Lebanon’s National Media Agency reported on Wednesday (December 16, 2020) that the permanent military tribunal headed by Brigadier General Mounir Shehadeh issued two default judgments against singer Fadel Shaker.
The first ruling was a 15-year prison sentence for the undercover Lebanese singer, whose real name is Fadl Shamander, with forced labor and stripping him of his civil rights after being convicted of “interfering in criminal acts of terrorism committed by terrorists with the knowledge of the issue by providing logistics services, “according to the source.
As for the second ruling, he was sentenced to seven years in prison with forced labor and deprivation of his civil rights, and a fine of five million Lebanese pounds (about $ 3,300 according to the official exchange rate), on charges of financing the Armed “Al-Asir group” (relating to Lebanese militant Sheikh Ahmed Al-Assir, currently in prison). And spending on its personnel and ensuring the price of weapons and ammunition of war. “
On June 23, 2013, clashes broke out between Al-Assir supporters and the Lebanese army in the town of Abra, near Sidon, the largest city in southern Lebanon, following an attack by the Al-Assir group in a army checkpoint, in which 18 soldiers and 11 militants died.
This is not the first time that Shakir, who was previously sentenced to five years in prison in 2016 and to 15 years in prison in 2017 in the case of “Abra Events” between the Lebanese army and the Ahmed al-Assir group, has been sentenced, but he obtained an acquittal verdict in 2018, according to Reuters. .
Shaker, 51, had retired from the art in late 2012 and partnered with the Salafi group Ahmed Al-Asir before reappearing and announcing his return to singing in 2018. Shaker was very popular in Lebanon and the Arab world, before his retirement and join those close to Sheikh Al-Asir. His romantic songs in the past invaded the Arab world, and in recent years he has returned to sing through some releases that he published on social networks that achieved a notable following. Two days ago, he released a new song in Egyptian dialect on his official YouTube channel, which surpassed the threshold of two million views.
Shakir’s public appearance in recent years has been limited to a few media appearances, with reports confirming that he resides in the Ain al-Hilweh Palestinian refugee camp near Sidon.
Shaker, who was born in Sidon in 1969, has around 11 private albums and more than twenty singles.
AJM / WB (AFP, Reuters)
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Lebanon turns 100 … from mountain sects to a state on the brink of collapse
Sedition of Mount Lebanon
Various sects inhabited the areas known today as Lebanon, especially the Mount Lebanon region. But the most prominent sects were six: Maronites, Orthodox and Catholics, and on the other side the Druze, Sunnis and Shiites. The mountain remained under the control of the Ottomans, but it witnessed serious sectarian tensions, especially the massacres between the Druze and Maronites in 1860. European powers intervened in the region, especially France, and Mount Lebanon, under European pressure, witnessed the establishment of the “mutasarrifiyya” system, which strengthened the Maronite presence.
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Lebanon turns 100 … from mountain sects to a state on the brink of collapse
The rise of Greater Lebanon
After the defeat of the Ottomans in World War I, France was able to impose its mandate on Lebanon after its expansion to include the Bekaa and the State of Beirut, in addition to delimiting the borders with Syria. Joseph Bahout says in an article on Carnegie that France aimed to create a quasi-national home for Christians in the Middle East, but Muslim sects vehemently rejected the new situation. Lebanon declared its independence in 1943 at the hands of President Bechara El-Khoury, but the evacuation of French forces did not occur until 1946.
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Lebanon turns 100 … from mountain sects to a state on the brink of collapse
The National Charter
Lebanon’s declaration of independence witnessed what is known as the National Pact, which gave the presidency of the state to the Maronites, the post of prime minister to the Sunnis, and the presidency of Parliament to the Shiites. The purpose of the letter was to facilitate independence, so that Christians would not ask for the protection of France and Muslims would not demand unity with Syria. The letter was not drafted, but it has remained in use in the country ever since, and observers believe it caused the sectarian problems in the country as it was the basis of the quota system.
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Lebanon turns 100 … from the sects of the mountains to a country on the brink of collapse
Ending Shamon’s rule
Beirut has become a city that brings everyone together since the years of independence, but the outbreak of the Arab-Israeli conflict cast a shadow over a country struggling to create its identity. Beirut welcomed thousands of Palestinian refugees, as well as Arab immigrants, and witnessed economic growth, but at the same time, warring Arab powers have focused their influence on the city ever since. However, the most prominent event that Beirut witnessed in the 1950s was the uprising against President Camille Chamoun, who had strong ties to the West.
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Lebanon turns 100 … from mountain sects to a state on the brink of collapse
The Shehab era
Among Lebanon’s most respected presidents is Fouad Chehab, who ruled the country from 1958 to 1964 and rejected an extension despite his overwhelming popularity. During Shehab’s reign, much stability was achieved in the country, despite the criticism leveled at him for strengthening the role of the intelligence services after the coup attempt. Then came Charles Helou, who tried to follow Shehabi’s approach by not preferring any political party over another, but the country witnessed various economic problems during his reign, which paved the door for Suleiman Franjieh to succeed him.
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Lebanon turns 100 … from mountain sects to a state on the brink of collapse
Civil war breaks out
Lebanon witnessed the signing of the Cairo Agreement in 1969 between the Palestinian factions in the refugee camps and the Lebanese state, so as not to repeat skirmishes between the two parties, according to which the Palestinian armed presence in Lebanon was recognized. The Lebanese left supported the Palestinians, while the right, which was made up mainly of Maronite organizations, rejected them. With the rise of Palestinian influence, frictions with the right-wing forces multiplied and civil war officially broke out in April 1975.
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Lebanon turns 100 … from the sects of the mountains to a country on the brink of collapse
Beirut is on fire
Beirut was divided into the east, under the control of right-wing forces, and the west by Palestinians and left-wing forces. The sectarian rivalry between Muslims and Christians increased the war, especially with the social imbalances between them. The Syrian intervention increased the price of the war, as did Israel when it invaded Lebanon in 1982 and besieged West Beirut, prompting the evacuation of Palestinian militants, but the war did not end, and after that, clashes occurred even within of the allied parties.
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Lebanon turns 100 … from the sects of the mountains to a country on the brink of collapse
Hezbollah is victorious
The war officially ended in 1991, two years after the signing of the Taif Agreement. The war witnessed horrible massacres such as those of Karantina, Damour, Sabra and Shatila, and cameras documented horrible scenes such as the siege of Beirut and the war in the countryside. Subsequently, the Shiite organizations were strengthened, especially Hezbollah, which is linked to Iran, and the organization remained in possession of its weapons after the dissolution of all the militias, thus the influence of the armed organizations of the right, left and Palestinian it declined, and Syria assured its continued presence in the country.
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Lebanon turns 100 … from mountain sects to a state on the brink of collapse
The murders continue
Lebanon was relatively stable in the 1990s, but the millennium years saw armed clashes between Hezbollah and Israel in the summer of 2006, but the most violent earthquake was the assassination of Rafik Hariri, the former prime minister who contributed to the reconstruction of Lebanon. One of the results of the assassination was the departure of Syrian forces as a result of what became known as the “Cedar Revolution”. In those years, the country witnessed the continuation of political assassinations in which accusations were brought against Damascus, such as the murder of communist George Hawi and journalist Samir Kassir.
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Lebanon turns 100 … from mountain sects to a state on the brink of collapse
The Lebanon movement
For the first time in the country’s history, hundreds of thousands of Lebanese came out in 2019 to reject the sectarian quota system, demanding the departure of the political class as a whole. The protests took place in the face of the continuing deterioration of the economic situation and high rates of corruption, which led to the resignation of the Saad Hariri government and the formation of the Hassan Diab government, who in turn resigned following the bombing in the Beirut port, which killed nearly two hundred people. Report: Ismail Azzam
Writer: Ismail Azzam
