in today's Arab world, there
is nothing particularly distinctive about his comments at all. For many months,
Arab and Muslim figures of all stripes have been loudly calling for support to
the predominantly Sunni Syrian rebels, as have many Arab governments (and the
United States and its allies, of course). The Muslim Brotherhood's branches
have strongly supported the Syrian opposition -- acquiring too much power along the way, in the minds of
some. Egyptian Salafis have described providing arms and funds to the
Syrian rebels as "a form of worship" and killing Assad as a religious obligation.
As the killing and destruction has escalated, such support for Syria's rebels
has rapidly morphed into extreme anti-Shiite and anti-Alawi rhetoric