Although Hizballah’s military and terrorist operations are planned and conducted entirely by men, the organization relies on the support of a large number of Lebanese women who depend on the social services it provides, often get jobs working for its civilian institutions, are supported by the paychecks of their husbands or sons who are Hizballah fighters, and can expect a lifetime stipend if these fighters are “martyred.” But as the fighting in Syria takes its toll, social services and compensation for the families of “martyrs” have been cut, and young widows are being pressured by the organization into a form of legal prostitution in which they are “assigned” to terrorists on leave. Increasingly, writes Hanin Ghaddar, these developments have led to friction:
Hizballah’s institutions constitute an alternative economic structure that hires and attracts [both] men and women. A girl in Hizballah’s community is brought up in the organization’s schools. She is expected to work in Hizballah institutions, marry a Hizballah fighter, and promote Hizballah’s values both outside and inside her family. The “Party of God” knows that a disciplined and committed woman can raise disciplined and committed fighters. It is a system that physically reproduces itself.
But the endless war in Syria is producing cracks in the system, and women are no longer as engaged as they used to be—or being compensated for their sacrifices the way that men are. . . . [T]he wives of the new recruits . . . are not necessarily Hizballah members and are generally not committed to the ideology or the war, but they are part of the community that the party allegedly is protecting. They are mostly from poor families. [If widowed], these women tend to suffer [the most] financially. . . .
Women are Hizballah’s main internal problem. The war in Syria means they are losing sons, brothers, and husbands. It is marginalizing their role in the party, and pushing the poorest among them to the edge of survival. . . . The communal frustration and inequities that the war continues to exacerbate and deepen may soon lead to an explosion.
Read more on Tablet: http://www.tabletmag.com/jewish-news-and-politics/215483/hezbollah-women