Grand Mufti reiterates call for Lebanese unity
Lebanon’s Grand Mufti Sheikh Mohammad Rashid Qabbani on Tuesday reiterated his call for national unity. Qabbani said internal solidarity was the sole means to “preserve Lebanon” and “confront any attempts to sow seeds of discord and dissension among us.”
In his speech during a Laylatul Mihraj [Night of Ascension] commemoration, a holy night in which Sunni Islam commemorates the prophet Muhammad’s ascent to heaven, Qabbani denounced “the hands that incite discord in the country”s deteriorating political situation.” The Grand Mufti also said the wrongdoers had “exposed themselves” through their political statements.
“Therefore, we must put an end to this armed nonsense so as to prevent the country from plunging into sedition again,” he added, in reference to armed clashes between the Bab al-Tabbaneh and Jabal Mohsen neighborhoods in Tripoli.
Violence across the northern port city has displaced over 2,000 families and left hundreds homeless, many of whom have taken residence in nearby schools. Last week’s fights killed 9 people, including a 10-year-old boy, and injured some 50 citizens, bringing the total Tripoli death toll to over 23 since June.