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.
