BEIRUT (AP) — The leader of the Lebanese Hezbollah group says Islamic extremists have insulted Islam and the Prophet Muhammad more than those who published satirical cartoons mocking the religion.
Sheikh Hassan Nasrallah did not directly mention the Paris attack on the offices of Charlie Hebdo that left 12 people dead, but he said Islamic extremists who behead and slaughter people — a reference to the IS group’s rampages in Iraq and Syria — have done more harm to Islam than anyone else in history.
Nasrallah spoke Friday via video link to supporters gathered in southern Beirut.
Nasrallah’s Shiite group is fighting in Syria alongside President Bashar Assad.
His remarks are in stark contrast to those of Sunni militants from the IS group and al-Qaida who have called for attacks on Western countries.
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Glimmers of sanity…
Hope it’s contagious.
Out of the mouths of babes…
I appreciate the words, but his sincerity is suspect. He’s at war with IS, which is all about killing cartoonists who insult Islam. And he’s also allied to the country that still has a bounty on Salmon Rushdie’s head.
Perhaps Bill O’Reilly will interview him. Or he could be a guest on Fox and Friends…
Sanity? Unfortunately that thought, however hopeful, is not likely to see fruition. Hezbollah is just as extreme, just as willing to kill and destroy, as any on the Sunni faction of Islam.