The chant that the Shi'ite Lebanese have taken up in the past few days in their re-emergence into the streets has some significance. They chant "Shi'a, Shi'a", which thus far has been interpreted as a sectarian chant with the intent of provocation, but I think it goes deeper.
This chant is in fact a suitable microcosm of the general feeling among the Shi'ite population as a whole towards the protest movement, and is a statement of presence, and indeed of defiance.
On the first hand, the Sayyid calling upon his people to leave the streets in order to avoid clashes has had an unfortunate but inevitable byproduct: the Shi'a population generally feel isolated from the movements and alienated from the movement on the streets.
But in addition to this, and more dangerously, there has been undeniable pressure to turn the protest movements against the arms of the resistance, and thus by extension against the sanctity of the Shi'a base as a whole.
Even if only a portion of the protest movement has taken up the call against the resistance, there have still been provocations against the Shi'a in general, particularly on the highways in the South (even before the tragic incident on Monday)l
For a portion of the population that feels both alienated from the movement and also at least partly targeted by it, the road blocks in general come to represent a danger to the country and are easily perceived as acts of reckless sabotage (which to an extent they are).
This also plays directly into memories of the historical marginalization of the Shi'a population of Lebanon and their suppressed existence prior to the emergence of Hizbullah (which is precisely what is being partly targeted).
With this potent combination of circumstances, it should be no surprise that the Shi'a population feels like they are almost being ushered into a prior status quo of humiliation and suppression of their identity.
"Never to humiliation" (هيهات منا الذلة) is not just a slogan, but a way of life for the Shi'a. And so it should hardly be surprising to see them no longer suffering this perceived humiliation in silence, but rather affirming their identity loudly with the words "Shi'a!, Shia!'".
This commentary comes from a non-Shi'i, based on observation of my Shi'a brothers' and sisters' reactions, and I invite them to correct me if I have misrepresented them in any way. My intention is but to show something beyond petty sectarianism behind recent events and slogans.
