BEIRUT — For the embattled Syrian regime, the crudely produced film mocking Islam that has unleashed fury across the Muslim world could not have come at a better time. Images of furious protesters targeting Western diplomatic sites in Libya, Egypt, Pakistan and elsewhere have diverted the world's gaze from the bloodstained streets of Syria, where President Bashar Assad is trying to crush an 18-month-old uprising. The crisis over the film also has reinvigorated militant rhetoric that US and Israel are the real enemies of Muslims, taking the heat off of both Assad and his loyal and powerful ally in neighboring Lebanon, the militant group Hezbollah. On Tuesday, Syria's Cabinet condemned the movie, titled “Innocence of Muslims.” In its first official reaction, the Cabinet said the film about the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) is “cheap and provocative,” adding that it's “part of a Western project that aims to infringe upon the nation's heritage and symbols ... as a prelude to control its potentials and wealth.” It remains to be seen whether the controversy will result in any lasting gains for Syria or for Hezbollah, whose reputation has suffered severely for siding with the Assad regime even after supporting revolts in Egypt, Tunisia, Libya and Bahrain. The demonstrations over the film, while fervent, were relatively small to begin with, and they appear to be tapering off in the Arab World. Still, Hezbollah is determined to keep them going, which serves the interests of the Shiite militant group as well as Assad. Assad's fall would be a nightmare scenario for Hezbollah. Any new regime led by Syria's majority Sunni Muslims would likely be far less friendly — or even outright hostile — to Hezbollah. Iran remains the group's most important patron, but Syria is a crucial supply route. Without it, Hezbollah will struggle to get money and weapons as easily. The Syrian conflict has descended into a civil war, with neither side able to strike a definitive blow against the other. The result is a murderous stalemate, with a growing sense of worldwide horror over violence that activists believe is responsible for killing 23,000 people. The blasphemous film, however, has exposed a well of deep anger and frustration directed far beyond Syria's borders — and Syria and its allies are seizing on it. In his first public appearance since 2011, Sheikh Hassan Nasrallah told tens of thousands of rapturous supporters Monday that there must be sustained demonstrations against the film. “The world should know that our anger is not a passing thing. ... This is the start of a serious campaign that must continue all over the Muslim World in defense of the Prophet of God,” said Nasrallah, who rarely appears in public for fear of assassination. “As long as there's blood in us,” he added, “we will not remain silent over insults against our Prophet (pbuh).” Nasrallah has said he considers the film the worst insult to Islam mainly because it is available online and anyone can access it. “I think that this level of offense is very big, very grave and unprecedented,” he said in a televised speech recently. He said the film is more of an insult than the 2005 publication by a Danish newspaper of cartoons depicting the Prophet (pbuh), which unleashed a wave of violent protests by Muslims. Hezbollah is harnessing the outrage over the film, an apparent attempt to keep the issue alive and to bolster its standing a defender of Muslim dignity and a moral force in the Arab World. — AP
