"Al-Jama'ah al-Islamiyah (Islamic Group) in Lebanon held celebrations to mark its 50th anniversary. But the question that arises within the Islamic circles today is: Which political and popular and organizational path should the group take in the coming period amid the internal and external challenges facing it? The answer should take into account the setbacks faced by the Muslim Brotherhood in Egypt and the Saudi move to blacklist it. The challenge facing Al-Jama'ah al-Islamiyah at home is represented in the growing influence of the Salafist movements on the Islamic arena and the inability of Al-Jama'ah al-Islamiyah to adopt the same hard-line rhetoric adopted by these movements. Al-Jama'ah al-Islamiyah is not carrying out an active political role on the Lebanese arena." Tariq al-Hamid in London-based pan-Arab Al-Sharq al-Awsat newspaper, June 4.
