Lebanon's Shiites Grapple With New Feeling of Power

BEIRUT, Dec. 9 -- As morning clouds hovered overhead Saturday, Fadil Ayyash wiped eyes that were bleary from just two hours of sleep over two days in the city-within-a-city that Hezbollah's protests in downtown Beirut have become.

The mood in his tent, set alongside a site for luxury apartments, was playful. The first order of business was stoking a water pipe. Under two yellow Hezbollah flags, with a hint of mischief, he and his friends unveiled their makeshift fireplace, charred cinderblocks stacked on a sidewalk still warm from a campfire the night before. But they spoke bluntly -- of frustration and protest, of politics and power -- the vocabulary of a moment the young Shiite Muslim men feel they are defining.

Photos Beirut Divided Clashes erupted over the weekend between Shiites and Sunnis as protests continue in Beirut. Thousands of opposition demonstrators took to the streets last week to call for the resignation of Prime Minister Fouad Siniora. Who's Blogging? Read what bloggers are saying about this article. WarShooter | A Portal for Photojournalists Covering Conflict, Crisis & Disaster Moderate Voters.org - An Alternative to the Far Right and Far Left. News from Lebanon?? Latest Headlines from Lebanon Full List of Blogs (5 links) » Most Blogged About Articles On washingtonpost.com | On the web Who's Blogging? Read what bloggers are saying about this article. WarShooter | A Portal for Photojournalists Covering Conflict, Crisis & Disaster Moderate Voters.org - An Alternative to the Far Right and Far Left. News from Lebanon?? Latest Headlines from Lebanon Full List of Blogs (5 links) »