Iranian Mullahs Influence in Syria is Tipping the Balance

Washington DC - October 24, 2006/RPS/ -- Syria's Assad has recently crossed a threshold in alliance with the Iranian Mullahs manifested by the fact that they are given a religious Carte Blanche in Syria. Unlike the son, Assad father never allowed Khomeini or the Wilayyat al-Faqih to have any influence inside the country.

Syrians have been observing over the last year a dangerous phenomena mostly witnessed by an alarming number of non-Shiia turning to Khomeini-style Shiia in return for financial rewards. Whole villages and urban areas are adopting the Hezbollah model whereby clinics, schools, and social services are provided by Iran in return for Syrians to convert to Shiism. Two months ago, two centers for teaching Persian have opened in Latikyia. Most of those converting are Sunni Muslims. 

Assad is logically calculating that if Hezbollah, with its 15,000 fighters and a God-like following of its figure head Sheikh Nasrallah, can achieve with a $100 million a year the military prowess it exhibited against Israel then why not turn all of Syria into a larger Hezbollah laboratory in the hope of attaining the same results. However, as Ba'athists are infamous for their miscalculation, Assad is reasoning that Sunnis in Syria, representing 70% of the population, will stand-by while Syria turns into Hezbollah-country the way they stood-by while his minority rule pilfered and destroyed the Syrian society.

Assad has survived many dangers but many Syrians believe he has crossed a line that could spell doom for his regime. It is one thing to strategically ally the country with Iran but quite another to let Iran shape its identity. The anger building amongst the Sunni Syrians is taking a life of its own and RPS senses that this anger cannot be stopped if it reaches the boiling point. We are just at the beginning of a perilous curve that not even Assad understands its danger.

Scores of Syrians RPS has been in contact with inside Syria, some of whom are some of the most moderate Ulemmas and Imams, have expressed profound resentment at the fact that Sunnism is under attack by Iran. Many have voiced the following logic: We see the next confrontation in the Middle East along the lines of Israel vs. Iran and we have no choice but to stand by Israel to protect our religion. This logic emanates from the fact that no Sunni Arab country has the military competence to stand-up to the Iran-Syria-Hezbollah axis and also because Israel, unlike Iran, is not interested in converting Sunni Muslims.

The world witnessed the beginning of this Israel-Iran upcoming confrontation when Saudi Arabia attacked Hezbollah's recklessness in Lebanon during the Israel-Hezbollah debacle rather than utter its usual condemnation of Israel or support Hezbollah as was expected of an Arab nation to do.