Muslim cleric rules out al-Qaida-Hezbollah partnership

Associated Press Writer | 07/07/2002 | By HUSSEIN DAKROUB

[TheOtherOne]

BEIRUT, Lebanon (AP) - Religious differences between Osama bin Laden's al-Qaida network and the militant Hezbollah group made an alliance between the two unlikely, a senior Shiite Muslim cleric said in remarks published Sunday.

Grand Ayatollah Mohammed Hussein Fadlallah described U.S. media reports accusing Hezbollah, a Lebanese Shiite Muslim organization, of assisting al-Qaida, a Sunni Muslim group, as "unreasonable."

"This is because al-Qaida, according to its religious and factional statement and according to statements made by most of its leaders, does not consider the Shiites as Muslims. Instead, they consider them as a renegade faction of Islam," Fadlallah told the Lebanese newspaper Ad-Diyar in an interview.

His media office confirmed the interview.

Fadlallah, 67, was commenting on a Washington Post report last week that claimed al-Qaida, which America blames for the Sept. 11 terror attacks, was forging an alliance with Hezbollah, a Lebanese militant group fiercely opposed to Israel and labeled by Washington as terrorists.

The Post report quoted U.S. and European intelligence officials and terrorism experts as saying Hezbollah was teaming up with al-Qaida on logistics and training for terrorist operations.

"There is an intelligence war between America and Israel on the one hand, and Hezbollah on the other. During this war, it is natural for the Israelis and Americans to make such accusations to defame this party (Hezbollah) so as to justify their charges of terrorism against it," Fadlallah reportedly said.

Hezbollah has repeatedly denied ties to al-Qaida.

Afghanistan's former Taliban rulers, followers of the Sunni Muslim sect, were at odds with neighboring Shiite-dominated Iran. Before being ousted by U.S.-led air strikes, the Taliban had also allowed bin Laden to base his al-Qaida terror operations in Afghanistan.

Fadlallah also accused al-Qaida of killing Iranian diplomats in Afghanistan because of their Shiite allegiances. "Therefore, how can there be a coordination between a Shiite party, be it in Iran or Lebanon, and al-Qaida?" he said.

The Iranian-backed Hezbollah led a guerrilla war against Israel's 18-year occupation of a southern Lebanon border zone that ended in 2000.

Fadlallah is a harsh critic of U.S. Mideast policy, which many in the region consider as being biased toward Israel. He has also condemned the terror attacks on New York and Washington and rejected bin Laden's use of violence against America.

During the 1980s, Fadlallah was linked to Iranian-backed militant Shiites who kidnapped Americans and other Westerners and bombed the U.S. Embassy and the Marine base in Lebanon, killing more than 260 Americans.

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On the Net:

Fadlallah's site, http://www.bayynat.org.lb

(hd-pg)

[Clara Lou]

"This is because al-Qaida, according to its religious and factional statement and according to statements made by most of its leaders, does not consider the Shiites as Muslims. Instead, they consider them as a renegade faction of Islam,"
Interesting. Considering the burning desire both groups have to murder as many unsuspecting people as possible, there is no difference between al-Qaida and Hezbollah.

[Cachelot]

does not consider the Shiites as Muslims. Instead, they consider them as a renegade faction of Islam

Islam <---> Muslims.
Muslims <---> Islam.

Hmmm...

[Clara Lou]

That's my opinion, too. In all religions, there's always someone who has to say his sect is holier than all of the rest.

[jgorris]

Religious differences between Osama bin Laden's al-Qaida network and the militant Hezbollah group...

Religious differences about how to go about killing innocent people?