Is there a political alternative to Hizbullah among the Shiites in Lebanon?  According to the secretary general of the Arab Islamic Council in Lebanon, Sayyed Muhammad Ali Husseini the answer is positive.

In a recent interview, this Shiite figure said he plans to challenge Hizbullah in the Lebanon's 2009 parliamentary elections. Husseini noted the Council would present a list of 14 candidates who will compete for seats against Hizbullah politicians in the Shiite strongholds of south Lebanon and the Lebanon Valley.

Hussieni is a well known figure in Lebanon. In the past, some observers even suggested he was being groomed to take over the position of his current rival Hizbullah chief Hassan Nasrallah.

Over the years, the competition between the two Shiite men intensified. Hussieni has become an outspoken criric of Hizbullah and Nasrallah, particularly because his claim that the Shiite movement was implementing an Iranian agenda and not a Lebanese one. "The first issue is loyalty. We Lebanese - Shi'ites, Sunnis, Druze, and Christians - are loyal to Lebanon alone, as we have proven. Hizbullah has shifted its loyalty elsewhere, to another country," he was quoted as saying in 2007. 

In the recent interview, Hussieni added his optimism towards the elections stems from the "huge response" he gets on the ground from potential Shiite voters, who are fed up with Hizbullah policy. According to him, many Arab states and maunly the Gulf countries have been supporting his bid to challenge Hizbullah (and Amal)'s monopoly on the Shiite politics.  

Hussieni is seen as a serious threat to Hizbullah. Last monthe, the Arab Islamic Council launched an anti-Hizbullah satellite channel. The station, called "Orouba", i.e. Arabism is aimed to counter Hizbullah channel al-Manar.

© 2008 Al Bawaba (www.albawaba.com)