'Party of Satan' should be Hezbollah's new name, Turkish official says

Today's Zaman, a Turkish newspaper, reported Sunday that Deputy Prime Minister Bekir Bozdag suggested Hezbollah should change its name to "Party of Satan."

Hezbollah means "Party of God" in Arabic.

Speaking at an Ankara conference called “Problems of the Islamic World and Solutions,” Bozdag criticized the Lebanese paramilitary group and political party for joining forces with Syrian President Bashar al-Assad.

"Those who stand by the Assad regime and kill their own Muslim brothers and indiscriminately kill women and children in the battlefield should not appeal to Islam and the Quran to legitimize their actions," Bozdag said.

On Monday, Syrian rebels asked U.S. Sen. John McCain for weapons and a no-fly zone to help them strike back against Assad's government and Hezbollah forces. The Arizona Republican is in the country this week for talks with the rebel leaders.