Saudi and Arab foreign policy experts and politicians responded in disbelief to the statement of Russian Foreign Minister Sergei V. Lavrov that the end of Basher Al-Assad's regime in Syria would result in the dominance of Sunni Muslims. They all agreed that such statements are inflammatory and reflect utter ignorance on the part of Lavrov of the religious diversity and underpinnings of what is going on in the region. “It is a sign of distress on the part of Lavrov that he has resorted to fanning religious and sectarian feelings,” said Dr. Hussain Al-Roumaithan, professor of political science at King Abdul Aziz University. “Undoubtedly the Russian foreign ministry is backpedaling. They now realize that they have supported the wrong person and regime in what is evidently an uprising against tyranny and a lack of respect for basic human rights,” he said. Al-Roumaithan added that Lavrov has shown for many years through his statements that he understands the rich cultural diversity of the region and that Sunni and Shiite religious differences are as old as human history. So instead of effectively carrying out plans to stabilize the region as many other peace-loving nations are doing Lavrov is “pouring fuel onto a flaming fire” making the situation worse, he said. “He will come to regret it,” said Dr. Helmi Abu Al-Nasser, an Egyptian crisis management expert at the Arab League in Cairo. Dr. Abu Al-Nasser expressed dismay and disbelief at such a statement by a high ranking official. “Lavrov should be more intelligent than that. Syria is a mosaic of culture, beliefs and ethnicities that has flourished and coexisted for years and for Lavrov to claim that the demise of the Bashar regime would necessarily mean a power takeover by Sunnis is utterly unfounded. The current liberation movement in Syria represents a wide spectrum of faiths and sects …Why would the Sunnis be selected and targeted as troublemakers?” he asked. Abdulkareem Fraihi, Professor of Islamic Studies at Université de Kairouan in Tunisia, said that current political regimes in the Arab world show that Sunnis, Shiites, Jews and other religious and ethnic groups have formed nations in the political sense of what nations are about. Many situations have shown the sharing of power between different religious groups in the Arab and Muslim world. “To me, Lavrov has become a spokesperson for the Shiites in the Muslim world,” he said. __
