Tuesday, March 08, 2005

Massive pro-Syria demonstration in Beirut

swissinfo - Printversion
Much of the commentary on Lebanon has exaggerated the extent to which the anti-Syria demonstrations represent a consensus of Lebanese opinion. Largely unheard from have been the Shi'i Muslims. Today, they broke their silence, as much as one-third of the 1.5 million community demonstrated in the center of Beirut.
While I have heard many complaints about Syria from Lebanese Shi'is over the past twenty five years, these complaints do not invalidate the deep suspicions that many Lebanese Shi'a harbor vis-a-vis the United States. To the extent that the loss of Syrian influence might translate to a diminishing of Hizballah, many of the Shi'a will view the prospect with alarm.

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