Tuesday, July 26, 2011

Hizbullah and banning alcohol in the South

As you know, Hizbullah AND Amal imposed a rigid social rule in South Lebanon back in the 1980s.  They then realize that Lebanese (long fans of "sins") would never put up with that, and Hizbullah was forced to confine its rigid social rule on its own community.  The social environment in the southern suburbs then relaxed and things changed although it was not the way it was when I was a child, when alcohol was served openly in homes in the South.  Only in Ramadan, people tended to abstain from alcohol, for the most part.  But in the last few months, Hizbullah has been clashing with leftists in Southern villages, like Hula and Kfar Rumman, who were selling liquors (with a state license).  Two days ago, Hizbullah members were clashing with a communist who was selling alcohol in Hula.  They later paid him off to stop selling alcohol for a few months.  If Hizbullah thinks that it can impose its puritanical rigid social rule and get away with it, it is wildly mistaken.  People's support for Hizbullah fight against Israeli occupation and aggression will never translate (on the part of its non-members) into support for its lousy social, economic, and political program.