Lebanese Resistance Detachments, Movement of Hope

Amal was formed in 1975 by the Iranian Imam Musa Sadr.  Despite the founder's Iranian heritage, Amal was expressly formed to protect and increase the influence of Lebanon's Shi'ite Muslim population.  In addition, the group was interested in establishing a theocratic Islamic state.   The group's name, Amal, has a double meaning.  While Amal means "hope" in Arabic, it also represents an acronym of "Afwaj al Muqawama al Lubnaniya," or in English, "Lebanese Resistance Detachments."  <P><br /><br />In 1974, Musa Sadr founded the "Movement of the Deprived" to advance the political interests of the Shi'ites in Lebanon.  Upon the outbreak of Lebanon's civil war in 1975, Musa Sadr established Amal as the military wing of the Movement of the Deprived.  Amal, a non-state actor, would eventually kill dozens through its terrorist attacks.   Amal gained legitimacy with an increasing number of Lebanese Shi'ites following Israel's invasion of Lebanon in 1978 and the accompanying clashes between Israelis and Palestinians in southern Lebanon. <p><br /><br />With the death of Musa Sadr in 1978, Amal's leadership passed to Nabih Berri.  As opposed to the clergyman Musa Sadr, Nabih Berri was a secular politician.  Consequently, Berri was more interested in the nationalist goals of the Lebanese Shi'tites rather than any objectives to create a theocratic Islamic state.  Despite Berri's secularism, Amal benefited from the 1978-1979 Iranian revolution.  From 1979 to 1982, Amal received financial assistance from Iran. In 1982, Iran founded Hezbollah to counter the Israeli forces that had entered Lebanon to destroy PLO's Lebanese base.  With Hezbollah's founding, Amal lost Iran's financial backing.  Around 1985, Syria initiated financial assistance to Amal.

Amal's significance has decreased substantially since its founding.  The death of Musa Sadr, the group's founder, damaged the group.  In addition, ongoing rivalries with Hezbollah have weakened the group.  As a result of Amal's weakness, many of the group's members abandoned Amal to join Hezbollah.