General
The “Our Words and Deeds” Association (“Qawluna wal-Amal” / جمعية قولنا والعمل) is a Lebanese Sunni association operating from Bar Elias in the Lebanese Bekaa in the areas of religion, education, welfare, health, and public activity. Although it is registered as an independent body and presents itself as a cultural-social association, its activities and the messages promoted by its president, Sheikh Dr. Ahmad Mutaib al-Qattan, indicate a deep and sustained ideological, political, and practical affinity with Hezbollah, Iran, and the “Axis of Resistance.”
The association apparently constitutes a civil-religious influence platform for Hezbollah within the Sunni public in the Bekaa. Through religious and educational activity, welfare and health services, assistance to those in need, and ties with clerics and public figures, it promotes Sunni-Shiite unity around the idea of the “resistance,” lends legitimacy to Hezbollah’s weapons, and disseminates messages against Israel and normalization with it. Its Sunni identity gives this activity special importance for Hezbollah, since it enables the organization to expand its influence beyond its traditional Shiite support base.
The affinity with Hezbollah is not expressed only in rhetoric. Over the years, al-Qattan has publicly supported the slogan “the army, the people, and the resistance,” opposed disarming Hezbollah, and praised the organization’s leadership. The association has hosted representatives and senior figures affiliated with Hezbollah and Amal, and in January 2026 it even received direct material assistance from Hezbollah for distribution to needy families. Iranian representatives, including personnel from the Iranian Embassy in Lebanon, have also participated in its events.
At the same time, the association consistently promotes the worldview of the “Axis of Resistance”: support for the Islamic Revolution in Iran and its leadership, Hezbollah, Hamas, Palestinian Islamic Jihad, and the Houthis. Al-Qattan himself is a member of the Central Council of the “Gathering of Muslim Scholars,” a Sunni-Shiite framework affiliated with the resistance and described in research sources as supported by Iran. However, no public information was found proving that the association itself is directly funded by Iran.
Alongside this, the association maintains ties with a variety of institutional and public figures in Lebanon, including Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri, the Mufti of Zahle and the Bekaa, military and security officials, heads of local authorities, Christian clerics, and representatives of Palestinian organizations. These ties broaden its access and grant it legitimacy in the local arena, beyond the circle directly affiliated with Hezbollah.
Bottom line: The “Our Words and Deeds” Association demonstrates how Hezbollah and the Iranian axis can expand their influence through civilian infrastructures that do not formally belong to them. In this case, the association is unique in beinga Sunni body that serves as an ideological, social, and political bridge between Hezbollah and parts of the Sunni camp in the Bekaa.
Activity of this kind is integrated into Hezbollah’s “soft influence” array: creating public legitimacy for the “resistance,” expanding its bases of support and influence, and preparing a civilian environment that may also support the operational activity of Hezbollah and proxy frameworks affiliated with it (such as the “Lebanese Resistance Brigades to Resist the Israeli Occupation” militia – السرايا اللبنانية لمقاومة الاحتلال الاسرائيلي).
Organizational Profile
The association’s registered name is جمعية قولنا والعمل الثقافية – the “Our Words and Deeds Cultural Association.” Its registered headquarters is located on the main street in the town of Bar Elias in the Bekaa, in the “Hamza Shehbar” (ملك حمزة شحبر) building. Its registered objectives are to hold cultural and educational lectures, raise the population’s cultural and scientific level, and advance public services.
The association’s registered founders are:
- Hisham Badi Shehadeh
- Jihad Ibrahim Yassin
- Walid Sabah Alous
- Ahmad Mutaib al-Qattan
- Youssef Mahmoud Zeitoun
Hisham Badi Shehadeh is the association’s registered representative before the Lebanese government. Although no public sources were found that identify the association’s registration number or exact date of establishment, its activities have been documented since at least the early 2010s. Public registration
The center of activity is currently identified with the Omar Ibn al-Khattab Complex and Mosque in Bar Elias. The organizational structure includes a central council, a women’s body headed by Manal al-Qattan, a displaced-persons assistance committee, and an institute for Quranic studies. No financial reports, budget, full list of donors, number of employees, or audited annual activity reports were found.
Official Facebook page. (Link)
Above is the official Facebook page of the “Our Words and Deeds” Association (جمعية قولنا والعمل), which is used to present its religious, educational, and community activities. The page publishes documentation and updates from the association’s events, Friday sermons by Sheikh Ahmad Mutaib al-Qattan at the Omar Ibn al-Khattab Mosque and Complex in Bar Elias, Quran lessons, religious ceremonies, activities for students, and events marking Islamic holidays and occasions.
Alongside the religious content, the page also presents meetings with clerics and public figures, social activities and assistance to residents of the area, as well as references to public and political issues in Lebanon. The content focuses to a large extent on the association head and his messages and is used to strengthen the connection with the local community of supporters in Bar Elias and the Lebanese Bekaa.
Ahmad Mutaib al-Qattan – President of the Association
The association’s president is Sheikh Dr. Ahmad Mutaib al-Qattan (أحمد متعب القطان), a Lebanese Sunni cleric.
Al-Qattan is the central public and political figure in the association. In 2024, he presented a doctoral dissertation on “The Concept of the Condition and Its Validity According to the Schools of the Scholars of Usul,” as a comparative study between Islamic schools. Al-Qattan also met with Nabih Berri – head of the Amal Movement and Speaker of the Lebanese Parliament, presented his doctoral dissertation to him, and served him a copy.
He was also documented as a member of the Central Council of the Gathering of Muslim Scholars, a Sunni-Shiite union of clerics affiliated with the “resistance” (see documentation of al-Qattan’s membership in the Central Council).
A study by the “Al Jazeera” Center described the Central Council union as a body supported and funded by Iran and operating along a pro-Iranian line. Membership in this network strengthens the political connection to the axis. It is unclear whether the association itself is directly funded by Iran (see the Al Jazeera study)
The Association’s Fields of Activity
The association operates in four main fields:
- Religion and education (indoctrination): Quran studies, lectures, events on the Muslim calendar, ceremonies for students, and the promotion of Sunni-Shiite unity.
- Welfare and assistance: Distribution of food, medicines, and clothing; assistance to needy families and displaced persons.
- Health: Free medical days in pediatrics, diabetes, cardiology, and general medicine, and the distribution of medicines(see documentation of a medical day).
- Political-cognitive activity: Rallies on behalf of Gaza, the Iranian Jerusalem Day, commemoration of the 2006 war, support for Hezbollah’s weapons, and opposition to normalization with Israel.
The Direct Connection to Hezbollah
The association and its head, al-Qattan, display public and consistent support for Hezbollah. Al-Qattan supports Hezbollah’s slogan, “the army, the people, and the resistance,” opposes the disarmament of Hezbollah, praises the organization’s leaders, and presents Hezbollah as the party that defended Lebanon. In 2022, he declared that all of the association’s activity takes place “within the framework of the axis of the resistance movements” (see al-Qattan’s statement).
Ahead of the 2022 parliamentary elections, the association hosted Rami Abu Hamdan, a candidate on the list supported by Hezbollah and Amal and currently a member of Parliament on behalf of Hezbollah. Al-Qattan called for broad participation in the elections and presented voting as confirmation of the status of the “resistance” (see documentation of the meeting).
On January 12, 2026, Hezbollah transferred direct material assistance of one hundred food packages to the association for distribution to needy families (see documentation in Al-Manar).
Hezbollah representatives regularly participate and speak at the association’s events. At the Jerusalem Day event in March 2025, a representative of the Iranian Embassy (Tawfiq Samadi) and a senior Hezbollah figure in the Bekaa (Faisal Shukr) participated; al-Qattan praised Hassan Nasrallah and pledged to continue opposing normalization and disarmament (see the Lebanese National News Agency report).
The Connection to Iran and the Axis of Resistance
The association consistently promotes the Iranian narrative in the region: support for the Islamic Revolution, Khomeini, and Khamenei; hosting representatives of the Iranian Embassy and the cultural attaché’s office; support for Hezbollah’s introduction of Iranian fuel into Lebanon; and support for Hamas, Palestinian Islamic Jihad, the Houthis, and the other components of the “Axis of Resistance.”
In December 2024, al-Qattan met with the Iranian ambassador to Lebanon, Mojtaba Amani, and declared that Iran would continue to support Lebanon, the “resistance,” and the Palestinian movements (see documentation of the visit).
