Ahmad al-Assir, the Lebanese Salafist sheikh, suddenly decided to go skiing in Faraya last week. This decision was surprising given that Salafist sheikhs are very conservative in their personal lives. These sheikhs consider many common activities to be bid'ah (habits or ideas that are heretical) and try to avoid them.

In Islam's history, it's safe to say that Assir is the first Salafist sheikh to head to the snow summits for skiing. One could bet on the fact that other things distinguish Assir from all other Salafist sheikhs. For example, last year Assir traveled from his stronghold in a suburb of Sidon in southern Lebanon to Beirut — along with dozens of his supporters — to hold a political demonstration. His demands included, first and foremost, that Hezbollah surrender its weapons to the Lebanese state.

During this demonstration, standing to Assir's left on the main platform was the Salafist sheikh Omar Bakr Fustuq. Fustuq is described as being an Islamic extremist. For example, he is opposed to voting in parliamentary elections because he believes that God alone has the right to legislate. Standing to Assir's right was Fadel Shaker, a musician who is well-known in Beirut's nightclubs. It was like a movie scene by a filmmaker who likes to combine contradictions that are linked only by fantasy.

Most likely, however, this scene relates to Assir's own psychological background. His father, Mohammed Halal al-Assir — "before repenting to God" — was an Oud performer who played at evening gatherings. Perhaps Assir wanted to emulate the story of his father, who moved from singing to radical beliefs, by making Shaker a part of his dramatic tale.