Lebanese Muslim leaders slam anti-Christian attacks and violence perpetrated in the name of Islam
Beirut (AsiaNews) – In its final press release yesterday, the special Islamic summit held in Beirut at the headquarters of Dar el-Fatwa, Sunni Islam’s main body, made several points, like condemning violent and discriminatory practices by takfirist Islam, condemning coercion in religious matters, calling for respect for everyone’s private and public rights, and reiterating the principle of pluralism in Muslim-Christian relations and intra-Muslim relations.
Coinciding with Card Dominique Mamberti’s visit to Lebanon, the meeting, the first held after the election of Lebanon’s chief Mufti, brought together four major Muslim clerics: Sheikh Abdel-Latif Derian (Dar el-Fatwa); Abdel Amir Qabalan, vice president of the (Shia) Higher Islamic Council; Druze Sheikh Akl Naim Hassan; and Assad Assi, head of the Alawi community in Lebanon. Mohammad Sammak, co-chair of the National Committee for Islamic-Christian dialogue, coordinated the event.
Made urgent by the latest developments, the summit was dedicated to "the alarming situation in Lebanon and the Arab world, and its consequences on intra-Muslim and Muslim-Christian relations."
In their final press release, the clerics expressed "extreme concern about the denominational, sectarian and racist unrest in several Arab countries". Such developments, read the statement, are "a danger to the unity of these countries, Lebanon included, starting with their security and stability."
Israeli plans
"These disorders fall into the plans of the Israeli enemy to divide Muslim ranks and tear the national fabric that unites the various components of Arab societies," the text said.
What is happening "gives the impression that Muslims in general and Arabs in particular have given up on giving the Palestinian cause priority, and that the latter [. . .] is the responsibility of sectarian religious projects."
Eight recommendations
Therefore, the summit issued the following eight recommendations:
"1 We urge Muslims to see no differences among themselves. This does not mean the absence of disagreements, but it does mean the acceptance of differences and respect for others, based on the rule of faith according to which 'believers are brothers'. The variety of schools and interpretations does not abolish nor weaken this sense of brotherhood based in the belief in God, His Prophet and the Qur‘an [. . .].
"2 We say that "the killing of a Muslim by another Muslim is banned in accordance with the Qur‘an."
"3 We condemn all forms of extremism and judgments of apostasy (takfir) pronounced against other believers in a God, a practice that is also a deviation from the tolerance that characterises Islam [. . .] and twists or distorts its image."
"4 The right way for intra-Muslim and Islamic-Christian relations involves justice, moderation, respect for diversity and differences among men."
Condemning terrorism and extremism
"5 We condemn the terrorist behaviour that accompanies extremism and against which the Prophet had warned us. Such actions are contrary to Islamic Sharia and the principles that affirm the dignity of man and the immunity of every human soul."
"6 We invite Muslims from all schools in Lebanon and the Arab and Islamic world to focus on the fundamentals of faith of the Muslim doctrine and avoid misinterpretations that make Islam say what it does not say; avoid getting caught in the trap of discord that the Israeli enemy and the forces that support it are trying to rekindle. There is but one Muslim religion, although its ways (sharia) are multiple. God alone is the judge of the differences among people.”
Eastern Christians
"7 In the name of religious, humanitarian and national principles, the summit condemns religiously motivated attacks against Eastern Christians, including attacks against their homes, villages, property and places of worship, when in fact the Prophet had recommended that they be respected, protected and defended. These attacks, like those suffered by other Muslims and non-Muslims belonging to other faiths and cultures, like the Yazidis, are tantamount to aggression against Islam itself.”
"8 The summit reiterated its faith in respect for human dignity, private and public freedoms, especially religious freedom, and its rejection of any coercion in religion or in the name of religion."
Respect for the Lebanese Constitution
In conclusion, the summit reiterated "its faith in the existence of national states that ensure the equality of rights and duties, and urged the Lebanese to respect the state’s institutions, their constitution and their laws, to defend civil peace whilst acknowledging diversity within the state.”
It also "warned against calls that lead to discord and reiterated fraternal ties among Muslims of different schools, as well as Lebanon's ability to wisely resolve its internal crisis [. . .]. It reiterated its hope that Lebanon, once it elected a new president, the only Christian president in the Arab world, can become a model to solve the crises that affect many brother Arab states."
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