[Los Angeles Times] Borzou Daragahi - Grand Ayatollah Mohammed Hussein Fadlallah, Lebanon's senior-most Shiite cleric, has toned down his rhetoric in recent years. He now espouses a more modest vision for the faithful than the ambitious agenda set forth by Iran, which considers itself the patron of Shiites worldwide and has been trying to increase its influence throughout the Muslim world. "I think the current Iranian president lacks diplomatic skills, and I think he creates problems for Iran," Fadlallah said of Mahmoud Ahmadinejad. His attempts to distance Lebanese Shiites from Iran's policies have angered some Shiite clerics close to the Islamic militant group Hizbullah and its leader, Sheik Hassan Nasrallah. Fadlallah was once Hizbullah's spiritual leader, but now the two camps compete for donations from wealthy Shiites, who traditionally have given more money to him.
2008-02-07 01:00:00Full ArticleBACK Visit the Daily Alert Archive