Over the weekend, there were clashes between Sunnis and Shiites in Lebanon. Sunni protesters on Saturday afternoon called for early elections, anti-corruption and economic justice measures, and disarming Hezbollah. In response, some Shiite youth released videos insulting Mohammed’s wife Aisha, who helped bring about the Sunni/Shiite rift by opposing Mohammed’s son-in-law Ali, who the Shiites revere.
Sunni and Shiite leaders sought to cool tensions by doing what they always do – blame the Jews.
Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri (Amal party – Shiite) on Sunday warned that "sectarian strife is once again popping its head to assassinate the country and its national unity and target its civil peace."
"Cursed is anyone who awakens it and beware of falling into its inferno, for it will destroy everything, and even its plotters and financiers will not remain safe," Berri cautioned.
And condemning "insults against Islamic and Christian sanctities and symbols, especially against Prophet Mohammed's wife Sayyida Aisha," Berri noted that "any act targeting the unity, security, stability and coexistence of the Lebanese is an Israeli act, regardless where it may come from."
"Any voice promoting strife among the sons of the same country and same religion is a Hebrew voice even if it speaks Arabic," the Speaker added.
Since Lebanese Shiites are essentially vassals for Iran, it is no surprise that Berri’s words echoed that of Iran’s Ayatollah Qabalan:
In a statement, Ayatollah Qabalan described such attempts [to foment sectarian strife] as plots that are in line with the objectives of the Zionist regime of Israel, al-Ahed News reported.
At a time when racism is in the news, everyday antisemitism by Arab and Muslim political leaders is still roundly ignored by the very people who pretend to care the most about bigotry and hate.