Supreme Islamic Shia Council

Supreme Islamic Shia Council (abbreviated as SISC), (Arabic: المجلس الإسلامي الشيعي الأعلى‎ pronounced as Al Majles al Islaami al Shi'i al A'la) is the supreme body of the Shias of Lebanon and an official entity meant to give the Shia more say in government. It was established in 1967[1] by Sayyid Musa al-Sadr.[2]

Establishment

The aim of Imam Musa al-Sadr was the decrease of poverty and deprivation in Lebanon. So he needed to found new political, economics and educational institutes. As the first step, Imam Musa al-Sadr established the Supreme Islamic Shia Council (SISC). Imam Musa al-Sadr was formed a social movement by religion. He as the representative of ’Supreme Islamic Shia Council organized resource by using his effective and established institutes such as occupational institutes.[3]

The first council was made up of 9 individuals with 3 representing the religious establishment and 6 from the notable Shia figures in Lebanon with five being members of the Lebanese Parliament. They were Imam Musa al-Sadr (as president), Sheikh Suleiman al Yahfoufi, Sheikh Khalil Ibrahim Yassin, MPs Sabri Hamadeh, Hussein el-Husseini, Fadlallah Dandache, Mohammad Abbas Yaghi, Mahmoud Ammar and the journalist Riad Taha. Also prominent in the establishment of the Council were Sheikh Mohammad Mehdi Shamseddine who later headed the Council after the disappearance of Imam Musa al-Sadr as well as Sheikh Mahmoud Rida Farhat who was the General Director of the Council.

Supreme Islamic Shia Council (in Lebanon) is the Shia independent organizations from Sunnis. The Shii intelligentsia and customary elites had participated in this council actively. Demands of Supreme Islamic shia Council was related particularly to defenses in southern Lebanon, development funds, construction and improvement of schools and hospitals, an increased number of Shia appointees into Lebanese government positions in order to improve living conditions and prospects for future employment for the Lebanese Shia and provide more proportional representation in the Lebanese government.[2]

See also

References
  1. Nawal, Mustafa. "Amal and Harakat Al-Mahrumun: The Rise of Shi'a Social Movements in Lebanon". http://auislandora.wrlc.org. External link in |website= (help)
  2. Esposito, John L. (2004). Oxford Dictionary of Islam. Oxford University Press. p. 307. ISBN 978-0195125597.
  3. Simbar, Reza; Zibaei, Mehdi (2011). "Political Islam: Moderation or Radicalism? Case Study of Political Islam with Respect to Lebanon Hezbollah". Journal of International and Area Studies. 18 (1): 65–86. JSTOR 43111491.
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