By Tariq Alhomayed
This commentary was published in Asharq al-Awsat on 15/05/2011
It was only one lie, but there are disputes over the degree of its contempt. When the pro-Hezbollah "al-Manar" channel in Lebanon announced that parties have declared an Islamic emirate in Syrian villages, this is contempt par excellence, but it is also sectarian scaremongering.
When the Syrian regime uses the scarecrow of the Islamic emirate and the Salafis, it is trying hard to justify the suppression of unarmed civilians, but when the Hezbollah television channel repeats these lies, this is absurd in itself. The Iranian backed Hezbollah is an Islamic group, with an Islamic flag, and has kidnapped Lebanon under the threat of arms. It is this group which decides who governs Lebanon, and who doesn’t. So how can the channel of an Islamic party warn against Islamic groups, especially as Hezbollah itself serves the agenda of the Islamic Republic of Iran in Lebanon?
This matter can only mean one thing; that Hezbollah is trying to save the regime in Damascus, to serve its sectarian aims of course, and in order to serve the interests of Iran. [In the past] Hassan Nasrallah said that the Arab revolution in Egypt deserved support, and even apologized to the people of Tunisia because Hezbollah delayed in blessing their revolution (of course Nasrallah did not speak until after the Iranian Supreme Leader had claimed the revolutions in the Arab and Islamic world were following in the footsteps of Iran). How can Nasrallah support Egypt's revolution, and apologize to the Tunisians, and do the impossible in defending the Shiites of Bahrain, whilst its channel tarnishes the image of the defenseless Syrians, instead of supporting their uprising?
It is certain that Hezbollah is blinded by sectarianism, and in that respect it is similar to al-Qaeda in our region. The hallmarks of Hezbollah's acts of sabotage in our region are clear from Egypt to the Gulf, of course in Bahrain, and above all in Lebanon and Iraq. Today it is trying to discredit the innocent people of Syria. Many in the Arab media say that they can not verify information which refers to the involvement of Hezbollah inside Syria, but it is suffice to take note of how the party is trying, through its television channel, to discredit the Syrian uprisings.
One insider in Syria told me that the "al-Manar" channel has significant influence upon some of the security services affiliated with the Syrian regime, and thus through this channel they launch attacks on segments of Syrian society, or Arab figures because they have credibility amongst such segments. Therefore Arab satellite channels must confront this problem, i.e. Hezbollah, because newspapers, for example, do not have the same reach in Syria as satellite television. Of course, some Arab satellite channels are more concerned with hosting "analysts" from the Syrian regime, than broadcasting facts or refuting lies.
Each day Hezbollah reveals its sectarian face, not only in Lebanon, Iraq and Bahrain, but today in Syria as well. Yet Hezbollah, and those behind it, have failed to understand one thing, namely that the circle of time always revolves, and only the truth will remain.
This commentary was published in Asharq al-Awsat on 15/05/2011
It was only one lie, but there are disputes over the degree of its contempt. When the pro-Hezbollah "al-Manar" channel in Lebanon announced that parties have declared an Islamic emirate in Syrian villages, this is contempt par excellence, but it is also sectarian scaremongering.
When the Syrian regime uses the scarecrow of the Islamic emirate and the Salafis, it is trying hard to justify the suppression of unarmed civilians, but when the Hezbollah television channel repeats these lies, this is absurd in itself. The Iranian backed Hezbollah is an Islamic group, with an Islamic flag, and has kidnapped Lebanon under the threat of arms. It is this group which decides who governs Lebanon, and who doesn’t. So how can the channel of an Islamic party warn against Islamic groups, especially as Hezbollah itself serves the agenda of the Islamic Republic of Iran in Lebanon?
This matter can only mean one thing; that Hezbollah is trying to save the regime in Damascus, to serve its sectarian aims of course, and in order to serve the interests of Iran. [In the past] Hassan Nasrallah said that the Arab revolution in Egypt deserved support, and even apologized to the people of Tunisia because Hezbollah delayed in blessing their revolution (of course Nasrallah did not speak until after the Iranian Supreme Leader had claimed the revolutions in the Arab and Islamic world were following in the footsteps of Iran). How can Nasrallah support Egypt's revolution, and apologize to the Tunisians, and do the impossible in defending the Shiites of Bahrain, whilst its channel tarnishes the image of the defenseless Syrians, instead of supporting their uprising?
It is certain that Hezbollah is blinded by sectarianism, and in that respect it is similar to al-Qaeda in our region. The hallmarks of Hezbollah's acts of sabotage in our region are clear from Egypt to the Gulf, of course in Bahrain, and above all in Lebanon and Iraq. Today it is trying to discredit the innocent people of Syria. Many in the Arab media say that they can not verify information which refers to the involvement of Hezbollah inside Syria, but it is suffice to take note of how the party is trying, through its television channel, to discredit the Syrian uprisings.
One insider in Syria told me that the "al-Manar" channel has significant influence upon some of the security services affiliated with the Syrian regime, and thus through this channel they launch attacks on segments of Syrian society, or Arab figures because they have credibility amongst such segments. Therefore Arab satellite channels must confront this problem, i.e. Hezbollah, because newspapers, for example, do not have the same reach in Syria as satellite television. Of course, some Arab satellite channels are more concerned with hosting "analysts" from the Syrian regime, than broadcasting facts or refuting lies.
Each day Hezbollah reveals its sectarian face, not only in Lebanon, Iraq and Bahrain, but today in Syria as well. Yet Hezbollah, and those behind it, have failed to understand one thing, namely that the circle of time always revolves, and only the truth will remain.
No comments:
Post a Comment