo-talk] Iran's "Liberation Theology" (???), Re-Defeat for the Left, and Islamic Economics

[wrobert at uci.edu]

In the case of Hezbollah, they have openly stated that they are committed
to the multi-confessional nature of Lebonese society and have went as far
as to say that if they were to get a majority of the vote that they would
not introduce Islamic law.  This has been a shift in the organization from
the 80's and is one of the reasons for their increasing viability.  I
don't think this is a reason to run out and embrace the organization per
se, but at least one should be honest in critiquing them.  The question is
open whether they would do the same things as Iran if they were to become
majority, but they are fairly interesting at least in their negative form.

                             robert wood


> Well, I think that it's a question of deciding what these groups are
> really
> up to. I don't really think that Hezbollah is a movement of national
> liberation. I think they are hoping to establish a separate "vertical"
> social structure with Shiite clerics at the top. I think they are more
> splitters than uniters. Iran, remember, is extremely unusual as really the
> only country that is almost all Shiite.
>
>