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Biography of Nabih BerriName: Nabih BerriBirth Date: 1939 Death Date: N/A Place of Birth: Sierra Leone Nationality: Lebanese Gender: Male Occupations: religious leader, political leader Nabih Berri Nabih Berri (born 1939) became the leader of the Shi'ite Muslims in Lebanon in 1980. He helped the Shi'ites achieve more prominent role in Lebanese politics.Like many of his countrymen from south Lebanon, Nabih Berri's father was a merchant who had migrated to West Africa in order to escape the impoverishment and lack of economic opportunity in his native land. Nabih was born in 1939 in Sierra Leone, where his father had established a relatively successful business.At the time of his birth the Shi'ite Muslims comprised the third largest sectarian group in Lebanon, but they had little political influence. In the 1943 national pact that served as the basis for the establishment of independent Lebanon, the predominant political offices--the presidency and the prime ministership--were given to the Maronite Christians and the Sunni Muslims. The Shi'ite Muslims (second in membership to the Sunni sect in all of Islam) were only accorded …showed first 150 words…
…showed last 150 words…underestimate. He is intelligent, dedicated, honest, and has good political instincts. He is able to grasp the political mood of his constituency and is capable of doing what needs to be done in order to survive. Further Reading Although there is no published biography of Berri, the reader can find authoritative accounts of the Amal movement in the following sources: Edward Azar et al., Emergence of a New Lebanon (1984); Myron Aronoff, editor, Religion and Politics (1984); Nikki Keddie and Juan Cole, editors, Shi'ism and Social Protest (1986); Robin Wright, Sacred Rage (1985); and Martin Kramer, editor, Shi'ism, Resistance and Revolution (1986). A short but excellent biography was prepared by Tom Hundley for Contemporary Newsmakers (1985). For more information on Berri's role in the events of Lebanon, two good sources include Dilip Hiro's Lebanon: Fire and Embers: A History of the Lebanese Civil War (1993) and William W. Harris's Faces of Lebanon: Sects, Wars, and Global Extensions (1997). |