Abstract:
Sunni Islamist movements in Lebanon, particularly in the North, have grown in
number against the backdrop of Syrian conflict. Islamist’s appeal has attracted a
large segment of the Sunni youth population, radicalized by fear of Shiite and
Alawite dominance. Mobilization has been based on sectarian indoctrination that
stresses their distinction while pursuing an Islamic State. This thesis draws an
investigatory situational analysis in order to reveal the development of various
Islamists strands in Northern Lebanon. It questions Islamists’ willingness to join the
Lebanese consociational system and explores prerequisites for their participation.
The research design reveals the circumstances under which a sectarian exclusionary
movement may ultimately yield to consociationalism and power sharing political
arrangement. The hypothesis associates relative deprivation views with
consociational and plural politics. A series of interviews with Salafist leaders and
activists demonstrate views toward own state of affairs, compared to others, and
ultimately capture comparative different attitude toward coexistence and power
sharing.
