Muslim-Christian Summit in Beirut on Syria: No to the Islamic Radical Drift
by JPG
Christian and Muslim exponents gathered at the headquarters of the Grand Mufti of Lebanon to discuss the situation, while the Syrian Grand Mufti backed out at the last minute. The final communiqué warns of fundamentalist "drift" in the opposition movements.
Damascus (AsiaNews) – The Muslim-Christian summit that was held on September 27 in Dar Al-Fatwa, the official seat of Sunni Muslim Grand Mufti of Lebanon, Sheikh Mohammad Rashid Qabbani, avoided going into depth on the subject of the situation in Syria, and limited itself to mentioning, in the final release, general themes on the Christian presence in the Middle East.
The Grand Mufti of Syria, Sheikh Ahmad Hassoun decided at the last moment not to attend the meeting, contrary to what he himself announced; the only Syrian representative at the meeting was the Melkite Greek Catholic Patriarch Gregory III Laham. During the meeting, the Patriarch reiterated his point of view, which is already known, on the solution of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict as a precondition of peace for the entire Middle East. The summit was an initiative of the Maronite Patriarchate and served as a follow-up to a previous encounter that occurred in Bkerke, the seat of the patriarchate, May 16, 2011.
The discussion focused on statements made by the Maronite Patriarch, Beshara Boutros Rai, during his recent trip to France, regarding the situation in Syria, and in particular on the fear that in the event of a collapse of the current regime, power may fall into the hands of extremist movements, posing a danger to the survival of the Christian community.The meeting lasted three hours, and touched on the theme of the disarmament of the Lebanese movement, Hezbollah.
The final communiqué states that "the presence of Christians in the Middle East is a historical and authentic presence, and their role in different countries is essential and necessary". The statement highlights a need: "We must protect the emancipatory movements that are now in the Arab world from every derivation that would change their nature and might raise concerns. It is necessary to remain attached to the civil nature of the state, based on citizenship". Finally, the statement says that "all foreign interference in the internal affairs of countries in the region should be banned, as well as all kinds of oppression and violence."
The Grand Mufti of Syria, Sheikh Ahmad Hassoun decided at the last moment not to attend the meeting, contrary to what he himself announced; the only Syrian representative at the meeting was the Melkite Greek Catholic Patriarch Gregory III Laham. During the meeting, the Patriarch reiterated his point of view, which is already known, on the solution of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict as a precondition of peace for the entire Middle East. The summit was an initiative of the Maronite Patriarchate and served as a follow-up to a previous encounter that occurred in Bkerke, the seat of the patriarchate, May 16, 2011.
The discussion focused on statements made by the Maronite Patriarch, Beshara Boutros Rai, during his recent trip to France, regarding the situation in Syria, and in particular on the fear that in the event of a collapse of the current regime, power may fall into the hands of extremist movements, posing a danger to the survival of the Christian community.The meeting lasted three hours, and touched on the theme of the disarmament of the Lebanese movement, Hezbollah.
The final communiqué states that "the presence of Christians in the Middle East is a historical and authentic presence, and their role in different countries is essential and necessary". The statement highlights a need: "We must protect the emancipatory movements that are now in the Arab world from every derivation that would change their nature and might raise concerns. It is necessary to remain attached to the civil nature of the state, based on citizenship". Finally, the statement says that "all foreign interference in the internal affairs of countries in the region should be banned, as well as all kinds of oppression and violence."
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