Kamil Al-As`ad

The last face of Shi`ite feudal leadership died yesterday. He was one of the most personally and politically corrupt zu`ama' in South Lebanon. The official eulogy of him by the highest Shi`ite religious authority, `Abdul-Amir Qabalan, was a testament to the power of sectarianism in all sects. He hailed him as someone who opposed Israel when he cooperated with the Israeli invasion in 1982 which installed Bashir Gemayyel--the worst Lebanese ever--as head of the pro-Israeli entity in Lebanon at the time. There is more, much more, to say about him. I should mention that I wrote a long article against him in Al-Akhbar a year ago. He wrote a long angry letter to the paper (only excerpts of which were published in "letters to the editor").