The Associated Press reports that hundreds of enraged Shi’ite Muslim supporters of Hizballah kingpin Hassan Nasrallah rioted in southern Beirut today.

Over a TV show. Shiite Muslims riot after TV program mocks Hezbollah leader. (Hat tip: LGF readers.)

Hundreds of Shiite Muslims enraged by a TV comedy that mocked the leader of Hezbollah took to the streets of southern Beirut on Thursday night, burning car tires and blocking roads - including the highway to Lebanon’s international airport, police and witneses said.

The trouble began shortly after a TV show on Lebanese Broadcasting Corp. - a privately-owned Christian channel - in which an actor spoofed Sheik Hassan Nasrallah, wearing the Hezbollah leader’s trademark black turban and sported a similar beard and spectacles.

Hundreds of Hezbollah supporters immediately went out into the streets of southern Beirut, the stronghold of Hezbollah. They carried pictures of Nasrallah and shouted words of support. They also blocked the road to the airport. …

Hezbollah broadcast a statement on its Al-Manar TV station that said the TV show had “insulted the symbol of the resistance and its leader” but urged supporters “to exercise patience and end their action” while the matter is dealt with through the appropriate channels.

What sort of savage mockery could have provoked such a violent response from followers of the Religion of Peace™?

Well, uh, there wasn’t really any mockery.

The program, “Bassmet Watan,” which can be translated either as “A Nation’s Smile” or “A Nation That Died,” showed an actor in the role of Nasrallah talking about his alliance with Christian politician Michel Aoun.

The satire did not carry any insulting words, but the mere depiction of Nasrallah, a middle-ranking Shiite cleric, was enough to enrage his supporters.

Jihad!