Soccer team named after a Hezbollah shahid whose picture appears on the team’s uniform. The sign in the background reads, “Tournament of the shahid commander Al-Hajj Imad (?)…” (Facebook page of the village of Tair Debba in southern Lebanon, July 9, 2016).
Minister of Youth and Sports Muhammad Fneish (center) receives a plaque of appreciation from the Sports Mobilization in the Al-Zahrani sector at the opening ceremony of the Sports Mobilization’s summer activities (Al-Saksakiyeh website, June 2019)
Overview
- Since its inception, Hezbollah has attached major importance to activity among Shiite youth in Lebanon intended to prepare the younger generation to join the ranks of Hezbollah. This activity is part of a variety of services provided by Hezbollah to the Shiite population of Lebanon, creating a Shiite “mini-state” within the Lebanese state. Hezbollah’s activity among the younger generation is carried out by various institutions: two educational networks operating among the Shiite population in Lebanon (kindergartens, elementary schools, junior high schools, and high schools); the Education Mobilization, which indoctrinates the students of the Lebanese educational systems (including colleges and universities); the Imam al-Mahdi Scouts, Hezbollah’s youth movement; and the Sports Mobilization, an institution which promotes extensive sports activity.
The Sports Mobilization is engaged in forming sports teams and initiating sports events on behalf of Hezbollah among the Shiite population in Lebanon. The Sports Mobilization places the emphasis on soccer games due to their tremendous popularity. In addition, the Sports Mobilization promotes sports branches improving the skills of the youth which will join the ranks of Hezbollah (martial arts, running, and shooting). About half of the sports competitions are held on dates of symbolic significance for Hezbollah (such as the anniversary of the IDF’s withdrawal from southern Lebanon, Shahid Day, etc.). The sports competitions are used for the glorification of Hezbollah’s shahids, and teams and sports facilities are named after them. In this regard, according to a statement by Sports Mobilization head Hajj Jihad Atiya, Hezbollah perceives sports as a means of inculcating its values in the youth and attracting it to its ranks, based on the connection between sports and the jihadi-military sphere (Jihad Atiya in an interview to the Al-Manar Channel, January 6, 2015).
A martial arts event dedicated to the “Shahids of the Holy Defense” (the name used by Hezbollah to refer to its operatives killed in Syria). The event was held in the hall of the Abu al-Fadl sports club (Abu al-Fadl is an important figure in Shiite Islam), in the village of Burj Qallawiyah in southern Lebanon. Photos of Imam Ruhollah Khomeini and Khamenei were prominently displayed at the award ceremony. Khomeini, the Father of the Islamic Revolution in Iran (right) and Iranian leader Ali Khamenei (left) are two figures considered by Hezbollah as the source of legitimacy for its actions.[1]
Right: Soccer team named after a Hezbollah shahid whose picture appears on the team’s uniform. The sign in the background reads, “Tournament of the shahid commander Al-Hajj Imad (?)…” (Facebook page of the village of Tair Debba in southern Lebanon, July 9, 2016). Left: Photo from a table tennis tournament named “Shahids of the Way to Jerusalem,” held on March 4, 2018, in the village of Braiqah in southern Lebanon. The poster in the background shows a coffin wrapped with Hezbollah’s flag.
- Apparently, the United States has not designated the Sports Mobilization as a terrorist entity and has not imposed sanctions on it. This despite the fact that it is a Hezbollah institution promoting sports activity in order to indoctrinate youth prior to their enlistment to Hezbollah. Furthermore, Muhammad Fneish, the Minister of Youth and Sports in the Lebanese government, is not included on the American sanctions list although he is a senior Hezbollah figure and in spite of the fact that his ministry sponsors Hezbollah’s sports activity.
Minister of Youth and Sports Muhammad Fneish (center) receives a plaque of appreciation from the Sports Mobilization in the Al-Zahrani sector at the opening ceremony of the Sports Mobilization’s summer activities (Al-Saksakiyeh website, June 2019)
Structure of the study[2]
- The study includes the following sections:
- The ideological basis for engaging in sports
- Sports Mobilization’s activity
- Sports as an indoctrination tool
- Funding sources of the sports activity
- Replicating the Lebanese model by Iran
- Appendix: List of the ITIC’s publications on Hezbollah’s civilian infrastructure
[1] See the ITIC's Information Bulletin from July 11, 2019, “The Imam al-Mahdi Scouts Association: Hezbollah’s youth movement which indoctrinates youth with Iranian radical Shiite Islam and serves as a source of youngsters who join Hezbollah” ↑
[2] The ITIC wishes to thank Alma Center for providing information that assisted it in writing the current document. ↑
