Refugee Forcibly Tattooed On His Face

Disturbing video: This man, who fled Syria for Lebanon is forcibly held down, abused, and tattooed by a member of a rival branch of Islam. His crime: He's a Sunni Muslim on Shi'ite turf.

Via youtube.com

Syrians are fleeing their country's widening civil war to protect themselves and their families, and many members of the country's Sunni Muslim Majority have fled to Lebanon, which is dominate by the Shi'ite branch of Islam.

This video appears to show renegade members of the political party and anti-Israel militant group Hezbollah reacting with extreme measures. The tattoo translates to "Oh Father of Abdullah, Hussein," referring to Hussein, a revered imam of Shiia Islam.

In the past four days, some 37,000 Syrians have fled Lebanon amid fears of this kind of persecution.

The incident may be a symptom of a broadening conflict: A party of Lebanese Shiite pilgrims, captured in Aleppo, Syria on May 22nd have not been returned to the Lebanese government as of yet, leading many to wonder if this video is a response to this affront to Shi'ite Muslims.