LEBANON: Rare glimpse into Hezbollah's Al-Mahdi Scouts

Record ID: 427701

  • Title: LEBANON: Rare glimpse into Hezbollah's Al-Mahdi Scouts
  • Date: 30th August 2009
  • Summary: CROWDS WATCHING AS GIRL SCOUTS PERFORM ON STAGE
  • Embargoed: 14th September 2009 13:00
  • Keywords:
  • Location: Lebanon
  • Country: Lebanon
  • Topics: Domestic Politics,Education
  • Reuters ID: LVA9SY2YYCWAC79OSBQHUH79IYWA
  • Story Text: Lebanon's Shi'ite-armed group Hezbollah runs a large Scouts organisation which teaches social and religious principles to tens of thousands of youth.
    From the city of Hermel in the north to the coastal city of Tyre in the south of Lebanon, Hezbollah's Imam Al-Mahdi Scouts teach youths the principles of the armed group in religion, society and personal conduct.
    The Imam Al-Mahdi Scouts are named after Shi'ite Islam's 12th imam, who is yet to reappear to lead Muslims according to Shi'ite religious belief. The organisation was founded in 1985 shortly after Hezbollah itself was established in 1982 upon the Israeli invasion of Lebanon.
    Today, it is a member of the Lebanese Scouts Union as well as the Arab Scouts Organisation, with almost 67,000 Scouts from across the whole country.
    Like Hezbollah, the Imam Al-Mahdi Scouts have been at the centre of controversy, with accusations of being a breeding ground for the group's future fighters.
    Israel accuses Hezbollah of indoctrinating its Scouts with Iranian religious and social dogma.
    Iran is one of the main backers of Hezbollah, both financially and morally.
    Hezbollah and Israel consider each other arch foes. Hezbollah credits itself for the Israeli withdrawal in 2000 from large parts of southern Lebanon it occupied in 1982. Hezbollah also claimed victory in its 34-day war with Israel 2006.
    Support for Hezbollah runs deep among Lebanon's Shi'ites. Hezbollah is not only a military and political group; over the years it has established large social and charitable networks that help hundreds of thousands of its supporters by building schools, supermarkets and offering free medical services.
    Fatima Reslan, a girl scout leader, says the Scout's primary aim is to raise the children to behave well and to serve society and love nature, not preoccupy the children with ''political or jihad'' issues.
    "We try our best in the Al Mahdi Scout to let the learning be educational and scout-related more than Jihad and resistance. We try to raise the children on social principles, scout principles, the love of nature, and we distance ourselves from things that are too political and Jihad-related," said Reslan.
    During a rare tour for the media, hundreds of Al-Mahdi Scouts carried out their normal scout activities in the summer camp. Young girls sang and played, boys set up tents and marched to the sound of drums.
    The scouts also help their own communities. Bilal Fneish, the Scouts spokesman, said the youth help the disabled and the poor, as well as harvesting crops during harvest season.
    "We have a lot of activities that are related to social development and the service of the people like helping with harvest seasons in the villages of the brave south and activities like that all year long," said Fneish.
    Fneish said the number of the Scouts rose by 7,000 this year compared to last year.
    "As for overall numbers of scouts, last year it was 61,000, and this year it's almost 67,000 scouts all across the country with programs that make all Arab and Lebanese Scouts proud," he said.
    During one summer evening, thousands of parents of scouts gathered in the stadium of a scout centre in the south, called Al-Khomeini Youth Scouts City, named after the late Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini.
    "We have activities and learn about Imam Mahdi and 'sarkhat' poems and art," said Rayan, 7. She was referring to Hezbollah anthems or ''anasheed'' normally sang in praise of God, Imam Mahdi or the Prophet Mohammad.
    The organisation caters for a range of children, running programs for young boys and girls as young as five right up until their mid-teens.
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