^ Not to get into an argument, but when Hafiz al-Asad died, the royal palace in Saudi Arabia extended their condolences on his death, and Qur'an was recited just as if he were a Muslim who had died. In the case of al-Buti perhaps (I am not saying it is the case but maybe) there is some extreme pressure being put forth on him to support the regime. But what about the palaces of other countries, are they under the same excruciating pressure that Shaykhs inside Syria may be in? Also, most of the Muslim countries nowadays are in the same situation one way or the other, so can we really say anything against the Shuyukh who reside in such countries and criticize them for not trying to overthrow the government? After all, if the main Shuyukh spoke out about the reality of how things should be (a Muslim land knowing no "internationally recognized boundaries" that should rule totally according to the Shariah in every single matter), they would be eliminated and replaced by other Shaykhs who would say different things. So from what I see, we Muslims now are in a position similar to that of the early Makkan period, where professing Islam as it should be professed could get one killed. We do not know whether those holding objectionable positions are doing it from their heart or whether they are doing it to avert certain death, and the least we can do is to investigate the matter properly.