Mr. `Ar`ur, again

When I wrote about `Ar`ur months ago, many wrote to me and said that he had no influence in Syria whatsoever although his name was chanted in demonstrations--that is in the era of demonstrations in Syria.  "The sheikh’s recent return to the rebel-held swathe of northern Syria, where he starred at a rare gathering of commanders from rebel military councils, showed how popular he is among the fighters. Yet it is not just the surge in religiosity among Syrian Sunnis that gives him his cachet. Mr Arour has been a vociferous and effective fund-raiser in the Gulf."