Christian nun in Lebanon prays for the Shiite Muslim fighters of Hezbollah. A furor ensues.
A video showing a Lebanese nun asking young students to pray for the “men of the resistance,” a reference to Hezbollah fighters, has sparked controversy in Lebanon
A video capturing Ziadeh’s comments was widely circulated online earlier this month, outraging some who accused her of “brainwashing” the children and imposing her political views. Others rallied to her support, commending her stance as courageous and honorable.
The war of words that unfolded highlighted larger, longstanding schisms in Lebanon over Hezbollah, now amplified by the Lebanon-Israel border clashes and by fears that an already crisis-hit Lebanon could be dragged into an all-out war.
“There are sharp (political) divisions over Hezbollah’s weapons,” said Sami Nader, director of the Institute of Political Science at Saint Joseph University of Beirut. And while there’s wide support for the Palestinian cause, he said, there are “differences over the degree of such support and how to provide it.”
Lebanon is home to multiple religious groups. Politically, the presidency is given to a Maronite Christian, the parliament speaker post to a Shiite Muslim and the prime minister's post to a Sunni Muslim
Although Hezbollah has alliances with figures from other religious groups, the base of its support lies in the Shiite community, while many Christians and Sunnis accuse the group of hijacking the country. The nun's speech generated added attention — and for some, furor— in particular because it came from a Christian religious figure.
In the recent video, Ziadeh called for praying for the “children, people and mothers of the south and ... for the men of the resistance,” describing those who fail to do so as “traitors,” a characterization that many found troubling, especially given the young age of her audience. Others saw a message of love in her call to pray for the people of southern Lebanon.
“In the south, there are students your age who say that ‘our only dreams are to protect our land,’” the nun told the children.
A video showing a Lebanese nun asking young students to pray for the “men of the resistance,” a reference to Hezbollah fighters, has sparked controversy in Lebanon
www.independent.co.uk