H. E. the Secretary General Sayyid Hassan Nasrallah Speaks During the Opening of Mleeta Museum

Date: May 21, 2010
In the Name of Allah, the Beneficent, the Merciful
Praise be to Allah, Lord of all Worlds.
May peace and Mercy be upon the noblest of creations and messengers, our master and prophet and beloved Abu Kassem Mohammad son of Abdullah and on his kind pure household and his chaste good companions, and on all prophets and messengers.
Ladies and gentlemen, brothers and sisters, the gathered crowd, may God's peace, mercy, and blessing be upon you.
To begin, I welcome you all, and it is my honor to be with you to jointly inaugurate this jihadi tourist site which we hope is a proper blessed establishing step a long road by which we preserve the history of our valiant resistance and revive its culture, sacrifices, and victories. We have chosen this celebration and this inauguration today, the 21st of May, for its meaning, symbolism, and resemblance. Despite the fact that what has been accomplished up to now at this jihadi tourist site called Mleeta, after the [name of] the land on which it is located, only the first phase has been completed with the ongoing effort, day and night, of the brothers whom I also thank.
We chose the 21st only to remind that on a day like this at 10am the villagers of Qantara, which was occupied, and Ghanduriyeh along with others were gathered in the Huseiniyah hall of Ghanduriyeh to mourn a deceased lady from one of the families.
During that day which came after weeks of continuous effort which targeted the enemy's posts and, particularly, the enemy's agent army, the persistent continuous almost-daily destructive operations [of the resistance] had induced the occupying enemy to withdraw from a few frontline posts, including Qantara.
On the 21st of May 2000, the first decisive step on the road to liberation was taken by the people who, in truth, are the leaders of the resistance that were gathered in the Husainiyah Hall of Ghanduriyeh. They made an unprompted decision to storm through the crossing and break down the Iron Gate and uproot all barricades and return to their village, Qantara. The men and women, defenseless and weaponless, entered, and so was the first breakthrough, after which all posts and fences collapsed. On May 22nd and 23rd and 24th the battle was concluded, and on the 25th of May we celebrated, together, the capital of resistance and liberation, Bint Jubeil.
We chose this day due to the strong deep connection in terms of time and place and occasion.
Allow me in this speech to say a general word in relation to the resistance and its history and responsibilities, and a word on Mleeta, the site of which we inaugurate today, and a final word I am obliged to say due to the media atmosphere which surrounds us now on the municipal elections in the south and the Israeli enemy's maneuvers, Turning Point 4.
In the first Point it is established, clear, and obvious that the history of any people, nation, clan, group, region, government, or country is a principal element of its identity, representing its past in all its aspects, yet pertaining massive influence over the compass of its movements in the present, and outcome of its state in the future.
Live nations and peoples preserve their history, taking inspiration from in, recollecting it, are proud of it, use it to embolden itself at times, and to reveal its oppression at others, employing for the preservation and revival of that history all means and available capacities adequate with the development of every era.
Historically, in the past and present, and now, for the preservation of any nation or people or clan or group, if they want, of its history, it uses and employs various and numerous means.
For example, in the documentation and writing down of history, there is the writing of biographies, autobiographies, stories of giants, stories of families, stories of powers, stories or regions, retaining the literary history representing a specific historic era, historic studies, historic researches, preserving, protecting, and maintaining historic sites... because the nation that destroys its historic sites is one that denounces and is ashamed of its history, and knows not the value nor the influence of history, as some ignorant people do in some parts of the world... the dedication of symbols, names, and events in the public conscience over generations... commemorating historic events annually or periodically in many ways: celebrations, courses, conferences, seminars..and so on...documentaries, films, series, documentation, documentation institutions, conventions, exhibitions for paintings, art, poetry, literature, popular poetry...what God allows of means...and with the advancement of the age, there are more means available and more capable of expressing and more beautiful.
Among the measured used in the past and present is the establishment of all types of museums: personality museums, event museums, art museums representing history...and among the most important of these museums are those which focus on a specific historic event, a specific historic era...something which is found in many places.
A while ago, I was watching some TV documentaries, and in one they were displaying the museum of the Conquest of Constantine, for instance.
Typically, countries that wage wars and win establish large museums including panoramic scenes of the movements of its armies and its stages, victories, and accomplishments.
Apart from what is displayed in these museums, be it true or not, exaggerated or not, yet this remains the style used today. Even our enemies, the Zionist movement around the globe, and we wish not to enter a dispute over the holocaust, [they] have written books, executed researches, and made films up to now, some of which are displayed on our Arab screens, and they put the subject in any film even if it is not related, be it social or political or entertaining or artistic... they have established museums for the holocaust in many world capitals, so that wherever anyone goes, he can see a holocaust museum, regardless of its authenticity or not or of its precision or not and of its scale...we don't want to enter the subject.
Today, in the inauguration of this site, we try to make a humble step compared to our history and the history of our country and people and the history of the resistance in Lebanon in terms of the volume of sacrifices it has presented and the historic victories which were achieved.
We are trying through this museum, the Mleeta museum, to put forward an effort on the road of preserving history and presenting bright, realistic, and true images of this history.
Based on this introduction, I would like to make advantage of the opportunity of this gathering which is attended by this blessed crowd or political, media, social, artistic, and cultural personalities… to say that among our most grave responsibilities, all brothers and sisters, on a national level at this stage is to preserve the resistance.
If you want to talk about Lebanon's history, then it's a complicated thorny difficult matter. One of the most difficult issues is the documentation of Lebanon's history due to the entanglements in the country, the sectarian, denominational, and regional complications. Regrettably, in Lebanon, every area has its history, and every sect has its history, and every family has its history, and there isn't even a [single] history for a denomination, because the Lebanese denominations, throughout history, had leaderships and conflicts and some parts of history were written from the viewpoint of influential leader.
I don't want to enter this thorny subject, but I do want to say that a resistance began in Lebanon since 1948, and not since 1978 or 1982, from the beginning of the Zionist entity and the Zionist occupation of occupied Palestine and their aggressive presence on the Lebanon-Palestine borders ... there was a long history of aggression and occupation and intimidation, and a long history of resistance, withstanding, and defiance.
At a certain stage it was expressed by the frontline village and areas' inhabitants, and expressed by the Lebanese army, and expressed by officers of the Lebanese army, despite the humble resources they had at hand, and it was expressed by the security forces located in frontline villages.
At a later stage, the resistance took progressive forms with the presence of Palestinian resistance factions and the affiliation of the Lebanese youth with the Palestinian resistance factions, reaching the formation of Lebanese resistance factions in the framework of national and Islamic parties...and in the forefront was the announcement of Sayyed Moussa Sadr if the Lebanese Resistance Battalions [Amal]...and history went on, the post-79 resistance, and in 1982 a new resistance was born based on al that heritage and all that history and all those accomplishments and all that presence and all those sacrifices.
And hence, what we call the Islamic Resistance in Lebanon, was, and so was the presence of Hizbullah as a main faction in the resistance movement.
Since 1948 till today, there has been resistance in the battlefield, a military resistance and a popular resistance among those who withstood and held out and remained in their land in the absence of protection, and there's a political resistance and an intellectual resistance, and a media resistance and a social resistance, and there are colossal efforts made in Lebanon in confrontation of the Zionist project and the Zionist influence and the Zionist infiltration into the Lebanese arena and to all corners of this nation, to the government and institutions and parties and sects and denominations and the kind everyday people and to the towns and villages.
This is a resistance history, modern history. We must also mention that after ‘75, ‘76, and ‘82, and even after that, the presence of the Syrian Arab Army on Lebanese soil and its great sacrifices including martyrs and the wounded which they presented.
This is modern history. It has its films and records and documents and witnesses, and much of that generation lives and we can ask them and talk to them and take data from them.
I am mentioning this to say that there lays a huge responsibility. Let's document the history of the resistance in Lebanon in its various dimensions, and we are capable of that, yet it requires group effort. Up till now, what have been accomplished are mere personal or partisan efforts. There are books and researches on the leaders of the resistance, martyrs of the resistance, about resistance factions. Even we, Hizbullah, have not come forth with a comprehensive and extensive study or historic book or documentary. We're talking about Hizbullah's resistance, but that doesn't mean that this is all the resistance. This is part of the resistance and a stage of the resistance preceded by stages and resistance movements that presented huge sacrifices and some of these movements are still present and continue to present huge sacrifices.
Therefore, we need this communal effort in order to record the history of Lebanon in a proper method that will take into consideration all the true facts. We do not want to compose myths. We do not want to lie to people. We do not want to invent stories. We must tell the history as it is. When there is a failure we must say that her we failed, here was a mistake, here was an achievement, and here was a victory. This is because history is a lesson and school. Besides, when there is something that embarrasses us, we must write it down equally like we write about the issue that makes us proud in order to tell the future generations not to repeat our mistakes, our embarrassing acts and show them where we preened ourselves. History must take into consideration the real roles without excluding anyone, without ignoring anyone, and without diminishing anyone's right, role or sacrifice.
History must note all religious and political leaderships, parties, trends, currents, sects, dominions, cities, villages, towns, and people of all kinds and categories. History must show all these great and real sacrifices that were offered.
If we can write down this kind of history (yes, it is difficult to record history even with communal efforts that can be satisfactory for everyone, yet can be equitable as much possible and nearer to the fact and reality), a history that will create a base for all studies and probes and activities. It is possible to produce movies, scenarios, plays, symposiums, lectures, and celebrate jihadist landmarks.
One time we can visit a mountain, a hill or a valley, where nothing that relates to the history of the resistance took place originally, and transform it into a landmark.
Other times we can visit a different place as I will explain about Mleeta and lay the foundation stone regarding this history, work for a movement that regenerates and revives the resistance with its values, concepts, achievements and marks throughout the homeland, especially in the south and Mount Amil.
This effort, Mleeta, comes in this context. It is the name of the homing place. In fact, we, regarding Mleeta and the landmark that will open today, discussed two options: (First) we must build a museum, as "Sheikh Ali" said earlier. In fact, martyr leader Haj Imad Mugniyah (RIP) was among this enthusiastic and worked day and night in order to build a museum of this kind. There has been a continual discussion about the whereabouts of the museum. Should it be in Beirut since it is the capital city and because most people are present in Beirut as it is the capital city to which people come from the provinces as well as delegates come from abroad to participate in the conferences, which would make it easier for them to visit a museum in Beirut? The second option was (to build the museum) on the land of the south, on a piece of the land of the resistance. This of course does not eliminate the idea of a museum in Beirut for the future. However, priority was given to a museum on the land of the resistance for a simple reason. This is because it will be closer to being natural than being artificial. In other words, it is this land. However, our brothers constructed some buildings and organized them, yet the major parts of the real natural marks have been preserved and you will see them. Moreover, it exists on the battlefield, which makes it nearer to spontaneity, reality, spirituality, morale, environment and spirits that resided and still reside in this area. This is why the land of the south was chosen.
On the land of the south, we chose Mleeta. This land of Mleeta is one of the most ancient outposts of the Islamic resistance that was founded in the region of Iklim al Tuffah against the Israeli and Lahdist outposts, which you can also see in those opposite posts that were fortified with the best securities, tanks, and sophisticated weapons, which was also protected by the Israeli air force and artillery. A group of young people came from Lebanon to these opposite hills as you can see, and built defensive trenches and outposts in order to defend the rest of the liberated lands and to launch from them operations and raids against the occupation outposts and Israeli and Lahdist patrols that patrolled the region. That was in the context of the resistance continual efforts in order to bleed the enemy and force it to evacuate the land and be expelled from it.
Those young men came to these hills and dug trenches using their bare hands. They extracted the rocks and dug caves and shelters. At that time there were no means to build cemented shelters because of the financial poor level. They built ramparts and barricades. On their own backs, they transported weapons, ammunition, supplies, food and other means, ascending and descending. Of course, the brothers executed a number of improvements on the path that you will see. Despite these improvements, you will discover that this path physically hard. Thousands of the strivers (Mujahidin) came to this area and left. They served for months and years, especially during harsh weather conditions, about which this region is famed. These outposts have been continuously present in the minds of these men, these youths, and these generous people. From this land, major and significance missions were launched towards all the outposts that stretch before your eyes. The resistance heroes penetrated enemy forts and presented martyrs and sacrifices as they inflicted great defeat upon this enemy.
Here, on the very land that you stand, they fought and survived under air strikes and artillery bombardment. Here they prayed and beseeched their lord. Here they created a link between the earth and the heavens. Here their spirits were an irreparable cord that connected earth to heaven, a cord of light, hope, passion, love, and prayers. Here they bled the earth, which resulted in the wounded. Here they gave their pure souls, which resulted in martyrs. Here Sayyid Abbass embraced the strivers and held mourning sessions for them, bidding them farewell at the very last moments just before they embark on penetrating enemy outposts. This is the land of purity, clarity, sacrifice, generosity, and the most generous and sacrificing people. This is the land of courage, steadfast, and loyalty. Ever since the beginning – which is foundational – here was the land of knowledge, passion, worship, love and longing. Here is the land of struggle, struggling against one's own desires by abandoning the world and its pleasures, the struggling selves that migrated to Allah (The Exalted), migrated to the hills and valleys in order to fight the enemy that wanted to humiliate our nation, occupy our land, and thwart our will. Those pure and loyal souls refused to accept this oppression, this humiliation and this disgrace. The result was a great attendance on the land of the resistance. Yes, this is only a part of the story that the land reads to the heavens.
I am satisfied with this amount of words, and I will let the site speak for itself. Here is a part of the culture of the resistance, the spirit of the resistance, the values of the resistance, the leverage of the resistance, the morals of the resistance, and the passions of the resistance. This is the essence of the resistance, presented to anyone who wishes to learn from this experience. This is not an issue of the weapon, rocket, canon and barricade. This is an issue of men, young men, minds, hearts, spirits, will of power, and steadfastness, which were expressed by this resistance through all its stages.
I am leaving you now in order to meet again on May 25, the day of the resistance and liberation.
I thank you all for your attendance, and may God's peace, mercy, and blessing be upon you.