After Lebanon war devastation, Hezbollah suburb now booming
Property prices are soaring and commerce is thriving in Dahiyah, which was almost leveled in 2006 war.
By The Associated Press Tags: Hezbollah Iran Second Lebanon War Israel newsDahiyah - meaning the suburb in Arabic - is the Hezbollah stronghold that was heavily targeted by Israel during its war with the militant Shiite group during the Second Lebanon War in 2006. The bombardment leveled Hezbollah's headquarters as well as entire blocks across the neighborhood.
Now, the sprawling Shiite suburb of south Beirut has made a comeback after the destruction from the 2006 fighting, a symbol of the community's resilience at a time when its political patron, Hezbollah, is seeking a greater voice in Lebanon's government.
Dozens of newly built or repaired apartment blocs stand in place of those destroyed, the result of a reconstruction program led by Hezbollah, which receives millions of dollars a year in aid from its ally Iran.
Property prices are soaring. The district's main streets are congested bumper-to-bumper with cars, while uniformed Hezbollah members direct traffic. Commerce is thriving, restaurants are packed.
"Dahiyah will be more beautiful than it was before," read billboards at the construction sites that remain.
Beyond the district's ties to Hezbollah, Dahiyah is a source of pride for Lebanon's Shiites. For them, it exemplifies how the community has shaken off years of discrimination at the hands of the country's traditional powerbrokers - Christians and Sunni Muslims - and has established itself as a powerful political force.
Dahiyah literally brought Shiites closer to the center of power: It grew from nearly nothing over 30 years to become a densely packed region of apartment towers and homes for 700,000 Shiites on the southern doorstep of Beirut, historically a mainly Christian and Sunni city.
"In Beirut, people are arrogant and think the world of themselves," said Nagat Gradah, a bookstore employee in the district who, like many of its residents, migrated from Lebanon's mainly Shiite south. "But Dahiyah? It's very special."
Dahiyah's revival comes as Hezbollah is seeking to bolster its credentials as a mainstream political power.
For months, it has been in negotiations with Sunni-led pro-Western parties over the creation of a new government, in which Hezbollah and its allies would have a sizable role. The negotiations have been deadlocked, however, in a dispute over who will get which positions, fueled by suspicions in the pro-Western bloc that Hezbollah and its allies will seek to impose Syria's and Iran's agenda in the deeply divided nation.
Hezbollah is strongly backed by Syria and Iran, and it touts a powerful armed guerrilla force. But the movement also runs an extensive social welfare network and is the main political representative for Lebanon's Shiites, who make up about a third of the country's population of 4 million.
Dahiyah itself may be a sign that Shiite power is not necessarily an omen of Lebanon's "Iranization" as Hezbollah's opponents fear.
Despite its undisputed lock on Dahiyah, Hezbollah has not tried to enforce its strict interpretation of Islamic teachings in the district, a show of pragmatism perhaps aimed at casting doubt on the extremist tag critics slap on the group and increasing its appeal to secular Shiites and other sectarian groups.
Billboards advertising women's couture compete for space with billboards of bearded clerics and images of the young Hezbollah guerrillas who died fighting Israel over the years.
Women in tight pants and low-cut tops shop at boutiques with names like Pascale and La Verna where bikinis, miniskirts and hot shorts are on display in windows - much like in the more liberal districts of Beirut.
"Here in Dahiyah, we have managed to have resistance, freedom and fashion all at the same place," said Hussein al-Zein, a 40-year-old resident who runs a women's casual wear store.
"People think Lebanon is either about fighting Israel or whoring with nothing in between. In Dahiyah, we have freedom, but it has boundaries," he said at his store.
That said, the majority of women in Dahiyah dress conservatively in Islamic headscarves in public. There are no bars or liquor stores and certainly no nightclubs. European nonalcoholic beer ads in the streets don't mention the word beer, using instead the term barley drink.
Hanein Estiatieh, a graphic design student, says she has no worries about going out in jeans and a tight top in Dahiyah, her birthplace.
"I will cover up only when I marry," declares the 18-year-old.
"I don't mind her not covering up," said Aliyah Sohoura, daughter of the owner of the women's clothes store where Estiatieh works. "But I pray for her to see the light of faith," added Sohoura, who wore a headscarf and a bulky coat. The two giggled.
Dahiyah was not always a Shiite stronghold. It was once an area of small villages south of Beirut that were home to Christians and some middle-class Shiites. During Lebanon's 1975-90 civil war, tens of thousands of Shiites poured into the area from the impoverished, more rural south and east to flee fighting. The Christians largely moved out, though pockets remain.
Beirut itself is sharply divided between Sunni and Christian districts, with very few mixed areas. In the 2006 Second Lebanon War, Israel almost exclusively targeted Dahiyah and Shiite areas in the south and east, while largely steering clear of Sunni and Christian regions - which in turn fed distrust between the sects.
In May last year, sectarian tensions turned violent when Hezbollah fighters clashed with Sunni rivals and briefly seized Sunni districts at the height of a political dispute with the U.S.-backed government. Fistfights and stone-throwing have broken out occasionally since between youths from Dahiyah and adjacent Sunni districts.
Shiites' sense of solidarity in Dahiyah is reinforced by what residents see as neglect from the central government. The district gets only 12 hours of city electricity a day, compared to 19 in Beirut. Authorities blame large-scale power in Dahiyah, while residents call it discrimination.
Hezbollah handles security in the district, managing traffic and even handling crime cases like drug offenses. The group says it has no choice, saying central authorities ignore the area.
"We don't try to be a substitute for the state but we just try and come up with solutions," said Hezbollah official Ghassan Darwish. "We cannot replace the government, even if we tried".
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I worked with several Lebanese Christian Doctors in Texas Hospitals. They were solidly in favor of Israel's right wing positions to counter balance the fanatical Islamitazation of Christian Arab communities. If you are indeed a Christian (which I doubt from your post) then what happenend to all your Christian friends in Ramallah. Ramallah used to be a Christian city. I remember driving through the main street of Ramallah with beautiful villas on either side. Just ignore the reality of the rapidly dwindling Chrisitian communities throughout the Muslim Middle East and blame it all on "Israeli and Zionist crimes".
To be allowed to criticize without risking the life.Rafik Hariri in Lebanon was not that fortunate.
However, it was destroyed during wars, civil war inside Lebanon, and wars with Israel. Such a terrible waste. I pray the people of Lebanon will stand up against Hezbollah and Iran and will demand to keep their country in peace and beautiful. I pray for peace in the entire region. Life is too short to fight over land, oil, religion etc. How long are we on this planet compared to the age of this planet and to the years still to come: we are here a just a few minutes, let's enoy that precious time in peace, in harmony and in good health. - sigh - am I day dreaming - sigh -
to have brunch in beirut enjoy a coastal drive with no borders and dine in tel-aviv! i hope this can be done in my lifetime.
May be if Israel declares war against Iran and looses in a matter of five minutes, will Iran suport Israel? I remember an old movie Roar of a mouse or something similar.
Belive me Mr Beirut, Israelies enjoy if you enjoy a good life in Beirut and in any part of Lebanon. They wish south Lebanon to prosper and became a beautifull place. They wish you all the best and they ask you to have a small talk with Hizbalah letting them know that no abduct soldiers anymore. Not a single shot to help Hammas and no rearmament. That could lead again to a new debacle of Beirut and South Lebanon. Peace for peace, provocations will no be accepted. Simple as that
Maybe you have not noticed but Hezbollah did not dare send a single rocket to Israel since the war and has not tried to abduct anymore soldiers. Therefore, clearly Israel won the war.
Yes I understand an Israeli won the Nobel Prize for Chemistry this year. Didn't she say we should release all Palestinain Prisoners also? Doesn't seem to me just because a nobel Pprize winner is Israeli it means they support the policies of the Israeli government.
What a joke. Thos guys have no clue what freedom and democracy are. They are so brainwashed. They think thay are free.
It`s ironic that Israel under terrorism still seems so much more free than any place in the Arab world -TelAvivi Israel is not under terrorism my dear, it is the other war round.
So let's live in peace from TA to Beirut - We will all prosper in peace and believe it or not all the Western world will envy us at that time!
while Israel collects Nobel prices.
after 1701 had been signed, and the world giving Israel the finger as they competed to be the first into Beruit. It maybe that Iran has provided the money, but I would love to see a report how the infrastructure in Northern Israel has been repaired and how the economy of Northern Israel has since thrived. Then a direct comparison can be made on how the region has recovered since Lebanon2. For instance what are the unemployment rates in Lebanon compared to Israel, what is the average GDP. Is tourism rising or declining. What about exports? This is a none story put out by military censors to justify the coming war as Netanyahu picks on Lebanon again on the pretext of security and the IAF shows their prowess at bombing undefended civilian targets. As opposed say Iranian nuclear weapons sites.
Well it certainly wasn't Israel, now was it?
This is no surprise to hear. The world tripped over themselves to be the first to rebuild Lebanon. Meanwhile the world rushed to put as much political space between themselves and Israel. It was the original blundering mistake that has given the Goldstone report the high-profile power it now has. Without Israel's over-kill in Lebanon, the Goldstone report would have never seen a headline in any newspaper or newscast anywhere in the world.
To #2 and #4: you guys are amazing. Everyone knows that hezbollah became very popular with ALL religions within lebanon (and the world for that matter) because of the many israeli and zionist crimes committed against south lebanon for decades. As far as I hear from friends, most lebanese christians and sunnis are behind hezbollah 1000% because everyone likes to see israel lose. If israel ends their occupation of arab land (i.e. gaza strip, west bank, east jerusalem, and the golan heights), israel will have peace. Its pretty simple if you ask me. However, israel continues to ignore this peace offer, israel will be the big loser in the end. Do yourselves a favor and be wise and rational. Give back the land and make peace. Its better than losing everything down the road. Israelis used to be considered smart people.
Good life can't be allowed to prosper.
Israel invaded them three times and they had a terrible civil war but still they can rebuild the country. Well done Lebanese!
So this "district" is its own state? A terrorist state. Why are Lebanese surprised they get spanked when they attack Israel?
I believe that HZB Made That Promise! In other words, Real Estate Prices will not go up in T.A. if they cannot go up in Beirut's Southern Suburbs!
Its a wonderful thing to hear that the city has risen from the ashes that it brought onto itself by attacking the state of Israel. May you enjoy your urban delight and prosper and may that keep you away from the barbarian, bloody and evil behaviour of the past. Fat chance with Hezbollah on the scene. I do hope that Israel is not forced to go after anyone or anything Lebanese. As a previous poster has said, live and let live is Israel's approach. There is really no choice. But the hope is live and let live.
The pride festival wasn't exacly held in peace in Tel Aviv...we all know what the ortodox jews did.....da...and if this festival was held in Jerusalem I'm sure the gay people would had got killed...Israel is far away from USA and Europe...
I have read the comments so far and I like them. Israelis and Beirutis are bragging which city is more tolerant TA or Beirut... This is great keep comparing and competing with words and throw your guns away...
So you got a taste of freedom Beruiti? don.t worry your leaders won't let it last long. I see you don't have a clue about how we live. What you stated is normal here to us.Come down and visit and get to know us just as you read and post in our newspapers. We have a democracy on steroids something your leaders won't let you enjoy.
dont they understand that they will get bombed again ? Its only a matter of time when the 'resistance' movement will start up again
This kind of prosperity is conducive to peace.
keep it there
all it may mean are renewed targets. It is the obligation and responsibility of the "Lebanese" and the part of their government that is not controlled by Hezbollah and Iran to make sure the new buildings are not fronts for rocket launchers again or they will again become legitimate targets! The "Lebanese" have the choice!
have you by any chance see Nasrallah walking down the street? please let us know when and where.
Dear neighbor, I have been to Beirut, and yes, it is a vibrant city that left a positive impression on me. (Obviously, I went on a foreign passport and did not disclose my Israeli identity.) But even if was not Israeli, as a Tel Avivi, I can promise you that if you visited here, you would see what Beirut could become one day. It's ironic that Israel under terrorism still seems so much more free than any place in the Arab world.
... confirm the bombing of Dahiyah, "sprawling Shiite suburb of south Beirut", to be a war crime.
they see the cheese and not the trap
To answer your question: In June 2007, an international Bear Arabia Gathering was held in Beirut, many foreigners came to participate.
He talks about the ultra religious and the secular together in southern Beirut. Now how many ultras are there in Tel Aviv? Look east to Jerusalem and you find ultra-orthodox and secular in numbers in the same city...at each others throats, or striclty segregated.
You state: "We are light years ahead of you in terms of secularism and modernity."- So, when were the last Gay Pride festivities held in Beirut? You must be dreaming! Tel Aviv is dozens of years ahead of your beautiful city when it comes to medernity and tolerance.
Seems to me all of Lebanons problems have been internal. Sunni vs Shia vs Christian. Israel does not want to get involved in your politics unless it spills over into Israel. Leave Israel alone and Israel will leave you alone. Shabbat Shalom
I'm sure Nasrallah doesn't share your enthusiasm.
No wonder the northern border is quiet and likely to stay quiet.
An interesting and vibrant part of Beirut, where conservative women walk hand in hand with women in mini skirts. I love escaping the trendiness of Beirut to spend a few hours in the "southern suburb". If Israeli?s really knew Beirut, they would be disgusted every time their Fascist government bombed it. We are light years ahead of you in terms of secularism and modernity. Please catch up and join the peace loving world!