Lighter Skin = Better?

[kılıç_mehmet]

Because religious wacknuts encourage them to act in a disgusting manner.

And despite the "chill" attitude you describe, you can't deny the near constant reports of people who are treated like utter shit because they are not following one leader or another's version of Islam.

Well, in countries like Syria and Lebanon, I'd say you're right, as it is the case in Iraq, secterian violence, based on a deep history of animosity between the Sunni and Shia does spark violence.
However for Egypt I'd say the quite opposite. Politics in the arab world are not done in the open, they're done behind closed doors. Usually, Russia, Iran and China supports one part, and the NATO supports the other.
And I'm excluding Iraq, because the Shias there have been supported by both America and Iran. But as for Syria, it's the same still. The Shia faction that rules Syria is supported by Iran, Russia and China, while the Sunni factions are supported by the NATO, I'd say that it was quite obvious from how the NATO howled for Assad's blood.
Similarly for other regimes in North Africa. As it goes Qaddafi was not supported by the NATO, while the religious wacknuts were.

And to your second point, that again comes down on the political situation in that country. We have the same thing here too, like Sunnis supporting one party, and the Alavis(I can't bear to call them Shia, as they are theologically very distant, despite adoring Ali all the same), supporting the other.
I mean, why did such things never occur during the British-French occupations of those places, or even when we Turks were the masters of Arabia at one time?
Obviously there is something else.