Hezbollah is a fascistic, sectarian organization

I would like to recall one of the two ways my opponent defined for winning the debate:"Pro needs to show that there is something in the nature of the organization of Hezbollah that is fascistic and sectarian. For example, Pro needs to show that the organization's mission statement, goals and funding, speeches, structure etc. are inherently fascistic and sectarian. "Naim Qassem is a Lebanese cleric and politician who happens to be the Deputy Secretary-General of Hezbollah, which makes him the second in command after Nasrallah[1]. He also played an important role in the foundation activities of Hezbollah before he was appointed to his current position in 1992, and is considered one of the founding members of the organization[2]. His book, "Hezbollah," is an important book which explains the story of Hezbollah from within, explaining the foundations and missions of such an organization, and the book has been republished by the author himself in 2010[3]. My opponent completely ignored Qassem's book, when it was used to prove that the mission statement and ultimate goals of Hezbollah are both fascistic and sectarian: “Sectarian” because Hezbollah is planning to establish a Shiite state after it defeats Israel, and “fascistic” because the nature of that state would be like the Iranian regime and under the same Ayatollah[4]. Concerning the speeches, I provided a speech of Hassan Nasrallah that my opponent attacked ferociously claiming it was unofficial, outdated and without a clear context. However, it turns out that video was actually accurate, given that Nasrallah's claims in that speech match perfectly with Naem Qassem's claims in "Hezbollah. " Qasem's citations were presented in the previous round, so that I could respond to any objections here, but I didn't get any from my opponent. A- Refutation of my opponent's argumentsImagine a prosecutor providing pictures, testimonies and eye-witnesses that convict a person of selling drugs in the past, and yet getting an objection from the defender that the suspect was never convicted or trailed, and so the good evidence provided by the prosecutor is not actually “proof. ” This summarizes my opponent's tactic so far when it comes to claims convicting Hezbollah of atrocities. In this section, I'm going to deal with the arguments put forth by my opponent in the previous round:A1- Con argues that Anti-Hezbollah protesters in front of the Iranian embassy where beaten by identified thugs that have nothing to do with Hezbollah. This claim has not even been made by Al Manar TV (Hezbollah's official channel) or Pro-Hezbollah media. My opponent has not offered us one shred of evidence or proper citation for this claim, which means that this is just pure speculation. Pro goes further and argues, “Most news sources have assumed that the thugs were "Hezbollah supporters" because of their yellow armbands, and yellow is the color of Hezbollah's flag. ” First of all, Hezbollah are well-known for their “black shirt” forces[2]. Hezbollah supporters refer to them as “Qowaat Al Intibatt. ” Second of all, Hezbollah has used yellow armbands on many occasions(picture below). Hezbollah soldiers in Alepo, Syria. My opponent can argue that the thugs were pretending to be Hezbollah members, but it is clear that Hezbollah did not make any public statement denouncing what happened or accusing a third group of such a serious crime. Also, I gave evidence above that Hezbollah members refused the burial of Hashem Salman in his hometown, which was clearly a fascistic measure that acts as evidence for Hezbollah's involvement in what happened. A2- Con argues that Anti-Hezbolah Shiah cleric, Sayyed El Husseini was not persecuted but just threatened by some “Lebanese and Iranians” who have nothing to do with Hezbollah. My opponent's title was “Sayyed Mohammad Ali El Husseini: what persecution? ” On the first glance, you might think that such an interview is misplaced, given that is published on Persecution. org. A further read with give you those citations: “My translator Henry informed me that Lebanese journalists are no longer allowed to publish or interview Sayyed Husseini. Dissent from the likes of this man is intolerable and has to be smashed. Hezbollah issued its threats. ” [Reporter's Narration]“Hezbollah worked to stop my ability to continue publishing in the newspaper. So I rely on foreign journalists to tell the world what I and my friends think. " [Sayyed Mohammad Ali El Husseini speaking]“He took my hand and asked me if I would please put him in contact with institutions and human rights organizations in the West. He feels, and is, extremely isolated thanks to Iran and Hezbollah. ” [Reporter's Narration] All that. .. and Con argues, “Pro claims that Husseini was persecuted by Hezbollah, but I have read Pro's (rather long) source through twice and - once again - there is no evidence of this at all. ” Nonetheless, my opponent raises a good objection by asking why such a man is allowed to live in the “Dahieh” district: (1) He doesn't have any controversial books, (2) He is a Sayyed (from the Prophet's lineage) and (3) He doesn't have a good number of supporters. The three points can be deduced from the citation (persecution. org/? p=6241&upm_export=print) which I urge everyone to read. I'm going to focus on the second point. Sayyeds are given noble statuses and that usually save them from being killed or severely punished, even if they were controversial figures. Take for example Sayyed Ahmad Qabbanji who rejects the Prophecy of Mohammad, ridicules the Qur'an, attacks Islam and yet lives in Iraq[6]. He was arrested once when visiting Iran, but he was released. A3- Con argues that Rami Olaik is making the whole thing up for book publicity. Rami Olaik is already a popular author because of his book "The Road of the Bees. " He doesn't need to blow up his anyone's home to become popular. Rami in the citation said “my home” but the journalist added grandmother's home between brackets to indicate that it is also his grandmother's home. In South Lebanon, most citizens have two homes, one in the city(usually Beirut) where high education and work is available, and another in the village where the elders stay and the family stays on the weekends. A4- Con argues that Moustapha Geha(junior) faked his own assassination attempt and lied about his father's assassination just so he could easily immigrate to Sweden. My opponent has not responded to the objections and contrary evidence I presented in the previous round, even when she had the chance to do so. In conclusion, the debate is mainly between cases supported with good evidence and conspiracy theories presented as if they are better alternatives. B- On 7 May and Hezbollah's actions In 7 may, instead of protesting against the government for a plan to remove its communication network, Hezbollah chose the fascistic approach which was to attack towns and villages, forcing the government to follow its orders. The war and military operations were started by Hezbollah; ending it doesn't give them any credit. Moreover, this is—blatant fascism—regardless if the consequences where good or bad(remember the appeal to consequences logical fallacy). My opponent claims that Hezbollah's behaviour is similar to all Lebanese parties. This is untrue. I use the Lebanese Choice Party as a contrary example to that claim. Thanks for reading. [1] aljazeera. com/news/middleeast/2007/11/2008525183720231945. html[2] thefreelibrary. com/Sayyed+Nasrallah+re-elected+for+another+term. -a0214528324[3] amazon. com/Hizbullah-Hezbollah-Within-Naim-Qassem/dp/0863566995/ref=sr_1_2? s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1374268681&sr=1-2[4] Hizbullah (Hezbollah): The Story from Within by Naim Qassem. Publication Date: January 1, 2005. [5] now. mmedia. me/lb/en/commentaryanalysis/the_tyranny_of_the_black_shirts[6] memri. org/report/en/print7015. htm