Ethnicizing the Shi‘is in mandatory Lebanon

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Notes

1. For more details on the Shi‘i position during the years 1918–20 see: M.M. Bazzi, Jabal ‘Amil fi Muhitihi al-‘Arabi, 1864–1948[Jabal ‘Amil in its Arab Environment, 1864–1948] (Beirut: Markiz al-Dirasat wal-tawthiq wal-Nashr, Al-Majlis al-Islami al-Shi‘i al-A‘la, 1993), pp.50–104; A.A.M. Shu‘ayb, Matalib Jabal ‘Amil, al-Wahda, al-Musawa fi Lubnan al-Kabir, 1900–1936[The Demands of Mt. ‘Amil, Unity and Equality in Greater Lebanon, 1900–1936] (Beirut: al-Mu‘asasa al-Jami‘iyya lil-Dirasat wal-Nashr wal-Tawzi‘, 1987), pp.87–91.

2. Ibid., pp.94–5.

3. See P. Rondot, Les institutions politiques du Liban, des communautés traditionelles à l’état moderne, 2 Vols. (Paris: Institut d’etudes de l’Orient, 1947), Vol.1, pp.65–6.

4. Bazzi, Jabal ‘Amil, p.254.

5. Al-‘Irfan, Vol.11, No.4 (Jan. 1925), p.447; see also Shu‘ayb, Matalib Jabal ‘Amil, pp.97–8; Bazzi, Jabal ‘Amil, p.256.

6. Rondot, Les institutions politiques du Liban, Vol.1, p.66.

7. T.A. Chalabi, ‘Community and Nation-State: The Shi‘is of Jabal ‘Amil and the New Lebanon, 1918–1943’ (unpublished Ph.D. Thesis, Harvard University, 2003), pp.226–7.

8. Ibid., pp.246–7.

9. Les Archives diplomatiques de Nantes, Mandat, Syrie–Liban 1918–1948, Ministère d’Affaires Etrangères, Beyrouth (hereafter MAE) No.456, Cabinet Politique, 1926–41 (hereafter CP), No.6: The French Administrative Adviser (hereafter FAA) in South Lebanon to the FAA in the Lebanese Government, 15 March 1940.

10. Muhammad Kazim Makki, al-Haraka al-Fikriyya fi Jabal ‘Amil[Cultural Movement in Jabal ‘Amil] (Beirut: Dar al-Andalus, 1963), pp.211–2.

11. MAE 456, CP, No.51, report on two Shi‘i meetings at Sidon and Kafr Rumman, 23 and 24 Feb. 1933, unsigned compte rendu, Beirut, 1 March 1933.

12. MAE 456, CP, No.5, FAA in Biqa‘ to High Commissioner (hereafter HC), 4 March 1940; No.6, FAA in South Lebanon to HC, 15 March 1940.

13. See Rondot, Les institutions politiques du Liban, Vol.1, pp.67–8; E. Rabbath, La formation historique du Liban politique et constitutionnel, Essai de synthèse (Beirut: Université Lebanaise, 1973), pp.91–126.

14. See Shu‘ayb, Matalib Jabal ‘Amil, pp.100–2.

15. H. Lammens, Les Perses du Liban et l’origine des Metoualis (Beyrouth: imp. Catholique, 1929).

16. Al-Shu‘ubiyya is a term used in the ninth and tenth centuries to denote Persian writers and politicians who protested against Arab political and cultural dominance within the ‘Abbasid state (750–1258), see S. Enderwitz, ‘al-Shu‘ubiyya’, Encyclopaedia of Islam, 2nd edn. (Leiden: Brill, 1960–2002), pp.513–5.

17. Al-‘Irfan, Vol.15, No.7 (15 March 1928), pp.814–5; see also Shu‘ayb, Matalib Jabal ‘Amil, pp.100–4.

18. MAE 456, CP, No.42, report of the HC's department entitled Les chiites, note, Beirut (n.d.) (1933), pp.2–3.

19. Ibid., pp.3–19.

20. Ibid., pp.19–22.

21. Ibid., pp.22–3.

22. MAE 456, CP No. 42, report: Les chiites, note, pp.23–4. The Shi‘i participants at the Jerusalem conference were Ahmad Rida, Muhammad al-Humani and Sulayman Dahir; see Shu‘ayb, Matalib Jabal ‘Amil, pp.107–8.

23. Ibid., p.25.

24. The Shi‘i participants at the Damascus nationalist conference were Ahmad Rida, Ahmad ‘Arif al-Zayn, Isma'il Khalil, Sa'id ‘Usayran, Najib Haydar and Muhammad al-Humani, see: Shu‘ayb, Matalib Jabal ‘Amil, pp.104–5.

25. On this second generation of Shi‘i Arabists, see Chalabi, ‘Community and Nation-State’, pp.184–6.

26. See Bazzi, Jabal ‘Amil, pp.268–9; Shu‘ayb, Matalib Jabal ‘Amil, pp.113–20.

27. MAE 456, CP, No.51, report on two Shi‘i meetings at Sidon and Kafr Rumman on 23 and 24 Feb. 1933, unsigned compte rendu, Beirut, 1 March 1933.

28. In adddition to al-Amin, Sharaf al-Din and Ahmad Rida, the participants were ‘Abdalla and Muhammad al-Hurr, ‘Abd al-Husayn and Husayn Nur al-Din, Musa and Muhammad ‘Izz al-Din, ‘Abd al-Karim Sadiq, Muhammad Amin Shams al-Din, Hasan al-Husayni al-Musawi, Jawad Kawtharani, Muhammad ‘Ali Qabalan, Sulayman Dahir, Amin al-Husayni and ‘Abd al-Karim al-Zayn.

29. Among the 19 ‘ulama’ who participated at the Sidon meeting were Husayn and ‘Abd al-Karim Mughaniyya.

30. Ibid.

31. Shu‘ayb, Matalib Jabal ‘Amil, pp.116–8.

32. See Shu‘ayb, Matalib Jabal ‘Amil, pp.118. Text of the second petition in MAE 456, CP, No.51, report on two Shi‘i meetings at Sidon and Kafr Rumman on 23 and 24 Feb. 1933, unsigned compte rendu, Beirut, 1 March 1933.

33. Ibid.

34. MAE 456, CP, No. 40, French translation of the petition of the Kafr Rumman meeting on 24 Feb. 1933, Beirut, 3 March 1933; see also the Arabic text in Shu‘ayb, Matalib Jabal ‘Amil, pp.115–6.

35. MAE 456, CP, No.40.

36. On the Shi‘is' usage of matlabiyya as discourse and a form of political participation within the Lebanese state, see Chalabi, ‘Community and Nation-State’, pp.200–13.

37. MAE 456 (In No.5), CP, No. 59, FAA in South Lebanon to the delegate of the HC, No.160, Sidon, 19 May 1934.

38. Ibid.

39. Ibid.

40. Al-Qabas, 26 March 1933 and 8Lisan al-Hal, 28 March 1933, quoted in Shu‘ayb, Matalib Jabal ‘Amil, pp.119–20.

41. Ibid., pp.120–1.

42. Personal information on Hasan al-Amin in MAE 456, CP, No.37, Haut Commissairat, Note du commandant Pechkoff, chargé de mission au Liban Sud, 29 Dec. 1933.

43. Ibid.

44. See, e.g., the petitions and counter-petitions in MAE 456, CP, Nos.45 (3 Nov. 1933), 44 (14 Nov. 1933), 43 (14 Dec. 1933) and 41 (14 Dec. 1933).

45. Arabic text of the letter, ibid.; No.41, 14 Dec. 1933.

46. MAE 456, CP, No.46, Arabic text of an ‘open letter from Nizar Ahmad ‘Arif al-Zayn to de Martel’ (n.d.). Before sending on the letter, the French inspector of mail in the High Commissioner's office commented that Nizar was the 25-year-old son of al-‘Irfan's editor, who apparently had himself penned the letter: MAE 456, CP, No.45, 9 Nov. 1933.

47. MAE 456, CP, No.47, petition of Muhammad al-Baqir to the HC, 5 Nov. 1933.

48. MAE 456, CP, No.40, Extrait de presse, Beirut, 21 Dec. 1933.

49. MAE 456, CP, No.39, unsigned petition translated into French concerning public posts, Beirut, 20 Dec. 1933.

50. MAE 456, CP, No.36, petition translated into French and signed by more than 50 Shi‘i ‘ulama’ and ‘representatives’ of Shi‘i families, 1 March 1934; No.35, Arabic text of petition signed by seven ‘ulama’, 13 April 1934.

51. MAE 456, CP, No.33, Arabic text and French translation of a petition signed by 17 deputies and addressed to the HC, Beirut, 1 Nov. 1935.

52. On the development of factionalism in these two regions during the mandatory period, see, H. Nasralla, Tarikh Ba‘lbak[History of Ba‘lbek], 2 Vols. (Beirut: Mu‘sasat al-Wafa‘, 1984), Vol.2, pp.223–515.

53. MAE 456, CP, No.54, names and number of office-holders of the Haydar family, 21 Feb. 1934, the same list of the names and numbers in No.56 (n.d.).

54. MAE 456, CP, No.55, unsigned report (probably of the delegate of the HC to the Lebanese Republic, 28 April 1934).

55. MAE 456, CP, No.57, delegate of the HC to the Lebanese Republic, No.4391/D, Beirut, 24 Dec. 1935.

56. See ‘Protocol of the Coastal Conference’, in H. Hallaq (ed.), Mu’ tamar al-Sahil wal-Aqdiya al-Arba‘a, 1936[The Coastal Conference and the Four Districts, 1936] (Beirut: al-Dar al-Jami‘iyya, 1983), pp.43–8.

57. K. al-Sulh, ‘Mashkilat al-Ittisal wal-Infisal’ (The Problem of Unification and Separation), in ibid., pp.77–80.

58. Chalabi, ‘Community and Nation State’, pp.188–9.

59. See Shu‘ayb, Matalib Jabal ‘Amil, pp.155–6.

60. MAE 460, CP, No.29, High Commission's information, Beirut, no exact date (Oct. 1936), including a translated extract from al-As‘ad's manifesto.

61. See Shu‘ayb, Matalib Jabal ‘Amil, pp.157–60.

62. Ibid., pp.136–7.

63. For more details on the relation between the Tobacco Revolt and ‘Usbat al-Adab al-‘Amili see Bazzi, Jabal ‘Amil, pp.308–11; Chalabi, ‘Community and Nation-State’, pp.231–6.

64. For more details on the Tobacco Revolt, the Shi‘is and Palestinian Revolt and the participation of Shi‘is in Sidon Conference, see Bazzi, Jabal ‘Amil, pp.311–77, see also Shu‘ayb, Matalib Jabal ‘Amil, pp.140–50.

65. MAE 456, CP, No.30, High Commission's information, Beirut, 16 July 1936.

66. Chalabi, ‘Community and Nation-State’, pp.234–5.

67. MAE 460, CP, No.26, Arabic text of petition addressed to the HC by eight ‘ulama’, among them Husayn Mughanniyya, Amin Shams al-Din, Muhammad Amin Shams al-Din, Amin ‘Ali al-Husayni, Husayn Sharaf al-Din, ‘Abd al-Husayn Sharaf al-Din and others.

68. MAE 460, CP, No.31, Meyrier to MAE, No.824, Beirut, 21 Aug. 1936.

69. Ibid.

70. MAE 460, CP, No.8, report of the HC to MAE on the Chamber's session, Beirut, 26 Nov. 1936.

71. Shu‘ayb, Matalib Jabal ‘Amil l, pp.162–3.

72. MAE 456, CP, No.27, Hasan Sadiq to the HC, 8 Dec. 1936.

73. MAE 456, CP, No.23 the delegate of the HC to the CP, 22 April 1937. ‘Usayran's complaints in Nos.25 and 26, the HC's note of 4 May 1937; quotation is from ‘note’, No.24, 20 May 1937.

74. MAE 456, CP, No.28, Muhammad al-Baqir to the HC, 30 April 1937.

75. MAE 456, CP, No.22, Muhammad al-Baqir to the HC (no exact date), May 1937.

76. MAE 456, CP, No.21, petition of Shi‘i youth to the HC, No.13876, 11 Aug. 1937.

77. MAE 456, CP, No.19, petition signed by 27 Shi‘is from Kisrawan and Batrun to the HC, 23 Oct. 1937.

78. MAE 546, CP, No.20, HC to CP, Beirut (n.d.).

79. MAE 456, CP, No.12, FAA in South Lebanon to the French delegate to the HC, Sidon, 24 Dec. 1937.

80. MAE 546, CP, No.19, Rashid Baydun to the HC, Beirut, 2 Dec. 1937.

81. MAE 456, CP, No.18, HC to MAE, No.1154, Beirut, 7 Dec. 1937.

82. MAE 456, CP, No.17, Sûreté Générale's information, No.6769, Beirut, 15 Dec. 1937.

83. MAE 456, CP, No.11, HC to MAE, Beirut, 22 Dec. 1937.

84. MAE 456, CP, No.9, petition signed by 36 merchants to the HC, Beirut, 15 Dec. 1937, and transmitted to MAE, Beirut, 15 Jan. 1938.

85. MAE 456, CP, No.15, Sûreté Générale's information No.6797, Beirut, 16 Dec. 1937.

86. MAE 456, CP, No.14, Beirut, 16 Dec. 1937, No.13, Hermel, 17 Dec. 1937; quotation from No.12, Hermel, 18 Dec. 1937.

87. On the economic situation, see S. Murad, Al-Haraka al-Wahdawiyya fi Lubnan Bayna al-Harbayn al-‘Alamiyatayn, 1914–1946[The Nationalist Movements in Lebanon between the Two World Wars, 1914–1946] (Beirut: Ma‘had al-Inma’ al-‘Arabi, 1986), p.285.

88. MAE 456, CP, 1926–1941, No.8, petition of Rashid Baydun to the HC, Beirut, 6 Jan. 1939.

89. MAE 456, CP, No. 10, FAA in South Lebanon to the HC, No.136, 3 April 1939.