Populism and Islam in Lebanon: The Attempt to Usurp Sunni Influence
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.24197/jstr.1.2023.16-37Keywords:
Geosectarianism; Populism; Influence; Islamic Middle East; Islamic Nation; Hezbollah; LebanonAbstract
The article aims to explain how the religious factor within the Muslim community has taken on a populist tinge. This issue has increased the country's religious-political polarization and positioned it between two antagonistic geopolitical projects. Indeed, the Iranian influence augments through Hezbollah's hegemonic position, which has increased tensions between the Sunni and Druze communities. Iran's increased influence has placed Lebanon in a dilemma between the Shiite project of the 'Islamic Middle East' and the Sunni project of the 'Islamic Nation' (Jihadism, Shari'a, and Caliphate) that it has so far been unable to find a solution to it.
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