From the Department of Self-Evident Statements by Ironic Spokesmen:

[underlankers]

http://thinkprogress.org/world/2015/01/09/3610080/hezbollah-leader-says-islamic-extremists-have-hurt-islam-more-than-cartoonists/Read more... )

Comments

[geezer_also]

If we could only hear spokespeople from CAIR condemn the extremists, I'd feel a lot better.

Nice to "see" you!!!

[telemann]

If we could only hear spokespeople from CAIR condemn the extremists, I'd feel a lot better.

Ditto that sentiment. But as they say, Good luck with that!

[underlankers]

Like I said, when Hezbollah is more reasonable than group X, group X has problems. ;)

[sandwichwarrior]

+1 to both of these comments.

[jerseycajun]

File under: "We may be nuts, but we're not crazy".

[unnamed525]

[policraticus]

What do you think of al-Sisi's call for a "revolution" in Islamic thought? He gave a very forceful speech on New Year's Day at a major religious university in Egypt where he basically called out the imams and told them that the world was not going to tolerate Muslim thought forever, that they have to come to grips with the promotion of violence and intolerance. The speech has gotten very little play in the West, apart from outlets on the right, who have been very favorable, obviously.

http://edition.cnn.com/2015/01/06/africa/egypt-president-speech/

http://www.usatoday.com/story/opinion/2015/01/07/paris-terror-shooting-al-sisi-epochal-speech/21390881/http://spectator.org/articles/61428/new-

[underlankers]

He's not been entirely unprecedented:

http://www.christianpost.com/news/top-saudi-cleric-joins-muslim-leaders-in-condemning-isis-terrorists-says-they-are-destroying-human-civilization-125113/

http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/12/12/us-saudi-mufti-bombings-idUSBRE9BB0IR20131212

http://nymag.com/daily/intelligencer/2014/09/even-this-pro-isis-imam-condemns-beheading.html

When Muslims do condemn these atrocities, or propose alternatives, they tend to be ignored because presenting things with a false dichotomy sells more papers.

[mikeyxw]

While this is of course a bit of good news, I can't help but to suspect that it's much easier for a Shia group to condemn the actions of Sunnis who are in a conflict that is really unrelated to Hezbollah's main gig of destroying Israel. I also can't imagine he finds it difficult to criticize ISIS militants, who spend much of their time beheading Shiites.

[mahnmut]

Well, at least Hezbollah are not trying to turn the world into a Caliphate. And neither are they attacking anyone outside of their narrow target area of the Levant.

[mikeyxw]

I can't tell if this damnation by faint praise is intentional or not.

[mahnmut]

;-)