http://online.wsj.com/news/articles/SB10001424052702303559504579197801945027322
Syrian Civil War Has Deepened Rift With Sunnis Across Middle East
By Maria Abi-Habib And Rima Abushakra
Updated Nov. 14, 2013 5:24 p.m. ET
Supporters of Lebanese Shiite group Hezbollah mark holy day. Associated Press
BEIRUT—The Lebanese government rolled out extraordinarily tight security around massive public rallies Thursday to commemorate the Shiite holy day of Ashura, underscoring intense sectarian tensions in the region fueled by Syria's civil war.
Wearing black and pounding their chests in mourning, millions of Shiite Muslims across the Middle East marked the 7th-Century assassination of the Prophet Muhammad's grandson, Hussein bin Ali, by Sunnis. To Shiites, Hussein was the rightful successor to the prophet and his killing ingrained a deep rift in Islam.
This year's Ashura commemorations took on a greater sense of urgency among the region's Shiites, who said they feel threatened by Sunnis. But Sunnis share those feelings of insecurity, a deep distrust that has helped draw out the Syrian war.
Iraq, which hosts the Arab world's biggest Ashura commemorations, has also been dragged into the Syria conflict, stoking tensions between the Shiite majority and Sunni minority there. A suicide bomber and twin blasts killed more than 40 people in Ashura rallies in Iraq.
In Lebanon, no violence was reported.
A Hezbollah supporter kisses the hand of Lebanon's Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah during a religious procession to mark Ashura in Beirut's suburbs on Thursday. Reuters
Both Sunnis and Shiites have firm stakes in the Syrian conflict. Oil-rich Sunni Gulf states such as Saudi Arabia and Qatar support the Sunni-dominated rebels with arms and money. The Shiite militant group Hezbollah in Lebanon and Shiite-dominated Iran bolster the Syrian regime led by Alawites—an offshoot of Shiite Islam.
That sectarian violence has spilled over into Lebanon, which has large Shiite and Sunni communities. Skirmishes between armed Sunnis and Shiites now engulf neighborhoods nearly every week. This summer, two separate bombings ripped through Shiite and Sunni neighborhoods, the deadliest attacks since the end of the Lebanese civil war in 1990.
"The Shiites are under threat from those who want to eradicate us," said Ali Sabra, 48, after participating in Ashura ceremonies. "I attended after hearing Sayyed Nasrallah say last night that we need to challenge the circumstances we're facing," he added, referring to Hezbollah's leader, Hassan Nasrallah.
Mr. Nasrallah addressed throngs of supporters on Wednesday night and a second time Thursday morning in Beirut, urging them to participate in Ashura. They were very rare back-to-back public appearances by Nasrallah, who faces assassination threats.
On Wednesday, Mr. Nasrallah called on his followers not to let the threat of "bombings, bloodshed and booby-trapped cars" to stand in between the "people and Hussein." But his speech quickly shifted to the war in Syria, where Hezbollah has fought alongside President Bashar al-Assad's forces.
"As long as our reasons for being [in Syria] continue to exist, our presence there will remain," Mr. Nasrallah told a crowd of hundreds of thousands, many with tears in their eyes.
Addressing hard-line Sunni Muslims, Mr. Nasrallah warned they "are a danger who threaten everyone, Muslims and Christians. Everyone's cooperation will help us in confronting, surrounding, isolating and terminating them."
The Hezbollah leader then warned Future Movement, the main Sunni political bloc in Lebanon, not to expect a victory in Syria. Hezbollah, the U.S. and even some within the movement allege that the party arms rebels in Syria, though the Future Movement denies it.
"We have advised them to separate Lebanese matters from the Syrian crisis and not to bank on the developments in the neighboring country's war."
The political divisions in Lebanon largely fall along a Sunni-Shiite axis. The divide has paralyzed the government and delayed formation of a cabinet since April as well as parliament elections that were slated for June.
Lebanon mirrors the regional rivalry between the Sunni monarchy of Saudi Arabia, which backs Future Movement, and the Shiite religious leaders of Iran, who back Hezbollah.
"Frankly [Nasrallah's] rhetoric is sectarian and inflammatory. It is unprecedented," said Khaled Daher, a prominent Sunni parliamentarian representing north Lebanon. "It stokes tension and increases hatred…He is using a painful historic event [Ashura] for political reasons serving Iranian interests."
Mr. Daher added that Mr. Nasrallah's speech on Thursday didn't represent a "Shiite religion, but an Iranian religion. It is an Iranian religion with an expansionist doctrine."
Lebanese security forces were on high alert for any violence. In the days leading up to Ashura, traffic on a main highway was rerouted away from a prominent Shiite mosque. Parked trucks filled with sand blocking the thoroughfare for nearly a mile.
Men in plainclothes barred strangers from parking their cars on certain streets, worried about car bombs. The anxiety was palpable. Text messages circulated among Ashura observers, warning that a suicide bomber had been detained even though there were no reports of any such incident.
"We have to stand up to the threat of explosions and car bombs," Said Ahmed al-Samra, who brought his wife and daughter to Ashura rallies for the first time. "We are under threat because Hezbollah is in Syria defending itself and the resistance."
Write to Maria Abi-Habib at maria.habib@wsj.com and Rima Abushakra at rima.abushakra@wsj.com
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