FOR the embattled Syrian regime, the crudely produced film mocking Islam that has unleashed fury across the Muslim world could not have come at a better time.
Images of furious protesters targeting Western diplomatic sites in Libya, Egypt, Pakistan and elsewhere have diverted the world’s gaze from the bloodstained streets of Syria, where President Bashar Assad is trying to crush an 18-month-old uprising.
The crisis over the film also has reinvigorated militant rhetoric that US and Israel are the real enemies of Muslims, taking the heat off of both Assad and his loyal and powerful ally in neighboring Lebanon, the militant group Hezbollah.
It remains to be seen whether the controversy will result in any lasting gains for Syria or for Hezbollah, whose reputation has suffered severely for siding with the Assad regime even after supporting revolts in Egypt, Tunisia, Libya and Bahrain.
The demonstrations over the film, while fervent, were relatively small to begin with, and they appear to be tapering off in the Arab world. Still, Hezbollah is determined to keep them going, which serves the interests of the militant group as well as Assad.
Assad’s fall would be a nightmare scenario for Hezbollah. Any new regime would likely be far less friendly — or even outright hostile — to Hezbollah.
The Syrian conflict has descended into a civil war, with neither side able to strike a definitive blow against the other. The result is a murderous stalemate, with a growing sense of worldwide horror over violence that activists believe is responsible for killing 23,000 people. The anti-Islam film, however, has exposed a well of deep anger and frustration directed far beyond Syria’s borders — and Syria and its allies are seizing on it.
In his first public appearance since 2011, Sheikh Hassan Nasrallah told tens of thousands of rapturous supporters Monday that there must be sustained demonstrations against the film.
There are four more rallies planned this week in Lebanon, starting Wednesday, as Hezbollah tries to redirect popular rage against the US, describing the film — which is amateurish and intentionally provocative — as an unprecedented attack on Islam. Hezbollah is harnessing the outrage over the film, an apparent attempt to keep the issue alive and to bolster its standing a defender of Muslim dignity and a moral force in the Arab world. Many in the crowd Monday wore headbands of green and yellow — the colors of Hezbollah; others hoisted Syrian flags to show their allegiance to Assad, a sign of the strong links between Syria and Hezbollah.
Protesters have directed their anger at the US government, insisting it should do something to stop it, although the film was privately produced. Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton criticized it as “an awful Internet video that we had nothing to do with.” For the moment, the masses who have risen up against Assad appear to be drowned out by those chanting against more familiar enemies — the United States and Israel.
n THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
