24-Jun-13 World View -- Sunni vs Shia violence explodes in Lebanon and Egypt - 24-Jun-2013 - Generational Dynamics

Generational Dynamics Web Log for 24-Jun-2013

24-Jun-13 World View -- Sunni vs Shia violence explodes in Lebanon and Egypt

Vicious attack by Pakistan Taliban kills 10 foreign tourists

This morning's key headlines from GenerationalDynamics.com

Lebanon's army moves to crush sectarian violence in Sidon
Angry Sunni mob attacks Shia families in Giza, Egypt, killing four
Vicious attack by Pakistan Taliban kills 10 foreign tourists

Lebanon's army moves to crush sectarian violence in Sidon

Rescuers carry a man from an armored personnel carrier hit by an RPG launched by Assir's forces on Sunday (Daily Star)

Rescuers carry a man from an armored personnel carrier hit by an RPG launched by Assir's forces on Sunday (Daily Star)

The consequences of the invasion of the Iran-supported Shia terrorist group Hezbollah into Syria, and their successful participation in the stunning victory by the forces of Syria's president Bashar al-Assad in flattening, demolishing and recapturing the town of Qusair are still continuing to grow. Hezbollah's actions have infuriated Sunnis throughout the region, and raised the specter of a major sectarian war between Sunnis and Shias.

In Lebanon, a major battle broke out on Sunday between the Army versus the supporters of radical Salafist Sunni preacher Ahmad al-Assir. In a surprise ambush using RPGs (rocket-propelled grenades), al-Assir's fighters killed ten soldiers and wounded 38 others, and suffered two of their own casualties in firefight that followed. The fighting erupted at 2 p.m. and continued throughout the night.

Lebanon's Army has been trying to remain neutral between the Sunnis and Shias, but this attack requires a response. According to a statement:

"The leadership of the Army will not stay silent ... it will continue its mission to break the strife in Sidon and other regions, and will strike with an iron fist all who dare to shed the blood of the Army.

In a video posted on Sunday, Assir said that the Army belonged to the "shabbiha" [thugs] of Hezbollah and:

"To all our partisans, we are being attacked by the Lebanese Army, which is Iranian and Shiite. I call on all partisans to block roads and all honorable Sunni and non-Sunni [soldiers] to quit the Army."

The Army is demanding that all who participated in the ambush be arrested. Daily Star (Beirut)

Angry Sunni mob attacks Shia families in Giza, Egypt, killing four

Angry mob beats a Shia in Giza on Sunday (Al-Ahram)

Angry mob beats a Shia in Giza on Sunday (Al-Ahram)

An angry mob of over 3,000 Sunnis, led by Sunni Salafist sheikhs, torched and attacked houses of Shias in a village in Giza, Egypt, on Sunday afternoon killing four, including a prominent Shia leader. Police did nothing to stop the attacks. According to a Shia activist, the attack was triggered by a Muslim Brotherhood event at which president Mohamed Morsi appeared:

"We hold President Morsi responsible for this attack. There are not less than three million Egyptian Shias who live in Egypt and last Saturday during the Syria solidarity conference attended by Morsi in the Cairo Stadium, Salafist sheikhs insulted Shias and incited hate against those Egyptian Shia citizens."

He added that Morsi did nothing to discourage the hate speech.

Two weeks ago, Morsi broke off all diplomatic relations with Syria, as a consequence of Hezbollah's invasion of Syria. Sunday's mob attack is one more sign of the increasing Sunni fury at Syria's victory in Qusair, aided by Hezbollah.

This mob attack on Shias by thousands of Sunnis, led by Salafist Sunni sheiks, is reminiscent of April's mob attack on Muslims in Burma (Myanmar) by thousands of Buddhists, led by Buddhist monks. (See "5-Apr-13 World View -- Meiktila, Burma, violence has echoes of Kristallnacht")

People sometimes ask me how it's possible for World War III to start if no politician declares war on anyone, since doing so would be "bad for business." As I've explained before, a generational crisis war comes from the people, not from the politicians, and this is illustrated by the mob violence in Burma and Egypt in the recent past. In this generational Crisis era, it would not take very much to trigger a wider war that could envelope an entire region. Al-Ahram (Cairo)

Vicious attack by Pakistan Taliban kills 10 foreign tourists

Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP - the Pakistan Taliban) is claiming responsibility for a vicious attack on foreign mountaineering tourists in the Himalayas. Gilgit-Baltistan, which borders China and Kashmir, had been considered one of the more secure areas of Pakistan, so this attack is relatively unprecedented. The foreigners were from Ukraine, China, Slovakia, Lithuania, Nepal, while one of them was Chinese-American, and TTP says that it has created a new cell to attack foreigners, to avenge the U.S. drone strikes. Al-Jazeera and Daily Times (Pakistan)

(Comments: For reader comments, questions and discussion, see the 24-Jun-13 World View -- Sunni vs Shia violence explodes in Lebanon and Egypt thread of the Generational Dynamics forum. Comments may be posted anonymously.) (24-Jun-2013) Permanent Link
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Generational Dynamics Web Log for 24-Jun-2013 24-Jun-13 World View -- Sunni vs Shia violence explodes in Lebanon and Egypt

Lebanon's army moves to crush sectarian violence in Sidon

Angry Sunni mob attacks Shia families in Giza, Egypt, killing four

Vicious attack by Pakistan Taliban kills 10 foreign tourists

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Generational Dynamics Web Log for 24-Jun-2013
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