The Islamic Group ( ) abbreviated as the acronym JI is a

Sunni Sunni Islam is the largest branch of Islam and the largest religious denomination in the world. It holds that Muhammad did not appoint any successor and that his closest companion Abu Bakr () rightfully succeeded him as the caliph of the Mu ...

Islamist political party in

Lebanon Lebanon, officially the Republic of Lebanon, is a country in the Levant region of West Asia. Situated at the crossroads of the Mediterranean Basin and the Arabian Peninsula, it is bordered by Syria to the north and east, Israel to the south ...

. Jamaa Islamiya was founded in 1964 as the Lebanese branch of the

Muslim Brotherhood The Society of the Muslim Brothers ('' ''), better known as the Muslim Brotherhood ( ', is a transnational Sunni Islamist organization founded in Egypt by Islamic scholar, Imam and schoolteacher Hassan al-Banna in 1928. Al-Banna's teachings s ...

. In fact, it was established by young members of 'Ibad al Rahman (or the Worshipers of the Merciful). Its origins, as documented by Nizar Hamzeh, go back to the height of

Gamal Abdel Nasser Gamal Abdel Nasser Hussein (15 January 1918 – 28 September 1970) was an Egyptian military officer and revolutionary who served as the second president of Egypt from 1954 until his death in 1970. Nasser led the Egyptian revolution of 1952 a ...

's efforts at Arab unity in the mid-1960s. It supports the idea of establishing a legal order in Lebanon that is based on Islamic shari'a. As a local branch it closely follows the doctrines of the Muslim Brotherhood.

Fathi Yakan Fathi Yakan (born Fathi Mohamed Anaya; ; ), February 9, 1933 – June 13, 2009) was an Islamic cleric who held a seat in the parliament of Lebanon in 1992. He was born in Tripoli. Life He was among the pioneers of the Islamic movement in t ...

was the group's grandfather and main ideologue who is a veteran Islamist scholar and preacher from

Tripoli Tripoli or Tripolis (from , meaning "three cities") may refer to: Places Greece *Tripolis (region of Arcadia), a district in ancient Arcadia, Greece * Tripolis (Larisaia), an ancient Greek city in the Pelasgiotis district, Thessaly, near Larissa ...

. Its ex-leader is Ibrahim Al-Masri, who succeeded its former leader Faisal Mawlawi due to sickness. The party entered the

2009 Lebanese general election Parliamentary elections were held in Lebanon on 7 June 2009 to elect all 128 members of the Parliament of Lebanon. Although general elections are held every four years, this parliament due to various reasons stayed in power until the 2018 gene ...

beside the

Future Movement The Future Movement () is a Lebanese political party affiliated with the Sunni sect. The party was founded as a coalition in 1995 led by Rafic Hariri which was known as the Hariri Bloc but was officially founded in 2007. The party is led by Saad ...

in Beirut's 3rd electoral district. Currently they have 1 seat in the

Lebanese Parliament The Lebanese Parliament (, ) is the unicameral national parliament of the Lebanon, Republic of Lebanon. There are 128 members elected to a four-year term in Electoral district, multi-member constituencies, apportioned among Lebanon's divers ...

Military wing

The Islamic Group's armed wing, the al-Fajr Forces (), launched missiles into

Israel Israel, officially the State of Israel, is a country in West Asia. It Borders of Israel, shares borders with Lebanon to the north, Syria to the north-east, Jordan to the east, Egypt to the south-west, and the Mediterranean Sea to the west. Isr ...

during the

2023 Israel-Lebanon border clashes 3 (three) is a number, numeral (linguistics), numeral and numerical digit, digit. It is the natural number following 2 and preceding 4, and is the smallest odd prime number and the only prime preceding a square number. It has religious and cul ...

, in what '' The National'' called a "resurgence... after almost 20 years of relative inactivity." Bassem Hammoud, the deputy head of the Islamic Group's political bureau, clarified that his party was "not in complete alignment with

Hezbollah Hezbollah ( ; , , ) is a Lebanese Shia Islamist political party and paramilitary group. Hezbollah's paramilitary wing is the Jihad Council, and its political wing is the Loyalty to the Resistance Bloc party in the Lebanese Parliament. I ...

... t we are with them in terms of resistance against Israel." On 10 March 2024, three members of the Islamic Group were killed after an Israeli strike on the town of Aqroub. On April 26, an Israeli drone strike on a car in Meidoun killed two Islamic Group members, including senior commander Mosab Khalaf. On 18 July 2024, an IDF strike on a car in Ghazzeh, eastern Lebanon killed Mohammad Hamed Gebara, an Islamic Group commander who planned and conducted attacks in collaboration with

Hamas The Islamic Resistance Movement, abbreviated Hamas (the Arabic acronym from ), is a Palestinian nationalist Sunni Islam, Sunni Islamism, Islamist political organisation with a military wing, the Qassam Brigades. It has Gaza Strip under Hama ...

Media

In 2008, members of the Islamic Group formed al Fajr Radio which offers educational and religious programs. It is equally shared by multiple members of the party.

References

External links

Islamic Group official site
{{DEFAULTSORT:Islamic Group 1964 establishments in Lebanon Anti-Israeli sentiment in Lebanon Axis of Resistance Conservative parties in Lebanon Islamic organizations established in 1964 Islamic political parties in Lebanon March 14 Alliance Political parties affiliated with the Muslim Brotherhood Political parties established in 1964 Political parties in Lebanon Sunni Islamic political parties

Military wing

Media

See also

References

External links