Word: hassan
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...week confrontation with militants inspired by al-Qaeda. And a series of bomb attacks and the assassination of a Sunni politician last month underscore the deep divisions tearing apart this tiny country. Those divisions have steadily widened since last year's monthlong war. Then, Hizballah's leader, Sheikh Hassan Nasrallah, was the toast of the Arab street, after fighting the Israeli army to a standstill. Hizballah soon came under intense domestic and international pressure to disarm, but it has managed to replenish its arsenal with the aid of its patrons, Iran and Syria, according to Lebanese officials and Hizballah members...
...Hassan about her goals for her students. "We all teach by example," she answers. "When we live according to God's law, we are successful, and others will emulate us." How far would she go to defend this principle? I never get an answer. Hassan looks out the window. Government rangers, a kind of paramilitary force, are trying to cordon off the madrasah complex with razor wire. The male students are fighting them off. "Emergency!" Hassan declares, and leaps to her feet. The teacher's lounge, a room of brightly dressed women, is doused in black as students and teachers...
...firing slows, and Hassan strides into the courtyard triumphant. "Good news," she announces. "Our boys stole four guns from the rangers." The atmosphere is electric. Aman's headscarf and robe are dripping with water. I realize that the head-to-toe shrouds serve another purpose: sopping wet, they provide excellent protection against tear gas. Aman's eyes, though bloodshot, are exultant. "We are students, not fighters, but if the government pushes us to fight, so be it," she says. "God will give us the power to win." I ask if she is afraid. "We are not frightened," she says...
Outside, male students are battling the rangers. "Emergency!" the seminary's headmistress, Umma Hassan, declares, and she leaps to her feet. Students and teachers don battle gear over their tunics and pants: dark, floor-length robes and headscarves that show only their eyes. Stout bamboo staffs appear out of nowhere. A Sten gun flashes from beneath Hassan's robe...
...firing slows, and Hassan strides into the courtyard triumphant. "Good news," she says. "Our boys stole four guns from the rangers." The atmosphere is electric. Aman eventually finds me. She wants to go back out to help her comrades. I realize that the head-to-toe shrouds serve another purpose: sopping wet, they provide excellent protection against tear gas. Aman's eyes, though bloodshot, are exultant. "We are never afraid," she says. "One day all lives will end, and if this is the case, then why not give our life to Islam?" The battle lasts six hours and claims...