He insults Alawites, the minority offshoot of Shia Islam to which Mr Assad belongs.
He has ruled as an authoritarian and Shia sectarian and has allied himself with Iran.
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The Shia-Sunni fault line, with Syria currently at its epicentre, is certainly contributing, he notes.
In Hilla, 11 people were killed in bomb attacks on two Shia mosques during evening prayers.
One leader who has recently come into the fold is the Shia preacher, Muqtada al-Sadr.
His Islamist Shia party did well in the local elections on a relatively secular law-and-order platform.
He's the author of The Shia Revival: How Conflicts Within Islam Will Shape the Future.
Yet they were also prepared to make concessions to the Shia, the country's majority group.
Al-Saeedi is reportedly the mastermind behind the February bombing of a Shia shrine in Samarra.
They don't want immediate withdrawal, because they don't want to be slaughtered by the Shia.
It's part of the Ministry of Health complex, which is run by a Shia radical faction.
Instead, prosecutors sought the arrest of four members of the pro-Syrian Shia Islamist movement, Hezbollah.
Shia Muslims also venerate the example of Hussein, who was killed for his faith.
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Growing tensions in Bahrain and the Shia-populated provinces of eastern Saudi Arabia could provide openings.
The group called for free elections and urged Iraq's Shia Muslim majority to follow their lead.
There are part of the Shia constituency also are not very happy with this constitution.
On at least three occasions unmanned aircraft operated by the Lebanese Shia movement Hezbollah were detected.
Security sources said police killed four people, including a bomb-maker accused of anti-Shia attacks.
Yet the rise of Shia power in Iraq may start to encourage demands for greater enfranchisement.
But Grand Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani, Iraq's most influential Shia cleric, is a stickler for democratic form.
One year ago, Shia extremists and Iranian-backed militants were gaining strength and targeting Sunnis for assassination.
Friday also saw tension in Bahrain as Shia Muslims marked Jerusalem Day in support of Palestinians.
It has a Shia Muslim majority but is governed by a Sunni royal family.
What could make Hizbullah and its large group of Shia Muslim supporters accept the new restrictions?
To be sure, compared to other religious minorities Ahmadis, Christians and Hindus the Shia are relatively fortunate.
Mr. MROUE: I can assure you, many Lebanese and many Shia don't want Hezbollah.
Compare that to Shia LaBeouf who offers the best return on investment for studios.
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Across the country, Shia civilians are regularly killed in large numbers by Sunni terrorists.
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It would certainly not be the first time the insurgents have attacked a Shia religious festival.
More recently, Shia gatherings of all sorts weddings, funerals and crowds milling around outside mosques have become vulnerable.
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