LEBANON: KEY INDEPENDENT SHIA CLERIC "FIRED" FROM

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 BEIRUT 000710 SIPDIS DEPT FOR NEA/ELA, NEA/PI, ECA/FO DRL FOR KRAMER/BARKS-RUGGLE/BARGHOUT S/P FOR AJAIN/JCOHEN/DGORDON NSC FOR ABRAMS/SINGH/GAVITO/ZARATE OVP FOR HANNAH AND KAREM E.O. 12958: DECL: 05/16/2018 TAGS: KDEM PINR PHUM SCUL LE SUBJECT: LEBANON: KEY INDEPENDENT SHIA CLERIC "FIRED" FROM POST REF: A. BEIRUT 00608 ¶B. BEIRUT 00579 ¶C. BEIRUT 00665 Classified By: CDA Michele J. Sison for reasons 1.4 (b) and (d). Summary -------------- ¶1. (C) In what may seen as a difficult blow to the independent Shia movement, Lebanon's Higher Shia Council (HSC) decided to replace Sayyed Ali Al-Amine, the Mufti of South Lebanon and a vocal critic of Hizballah (Ref A),with Sheikh Hassan Abdullah, a member of Speaker Berri's Amal party. Al-Amine, whose home and offices have been occupied by opposition militants since May 9, has said the decision was made by the illegitimate current leaders of the HSC and that any new appointments must officially be endorsed by the state. Although he is calling for calm among his followers, he is clearly angry and said he would rather retain his convictions and freedom than his position. End Summary. Crackdown on Well-Known Independent Shia Figure -------------- -- ¶2. (C) PD staff spoke with Al-Amine, who is currently in Beirut, on May 16. Al-Amine's son, Sayyed Hassan Al-Amine, and his son-in-law, Sheikh Hussein Oulayyan, remain in Tyre with family members and also spoke with PD staff via telephone. (Note: Another close advisor of Al-Amine's, Sheikh Maalouf Rahal, participated in the recent MEPI-funded Independent Shia delegation which met with high-ranking USG interlocutors, Ref B. Rahal was stranded in Washington when fighting broke out and the Beirut International Airport access road was closed by the opposition. End Note.) ¶3. (C) Oulayyan told us that Amal gunmen entered the Mufti's offices in Tyre on May 9, literally put a gun to the head of the Mufti's son, Hassan, and forced all staff and visitors out of the building without giving them an opportunity to gather any personal belongings. ¶4. (C) Al-Amine has gone public with his outrage over the attack. He has called upon the Lebanese Armed Forces to drive Amal militants from his home, offices and private properties, which are also bing held in the south Lebanese city of Sur. "They are still occupying them despite the Arab League Ministerial Committee's declaration that called for an �00A;end to the presence of armed groups on the streets and the opposition's civil disobedience campaign." "Higher Shia Council is Illegitimate" -------------- ¶5. (C) On May 15, the Higher Shia Council announced Al-Amine was no longer the Mufti of South Lebanon. They named as his replacement Sheikh Hassan Abdallah, a religious judge from Tyre who is known to be close to the Amal movement. According to Al-Amine, "They just want a Mufti who will follow orders blindly." ¶6. (C) Al-Amine tells us that the Higher Shia Council did not have the nerve to personally inform him of their decision. "This is being done with no transparency." He also said that the Higher Shia Council, which has not held leadership elections in years, is being run by officials whose terms in office ended long ago. "They are illegitimate and their decisions hold no merit." ¶7. (C) He told us and the press that the Higher Shia Council had overstepped its authority. "The religious institution suggests the names and the state is the one that makes the official appointment." He believes the government should intervene before the new Mufti has a chance to step in and assume full responsibilities. A Defiant and Angry Mufti -------------- ¶8. (C) Al-Amine is clearly angry about this personal attack BEIRUT 00000710 002 OF 002 by opposition forces. "No matter how many guns they put to our heads, our only weapons in response will be our word and our honor." He told the NowLebanon.com news portal, "I don't accept that the South remains a battlefield and I don't accept that the Shia sect, nor its religious institutions, seeks disagreements with other Lebanese sects or with other parties in the Arab world." ¶9. (C) When asked about his personal safety, Al-Amine told us that Hizballah and Amal have their hands tied. "They can remove me from office, but they can never shoot me." He also angrily told us, "They may have won this single battle, but the truth will come out in the end and people will not forgive Amal and Hizballah." Public Reaction -------------- ¶10. (C) Al-Amine told us, "People are calling us on our personal lines to show support, but at the moment, no one is able to speak in front of so many guns." He told us he has called for calm among his supporters and has publicly supported the Arab League-led discussions. In order to ensure success during the Arab League negotiations, Al-Amine called for solidarity and cooperation among all parties traveling to Doha. (Note: We have heard differing accounts from contacts about the true number of Al-Amine's followers. Regardless of the actual numbers, he is a widely respected voice in the independent Shia movement. End Note.) Comment -------------- ¶11. (C) Just four days ago on May 12, another independent Shia cleric, Sheikh Mohammad Ali Al-Hajj, theorized that the current violence was also used by Hizballah as an excuse to "clean house" against the enemies they fear most -- those from within (Ref C). This ousting of a prominent anti-Hizballah cleric in South Lebanon could be the first sign of Hizballah and Amal's attempts to tighten their control over the Lebanese Shia community. The recent show of force may have been designed to intimidate not only pro-March 14 figures, but also the independent Shia who are just now beginning to organize and partner with each other. End Comment. SISON