Saturday August 5, 2006

I've Been Thinking:

Are Muslims becoming more supportive of Hezbollah today, almost three weeks into the war with Israel, than they were at the beginning of the conflict?

Some reports are surfacing saying that the Muslim attitude towards Hezbollah has softened.
But I don't think it is a pervasive attitude.

Here is an example:
Israeli flags are regularly burned at rallies in Muslim countries.
It is condoned, it is accepted, it is de rigueur.
Yesterday in Saudi Arabia, in the predominantly Shiite region of al Qatif, there was a peaceful demonstration.
It was the third protest of its kind.
Yellow Hezbollah flags were waved, pictures of Nasrallah the leader of Hezbollah were raised and, of course, Israeli flags were burned.

And then police broke up the demonstration.
Why?
Because support for the Shiite Hezbollah is not deemed appropriate in the Sunni Saudi Kingdom.