Ansar-e-Hezbollah
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Ansar-e Hezbollah
انصار حزبالله |
|
|---|---|
| General Secretary | Abdolhamid Mohtasham |
| Founded | 1995 |
| Headquarters | Tehran |
| Newspaper | Yalasarat |
| Political position | Far-right |
| Religion | Shi'a Islam |
| Slogan |
Arabic: فإن حزبالله هم الغالبون "Then surely the party of God are they that shall be triumphant" |
Ansar-e-Hezbollah (Persian: انصار حزبالله, lit. 'the supporters of the party of God') is a militant conservative Islamic group in Iran. Its ideology revolves around devotion to upholding the principles of the revolution, especially the belief in Valiyat al-faqih.
Ansar-e Hizbullah, or Followers of the Party of God or more literally Helpers of Hizbullah in Persian, is said to be a semi-official, paramilitary group formed in 1995. Unlike some other paramilitary groups, Ansar-e Hizbullah undergoes formal training.
It is thought to be financed and protected by many senior government clerics. It is often characterized as a group as they use force but are not part of government law enforcement, although it may not meet the strict definition of the word inasmuch as the group pledge loyalty to the Supreme Leader of Iran Ali Khamenei and is thought to be protected by him.
It has been described as an "offshoot" or "vigilante associate" of the Iranian Hezbollah, a loose-knit movement of groups formed at the time of the Iranian Revolution to assist the Ayatollah Khomeini and his forces in consolidating power.
Most of the members of Ansar e Hezbollah are either members of the Basij militias or veterans of the Iran–Iraq War.
The Ansar-e-Hezbollah is known for attacking protesters at anti-government demonstrations, in particular during the Iran student riots, July 1999. and is thought to have been behind public physical assaults on two reformist government ministers in Sept. 1998.
Ansar-e-Hezbollah is thought to have been behind death threats and a "series of physical assaults" on philosopher and ex-hardliner Abdolkarim Soroush "that left him bruised, battered and often in tattered clothes."
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Wikipedia