UPDATED Middle East: CNN Senior Editor Fired over Twitter Remark about Lebanon's Sheikh Fadlallah

UPDATE 1545 GMT: Well, well, it looks like the British Ambassador to Lebanon, Frances Guy, could be in the firing line after her note on Grand Ayatollah Fadlallah. An Israeli Foreign Ministry official has told the website YNet News that it would be "interesting" to see how the British Foreign Office reacts.

The Foreign Office line with Tim Marshall of Sky News is that Guy had "profound disagreements with the Sheiks views on attacking Israel". While CNN's Nasr had praised a "Hezbollah Giant", the British Ambassador only praised Fadlallah for his spiritual work and interfaith dialogue.

UPDATE 1500 GMT: Analysts are noting, amidst the furour over Octavia Nasr's comment on Grand Ayatollah Fadlallah, that both Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki and Lebanese President Sa'ad Hariri have offered praise for the late cleric.

What had caught my attention earlier this week, however, was the public note posted by Britain's Ambassador to Lebanon, Frances Guy, in her blog on the Foreign Office's website: "The Passing of Decent Men". Guy wrote:

When you visited [Fadlallah] you could be sure of a real debate, a respectful argument and you knew you would leave his presence feeling a better person. That for me is the real effect of a true man of religion; leaving an impact on everyone he meets, no matter what their faith....The world needs more men like him willing to reach out across faiths, acknowledging the reality of the modern world and daring to confront old constraints. May he rest in peace.

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For now I am going to refrain on comment about this episode, leaving it to readers to make assessments both of the case and of its significance. I do want to note that, following Octavia Nasr both in her work for CNN and her use of social media, I have found her a responsible, thoughtful, and engaging journalist. I also note Rami Khouri's perspective on Grand Ayatollah Fadlallah, the leading Shi'a cleric in Lebanon, as a counterpart to other representations of Fadlallah's religious and political views.

From Mediaite:

CNN’s Senior Editor of Mideast Affairs Octavia Nasr is leaving the company following the controversy caused by her tweet in praise of Hezbollah leader Sayyed Mohammed Hussein Fadlallah.

Mediaite has the internal memo, which says “we believe that her credibility in her position as senior editor for Middle Eastern affairs has been compromised.”

Nasr tweeted this weekend: “Sad to hear of the passing of Sayyed Mohammed Hussein Fadlallah… One of Hezbollah’s giants I respect a lot.”

After a blog post expanding on her position, CNN promised the issue was “serious” and would “be dealt with accordingly.” That’s apparently her exit from CNN. Here’s an internal memo obtained by Mediaite:

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