Syria conflict: Cleric Qaradawi urges Sunnis to join rebels

[InCiDeR]

Syria conflict: Cleric Qaradawi urges Sunnis to join rebels

An influential cleric has called on Sunni Muslims from around the Middle East to go to Syria to join the battle against President Bashar al-Assad.

Sheikh Yusuf al-Qaradawi, an Egyptian Islamist based in Qatar, told a rally in Doha that every Sunni capable of fighting should support the rebels.

He also claimed Iran and the Lebanese Shia group Hezbollah, Mr Assad's main allies, wanted to exterminate Sunnis.

His call came as fighting continued for the control of the key town of Qusair.

Rebel-held parts of Qusair, which is situated between Homs and the Lebanese border, are effectively blockaded by government forces and Hezbollah fighters, reports the BBC's Jim Muir in Beirut.

Conditions inside Qusair are said to be dire, especially for civilians and wounded trapped there, our correspondent adds.

Some civilians trying to flee are reported to have been killed. Activists said an entire family of seven were executed at Dabaa, just to the north of Qusair. The report could not be independently verified.

Reinforcements from the Free Syrian Army are reported to have managed to break through from the north-east to support the embattled rebel fighters.

Some Lebanese Sunnis have also crossed into Syria to fight alongside the rebels, who are drawn largely from Syria's majority Sunni community.


'Party of Satan'

Addressing a solidarity rally for Syria in Qatar's capital on Friday evening, Sheikh Qaradawi urged Sunnis throughout the region to follow suit and join the battle.

"Every Muslim trained to fight and capable of doing that [must] make himself available," he said.

"Iran is pushing forward arms and men, so why do we stand idle?"

Syria's Sunni community has been at the forefront of the revolt

Sheikh Qaradawi, who has about 60 million followers for his religious programme on al-Jazeera TV, also denounced Hezbollah, whose name means the "Party of God" in Arabic, as the "Party of Satan".

Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah declared a week ago that the group had sent fighters to Syria to assist forces loyal to President Assad, and vowed to fight to the end to defeat the rebellion and defend Lebanon from jihadist extremists.

"The leader of the Party of Satan comes to fight the Sunnis... Now we know what the Iranians want... They want continued massacres to kill Sunnis," Sheikh Qaradawi told the rally.

Our correspondent says the call was a clear sign of how rising sectarianism between Sunnis and Shia threatens to tear the region apart.

The cleric used to be an advocate of rapprochement with the Shia and defended Hezbollah against other Sunni authorities.

Now, he said he regretted that, because he realised that there was no common ground between the two, because the Iranians, especially hardliners, just wanted to "devour" the Sunnis.

The fierce fighting in Qusair and other parts of Syria has raised concerns about the prospects of a peace conference proposed by the United States and Russia.


Hezbollah's leader has vowed to fight to the end to defeat the rebellion in Syria
On Friday, diplomats told the Guardian newspaper that the negotiations on a political solution to the conflict were almost certain not to take place in Geneva in early June as scheduled. They remained hopeful that they would go ahead, probably in July or August.

The main opposition alliance, the National Coalition, has ruled out taking part while civilians are being killed and "in the light of Hezbollah and Iran's militia's invasion of Syria".

US Secretary of State John Kerry meanwhile criticised Russia for agreeing to supply the Syrian military with advanced S-300 missile defence system.

"Whether it's an old contract or not, it has a profoundly negative impact on the balance of interests and the stability of the region," he said.

Russia has itself criticised the European Union's decision to allow its arms embargo on Syria to expire on Saturday to allow weapons to be sent to the opposition.

More than 80,000 people have been killed and 1.5 million have fled Syria since the uprising against Mr Assad began in 2011, according to the UN.

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I guess it is to early to tell what this means. If this will be turned into action and not just words, this will definately not be good for the conflict...

[ghostrider]

syria is the next target, senator john mccain is already over there getting the U.S. involved in someone elses problems , last time I looked Syria was NOT Arizona ...did I miss something or did he get elected to be the senator for where ever trouble and oil happen to be ??? oooops I didn't get the memo ...when are we going to take care of home and stay out of other countries affairs ??? he is paid to take care of Arizona not the middle east ...

[Billy]

Why so much hate between the Sunnis and Shia. The old divide and conquer senario. That has its origins after Muhammad's death. do we follow Muhammad's companions or family members. http://islam.about.com/cs/divisions/f/shia_sunni.htm Then continue 500yrs of divisions and wars. That's religion for you.

Quote:
Both Sunni and Shia Muslims share the most fundamental Islamic beliefs and articles of faith. The differences between these two main sub-groups within Islam initially stemmed not from spiritual differences, but political ones. Over the centuries, however, these political differences have spawned a number of varying practices and positions which have come to carry a spiritual significance.

Origins - A Question of Leadership
The division between Shia and Sunni dates back to the death of the Prophet Muhammad, and the question of who was to take over the leadership of the Muslim nation. Sunni Muslims agree with the position taken by many of the Prophet's companions, that the new leader should be elected from among those capable of the job. This is what was done, and the Prophet Muhammad's close friend and advisor, Abu Bakr, became the first Caliph of the Islamic nation. The word "Sunni" in Arabic comes from a word meaning "one who follows the traditions of the Prophet."

On the other hand, some Muslims share the belief that leadership should have stayed within the Prophet's own family, among those specifically appointed by him, or among Imams appointed by God Himself.

The Shia Muslims believe that following the Prophet Muhammad's death, leadership should have passed directly to his cousin/son-in-law, Ali bin Abu Talib. Throughout history, Shia Muslims have not recognized the authority of elected Muslim leaders, choosing instead to follow a line of Imams which they believe have been appointed by the Prophet Muhammad or God Himself. The word "Shia" in Arabic means a group or supportive party of people. The commonly-known term is shortened from the historical "Shia-t-Ali," or "the Party of Ali." They are also known as followers of "Ahl-al-Bayt" or "People of the Household" (of the Prophet). End Quote:

As long as there is division there will never be peace. How long before there is no religion. Muslims against Muslims, Christians, Hebrews, All hating each other. Break down the divisions and find common ground for Gods sake.

peace

[spiritguide]

We have seen this type of aggravation in the Serbian conflict. This is all being choreographed by the cabal to incite old Hatfield and McCoy type problems. The ignorant will partake in the blood bath and the they will get WW3 as planned. Don't feed this monster!

People of the world wake up!

Peace!

[M0JFK]

Sunni and Shia being played for SUCKERS. Both by the west and also by the very leadership of these two groups.

[brenie]

Hi Mojfk, right to the point, when the USA says 'Qaradawi' jump we know what his reply is.
Not surprising really, Egyptian Islamist based in Qatar, there are more US war ships in Qatar at the moment than arab dhows !
The west are determined to keep the middle east in turmoil.
Let us hope they don't succeed.

Regards, Brenie.