the 500 most influential muslims - The Royal Islamic Strategic ...

Seyyed Hasan Nasrallah is the current and third
Secretary General of Hezbollah (the Party of God).
Hezbollah is a Twelver Shi‘a Islamic political party
and paramilitary organization based in Lebanon.
Political and military successes have made Nasrallah
a vastly influential figure in Lebanon, and in the
Middle East more broadly. Hezbollah's ideology is
based on seeking social justice through Islamic ideals.
Military Power
Nasrallah has immense importance in Lebanon as a
figure of military power. He gained this influence by
leading Hezbollah during the time that Israeli forces
withdrew from southern Lebanon. The withdrawal
resulted in huge popularity for Nasrallah, giving
him increased recognition at home and abroad as a powerful figure in the Middle East.
Hezbollah remains a de facto security force in southern Lebanon, and its military presence
is felt throughout the country, with a force of around 300,000 fighters.
Lebanon's leading Twelver Shi‘a
Under Nasrallah, Hezbollah has gained in popularity and in political stature. As Syria and
Israel have withdrawn from Lebanon, Hezbollah has begun to position itself as a Lebanese
nationalist organization, with revolutionary Shi'ism as the guiding line. Nasrallah was
educated at the Hawza Shi‘a seminary in Najaf in Iraq, where he met Abbas Musawi,
his predecessor as leader of Hezbollah. Nasrallah took over leadership in 1992 and has
popularized the party among the Muslim population, and also among non-Muslims.
Hezbollah has gained wide popular appeal by providing social services, health care and
also running Al Manar—an influential television station.
Social Services
Hezbollah has also won significant grassroots support by cultivating a social welfare system
that provides schools, clinics, and housing in the predominantly Shi‘a parts of Lebanon,
but also in others. These welfare activities are run with efficiency and rival those carried
out by the state, giving the organization even broader appeal.
International Symbol of Resistance Against Israel
Nasrallah has broader influence in the Muslim world as a figure of defiance against Israel.
Israel remains a key issue for the Muslim world and Hezbollah's aim to achieve social
justice there is central to its activities. The military successes he had in the late nineties are
seen as the main factor for Israel's withdrawal from South Lebanon in 2000. Moreover the
staunch defense put up by Hezbollah forces against Israel in July 2006 earned Nasrallah
many more supporters.
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seyyed hasan nasrallah
Secretary General of Hezbollah
Country: Lebanon
Date of Birth: 31 August 1960
Source of Influence: Political,
Development
Influence: Main political leader
of approximately 1.5 million
Lebanese Shi‘a (40% of Lebanon's
population), wider support with
the Syrian and Iranian Shi‘a
populations and those who
support his resistance to Israel
School of Thought: Traditional
Twelver Shi‘a, Revolutionary
Shi'ism