Egyptian Sheikh Yusuf al-Qaradawi,
left, and Hezbullah chief, Sheikh
Hassan Nasrallah: The first a Sunni and favoring the Syrian
opposition,
the second Shiite and favoring the Syrian regime, both share one
vital
characteristic: issuing religious fatwas
for all the wrong reasons.
Nasrallah vs. Qaradawi: Battling Sheikhs Turning Syria into Repeat of Iraq (Al Mada, Iraq)
"The views
of these two sheikhs may be as diametrically opposed as the color of their
headgear, but both are issuing fatwas for political
and sectarian purposes - not purely religious ones. With the Syrian regime's intransigence,
stubbornness and persistence in resorting to military force, and the
fragmentation and competing trends within the Syrian opposition, we are seeing
an almost perfect reproduction of the Iraqi scenario, which has so far produced
nothing but destruction."
Sheikh Hassan Nasrallah has
finally acknowledged, proudly and in public, what was already known: that elements
of Hezbullah are fighting alongside Assad’s forces in Syria, getting as far as
Homs and parts of Damascus. He also warned opponents of the Syrian regime that
they will be unable to topple al-Assad militarily. It was as if he assumed the
role of chief of the Syrian Army staff and Assad's personal strategic analyst
when he said that the goal of the regime's opponents is no longer to remove
Syria from the axis of resistance, the conflict with Israel or to take power.
Instead, according to Nasrallah, it is the destruction of the Syrian people and
regime - its authorities, its society and its army - so it no longer has a
centralized state or strong army. He also sought to present Assad as being above
the use of chemical weapons and didn't miss the chance to threaten the Hebrew
state, repeating that he would be victorious in any future confrontation and warning
the global community against any misguided calculations.
In total contrast, “transnational” Sheikh Yusuf al-Qaradawi thanked Washington for supporting Assad’s
opponents with arms - as if he were their spokesperson - and called on the United
States to do the manly thing and what is right and good in the eyes of God by intervening militarily to defend Syrians - as it did in Libya. He reassured the United
States that a victory for the Syrian opposition would not mean that it would launch
a war against Israel. This is, of course, the same person who, before the
Syrian crisis, promoted jihad in greater Syria. In fact, what he said was not
that far removed from those of the Muslim Brotherhood, which are enemies of the
Syrian regime. He described the regime as being weaker than a spider’s web, and
he didn't hesitate to issue a fatwa
on what he sees as the right of Syrians to ask for support from foreign
countries and the United Nations.
The blood continues to flow in Syria and the regime is
gradually beginning to use weapons that the international community had warned
it not to use. After realizing that the warnings are no more than empty prattle,
the regime is resorting to the use of its chemical weapons. After the failure
of its helicopters, warplanes and ballistic missiles to settle the conflict, we
won't have long to wait before chemical weapons become its weapon of choice.
The Syrian regime has gotten used to measuring the international reaction by taking
small military steps. When it discovers that the response is never more than
condemnation, it raises the tempo of its military activity and broadens its
steps. We won't be surprised to learn that the opposition has won control of some
of these chemical weapons in order to fight Assad with his own stockpile,
without regard to the lethal consequences for the Syrian people, who are being
crushed under the weight of foreign decisions that control their destiny
and that of future Syrian generations.
The viewpoints of these two sheikhs may be as diametrically
opposed as the color of their headgear (Shiite Nasrallah wears a black turban;
Sunni Qaradawi wears white), but both are issuing fatwas for political and sectarian purposes - not purely
religious ones. With the Syrian regime's intransigence, stubbornness and
persistence in resorting to military force, and the fragmentation and competing
trends within the Syrian opposition, we are seeing an almost perfect reproduction
of the Iraqi scenario, which has so far produced nothing but destruction. The suicide
attacks and car bombs we have seen over the past two days in the heart of
Syrian cities constitute an additional step that is expected to
accelerate - without reference to the innocent victims.
The only difference is that Saddam’s chemical weapons resulted
in a foreign invasion, while Assad’s are subject to checks, evaluations and
re-examinations, in addition to the fact that some in Moscow and Tehran defend
their use.
