Grand Ayatollah Mohammed Hussein Fadlallah passed away today. He was a major figure in Shi'ite religion, and lived in Lebanon. He was considered fairly modern and moderate. Fadlallah and Hizbollah helped establish hospitals and orphanages in Lebanon. Fadlallah condemned the 9-11 attacks, and even helped women's rights by explaining that Islam did not say a woman's primary job was in the home - that is defined by her marriage contract.
In the Middle East, everything is not either black or white. Oftentimes, this is hard to explain to Americans. If you mention Hizbollah or Hamas, most people will refer to them as terrorists. That's only partly true. Yes, Hizbollah and Hamas have launched horrible terror attacks and killed innocent civilians. They also have political branches, which run for office, and charity branches. It's very difficult for a Palestinian widow to condemn Hamas, when Hamas is the organization that brings her food for her children every week. Or clothes for her children every few months.
If anyone has a problem with "terror" organizations running for office, I have one word for you: Ireland. Add to that, the Fatah Party started as a terrorist organization and Yasser Arafat was a major terrorist before he became a Palestinian leader. At some point, you have to recognize that Hamas and Hizbollah are not going away and start to deal with them. It worked with Fatah.
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