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In memory of Layan,
Talin, and Remas Mahmoud Hejazi,
killed on November 6, 2023, in South Lebanon.
In this second part of the article concerning the educational and social legacy of Imam Mohammed Mehdi Chamseddine, This Is Beirut revisits the main institutions set up by the Charitable and Cultural Association (CCA), founded in 1966 by Imam Chamseddine, highlighting the humanist and Lebanese philosophy driving the association’s actions and projects.
Adduha School and Modoon University
Besides the establishment of the Islamic University, Imam Mohammed Mehdi Chamseddine embarked on founding various schools and institutions that were continued by his son, former Minister Ibrahim Chamseddine, such as the Adduha School (“The Rising Day” in Arabic, the title of Chapter 93 of the Quran), inaugurated in 1991, which provides specialized education adapting to each child’s needs, especially for students with specific requirements. In 2023, the institution, led by Ibrahim’s daughter Nisrine Chamseddine, situated on the outskirts of the southern suburbs of Beirut, enrolled over 80 students, including 43 with special needs.
For Imam Chamseddine, real development starts “by providing people with the means to develop through education,” explains Ibrahim Chamseddine in an interview with This Is Beirut.
However, the idea behind such educational projects isn’t to replace the state. Ibrahim Chamseddine clarifies that since 1966, the association’s mission has been to intervene “if society or the people need a particular service, to ensure these services until the state can.”
Nevertheless, in the present context, the monopoly of representation imposed by certain Shiite parties (Ibrahim Chamseddine emphasizes that there’s no “greater absurdity than talking about a Shiite party”) blocks any initiative from civil society on which these parties don’t have influence, especially in the southern suburbs of Beirut.
This is evident in the blocking of the Modoon University project. The CCA had initiated the plan for a private university within the Beirut campus (adjacent to the Adduha School). A collaboration with AUB was underway and plans were ready. However, the project was “halted due to political pressure exerted by parties representing the Shiite authorities (Amal and Hezbollah, editor’s note),” regrets Ibrahim Chamseddine. “We don’t have militias, we don’t resort to illegal procedures. Hence, we were exposed, and the “Shiite parties” managed to exert pressure on institutions, and the university project was halted six years ago,” he continues, emphasizing the complete independence of the CCA from political parties.
Amid the stagnant political environment, the kind of institutions proposed by the CCA “must be present.” “Until now, some people donate but insist that their names not be made public because they don’t want to face pressure,” says Ibrahim Chamseddine.
Islamic Technical Institute
The Islamic Technical Institute in Ghobeiri was another significant project of the CCA. This vocational training school operated from 1983 to 2015. Including a boarding section, the institute could accommodate over 200 students. Born in the context of the civil war, the importance of this now-defunct project was that it mirrored Imam Chamseddine’s educational philosophy, who had faith in the youth’s future, preparing them for post-war times, especially after the Israeli invasions (Operation Litani in 1978 and Operation Peace for Galilee in 1982) that caused a significant displacement of the predominantly Shiite population in the South. In a 1984 brochure from the CCA, the mission of these educational projects is explicitly stated: “Faced with the drama of discord… alongside immediate and urgent aid, it was necessary to establish institutions capable of accommodating young people and training them to enter active life.”
Sayyeda Zeinab
The projects carried out by the association extend beyond Beirut. Baalbeck and South Lebanon are also at the heart of several initiatives launched during Imam Chamseddine’s time. The CCA established the Sayyeda Zeinab orphanage and school (named after Fatima and Ali’s, the Prophet’s daughter and son-in-law, respectively) in Harouf – Nabatiyeh in 1981 to ensure education to orphaned children and those suffering from extreme poverty or difficult family and social conditions. The school admits students from kindergarten to high school.
The orphanage project responded to an urgent need following the Litani Operation in 1978. The Israeli invasion of 1982 further increased the necessity for institutions like Sayyeda Zeinab. The school was targeted by Israeli fire in September 1984. In March 1985, Ali Moustapha Arabi, a 9-year-old orphan from the institute, was killed by Israeli soldiers.
“Act Only Where Necessary”
To better target all these actions, a field study conducted by a specialized team from the Mabarra association was carried out, particularly within student circles. Following this study, the CCA launched the Special Education program in 2010-2011 with the aim of providing students with learning difficulties and slow learning the necessary special education to cope with the learning environment and prepare them for integration into regular classes. A community center project was also set to materialize.
Nearly 57 years after its inception under the presidency of Imam Chamseddine, the Charitable and Cultural Association continues, despite the current context, its mission based on a premise: “Act only where necessary.” And there is no better illustration of this principle than the following anecdote recounted by Ibrahim Chamseddine himself: “A Kuwaiti businessman wanted to fund the association to build a new orphanage in South Lebanon. It was a $6 million project. But he insisted that the institution should accommodate 500 children and that these children should be orphans only. At the last meeting, Sheikh Chamseddine and I told the businessman that we didn’t have 500 orphans, and I added, ‘unless we make these children orphans.’ It was a bitter joke to make him understand that it wasn’t realistic to create an entirely new institution exclusively for orphans. From a pedagogical standpoint, it wasn’t a good strategy either. Several institutions were already working on the ground like us. There was no need for such a project. That was thirty years ago. Even today, some members of the association say, ‘Ibrahim Chamseddine deprived us of $6 million!'”
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