Christian militias to protect Christians and an equal to Hezbollah.. Who is the Lebanese God’s Soldiers group?

Christian militias to protect Christians and an equal to Hezbollah.. Who is the Lebanese God’s Soldiers group?
Christian militias to protect Christians and an equal to Hezbollah.. Who is the Lebanese God’s Soldiers group?

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homeland A state of controversy arose in Lebanon, after the emergence of an armed Christian militia called the Soldiers of God.

Militias that are seen as reinforcing sectarian division, were formed in 2020 by a person named Joseph Mansour, and take the cross and the Bible as their motto.

This group is specifically active in Christian-majority areas, and says of itself that it protects and defends Christians, and is hostile to secular, communist, and homosexual ideas, and claims to be fighting the spread of drugs, abortion, and civil marriage.

The elements of this group glorify the Crusades, numbering 300 people, and they are distinguished by their huge physical structure and thick beards.

Members of the “Soldiers of God” refuse to appear in the media, contenting themselves with broadcasting their ideas on social media pages.

Among their rare appearances was the breaking of a banner bearing a gay slogan in Ashrafieh, in addition to an attempt to ban an exhibition by plastic artist Mirna Maalouf after she displayed sculptures of colored female statues in Sassine Square in Ashrafieh.

They also appeared again on the night of the end of President Michel Aoun’s term, through car rallies in Ashrafieh, despite the commitment of all parties not to celebrate or make any appearances.

Weapons did not appear in any of the soldiers’ movements, so that they do not have a uniform, even if they choose black clothes, but what is remarkable in recent months is that this phenomenon is not limited to Ashrafieh, in which it was launched, but rather they have a presence in Zahle, Jal El Dib and Bourj Hammoud, but it remained limited. And not big.

Lord’s Soldiers Funding

Sources linked the financing of this armed group to the famous banker Antoine Sehnaoui, Chairman of the Board of Directors of Societe Generale Bank Group.

Most of the members of this group work as security guards in the bank’s branches to protect them from the recent intrusions of depositors into banks, but the bank officially denied any relationship with this group.

While there are security reports linking this group to priests and clerics, while some accuse the security services of complicity with the group.

Fears of the Lebanese from the group of soldiers of God

Many Lebanese have expressed their fears about the emergence of such groups that claim to be sent by God, and carry out self-protection and security activities with slogans and uniform dress.

There is a bad experience for the Lebanese with Hezbollah, for example, especially since the new group chose a similar name, Soldiers of God, which gives dimensions that inspired a moral unit to the idea of ​​Hezbollah.

The relationship of the Lord’s soldiers with the security services

Representative Paula Yacoubian was the subject of much controversy, after she revealed that a woman in the locality of Ashrafieh had contacted the concerned gendarmerie platoon and informed her of theft in her locality, after which some young men from the Lord’s soldiers came and told her that they had come based on information they received from the police station, which surprised the plaintiff. .

Yacoubian’s statements indicated in some way that this group is affiliated with the security services, so the General Directorate of the Internal Security Forces issued a statement, in which it said that through the collection of information and follow-up, it was found that no contact was received in this regard from a woman with any of the factions of Ashrafieh, Gemmayzeh, And the river.

She added that the last two platoons had moved since the date of November 25 to another building due to maintenance work in the old building as a result of the Beirut port explosion, and until this moment works are underway to install landline phone numbers in these two platoons, and in the same context, the Beirut Police Operations Room has not yet received View the recordings, any communication from a woman in this regard.

She added that she has no relationship or contact with the group mentioned by Yacoubian, and it is the subject of follow-up and persecution by her, confirming her rejection of any idea based on the principle of self-security.

And she stressed that despite all these accumulated crises, she affirms her commitment to maintaining security and order, following up on security issues and helping citizens to enjoy comfort and safety.

According to Lebanese reports, all political and economic parties refrain from announcing their support for this phenomenon, even the so-called Chairman of the Board of Directors of the “Societe Generale” Bank, Anton Al-Sehnawi, whose office strongly denies that these groups are funded by him.

Al-Nahar TV website says: “If the office does not deny that some of these people work in institutions belonging to them, then our institutions have a large number of employees and belong politically to all Lebanese parties and forces, and we do not interfere in the political or religious leanings of employees.”

He added that there is no fear of the extension and expansion of the phenomenon, or its transformation into armed militias, and continues: “The Christian environment or areas inhabited mostly by Christians will not accept the Christian morals police with new names and religious cover, and they naturally reject these types.”

The report indicates that the new generation, with its various affiliations, is no longer attracted to the idea of ​​militias, even if some voices call for them, they will remain limited and do not pose any danger. Rather, contrary to what some are trying to spread, this phenomenon is growing, its members will be fought and expelled, and they will become outcasts from their environment before other environments. And only some singers will remain among them, and some worthless muscular people will remain, as the report puts it.


The article is in Arabic

Tags: Christian militias protect Christians equal Hezbollah . Lebanese Gods Soldiers group