(TIME) Nicholas Blanford - With Sunni-Shi'ite tensions on the rise in Lebanon, Hizbullah has been seeking allies within the small but potentially dangerous Salafist community - a sect that generally does not even recognize the Shi'ite branch of Islam. Many Lebanese fear that an indictment of Hizbullah personnel for the 2005 assassination of former Prime Minister Rafiq Hariri could lead to sectarian clashes between rival Sunni and Shi'ite factions. Sheik Dai al-Islam Shahhal, the most prominent Salafist leader in Lebanon, told TIME in his office in Tripoli, "Hizbullah is threatening to change the face of the country, and this is a bullying act and arrogant....Hizballah sees the Sunnis as an obstacle to executing its program, which is to take over politically in Lebanon and to work with Iran."
2010-12-30 10:46:37Full ArticleBACK Visit the Daily Alert Archive