Such provocative statements are classic Qaradawi , who in 2008 warned of the `` Shiitization '' of the Middle East . Geneive Abdo : The first thing I noticed was the smell. She says a prominent Sunni cleric gave sermon demonizing the Shia sect . Yusuf al Qaradawi harshly criticized Hezbollah which is backing Assad 's regime in Syria . Abdo : There 's little hope of tamping down the increasingly tense relationship .
Geneive Abdo : The first thing I noticed was the smell. She says a prominent Sunni cleric gave sermon demonizing the Shia sect . Yusuf al Qaradawi harshly criticized Hezbollah which is backing Assad 's regime in Syria . Abdo : There 's little hope of tamping down the increasingly tense relationship .