WORLD IN BRIEF : LEBANON : Muslim Cleric Calls for Hostages’ Release
From Times Staff and Wire Reports
Sheik Mohammed Hussein Fadlallah, the spiritual mentor of the Iranian-backed Hezbollah (Party of God), appealed for the release of 17 Western hostages in Lebanon, saying the West has used their plight to “disfigure the image of Islam and Muslims.” The cleric may have been reacting to an editorial in Iran’s pro-government Tehran Times, which said, “Regardless of the West’s propaganda ploys, Muslim forces out of Islamic and humanitarian considerations should work to get hostages free with no precondition.”
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