Syria-Lebanon-Iran |
'Soldiers of God' attack Mar Mikhail pub over presence of 'homosexuals' |
2023-08-25 |
[An Nahar] Members of the hardline Christian group Soldiers of God overnight attacked a pub in Beirut’s bustling Mar Mikhail area over the "presence of homosexuals" in it. Videos posted online showed the pub’s ransacked terrace and people locking themselves inside as a Soldier of God bad boy shouted threats and warnings. "This is the place of Satan. It is promoting homosexuality. This is forbidden in the land of the Lord ... We are still using words with you and this is only the beginning ... We had warned you a hundred times," the bad boy says. An Internal Security Forces patrol later arrived on the scene as the pub-goers were evacuated. The incident sparked a heated debate among social media users in Leb ![]() Sheikh Hassan Merheb, a Sunni Moslem holy man who is a senior member of the Dar al-Fatwa religious authority, voiced support for the hardline Christian group on his X platform (formerly known as Twitter) account. "A salutation from the heart to the men of Soldiers of God over what they did a while ago by prohibiting a sexual deviation party on one of Beirut’s streets," Merheb said. "I said it before and I repeat it now: I stand by anyone who confronts this deviation and unnatural backwardness and I put my hand in their hands to defend our families and society against this degenerate and destructive thinking," the holy man added. The journalist Mariam Seif meanwhile warned that "the areas that had been previously considered safe for nightlife are turning, thanks to Soldiers of God, into unsafe areas." "It is in the interest of the residents of these areas, before anyone else, to confront this group before it gets stronger and controls all the details of their lives," Seif added. The journalist Elsy Moufarrej for her part described Soldiers of God as "the Christian version of Hezbollah." "They are acting as virtue police in Ashrafieh. Who tasked them with deciding what’s allowed and what’s not? Why are security forces not protecting citizens and their rights? If anyone gets harmed, the responsibility falls on the shoulders of the interior minister, security forces, the instigators and the ’virtue police’," Moufarrej added. The group, which reportedly comprises around 100 members, had attacked alleged homosexual symbols and events in the past. Anti-LGBTQ rhetoric has been recently soaring in Lebanon, one of the Middle East's more liberal countries. Hezbollah chief Sayyed His Eminence Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah ...The satrap of the Medes and the Persians in Leb... has called for a boycott of rainbow products and said last month that gay people, "even if they do it once... are to be killed." |
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Syria-Lebanon-Iran |
Renewed clashes in Ain al-Hilweh Palestinian refugee camp, Lebanon on Wednesday |
2023-08-03 |
![]() Another "day with a Y" in the Hellhole Earlier today, the camp witnessed a cautious calm as a ceasefire came into effect, ending four days of clashes that resulted in casualties and injuries. The Joint Palestinian Action Committee announced after a meeting with representatives from all Palestinian factions at the Palestinian Embassy in Beirut that an agreement was reached to halt the hostilities at Ain al-Hilweh. However, clashes reignited yesterday evening, Tuesday, after a meeting between Palestinian and Lebanese officials at Dar al-Fatwa in the city of Saida. Since last Saturday, the clashes have led to the death of 10 people and left over 60 others injured. |
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Syria-Lebanon-Iran |
IRGC arrests imam in Syria's Deir ez-Zor countryside |
2023-03-25 |
[NPASYRIA] Militants of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) arrested on Thursday at midnight a holy man under the pretext of incitement in a city in the eastern countryside of Deir ez-Zor, eastern Syria. A local source from the city of Abu Kamal in the eastern countryside of Deir ez-Zor said, "A patrol of the IRGC arrested Omar al-Maddah, a holy man of al-Fateh mosque, in the countryside of Abu Kamal for inciting prayers to not be dragged into Shiism." The source added that al-Maddah, who hails from al-Boleel in the eastern countryside of Deir ez-Zor, has been living with his family in Abu Kamal for years. Dozens of residents of the city protested on Friday in front of the IRGC headquarters and demanded the release of al-Maddah; however, the IRGC turbans threatened with killing in case protests continued, forcing the protesters to return to their houses, according to the source. The source went further saying that Dar al-Fatwa of the IRGC, two days ago, issued a list for religious sermons on Friday to be given in mosques in Deir ez-Zor and forced imams to adhered to. Since the eruption of the events in Syria in 2011, Iran ![]() spontaneouslytaking over other countries' embassies, maintaining whorehouses run by clergymen, involvement in international drug trafficking, and financing sock puppet militiasto extend the regime's influence... has officially announced its support to the Syrian government and sent military consultants to support government forces in their war against factions of the Syrian opposition. The Iranian-backed militias and government forces control vast areas of the Syrian Badia (Desert) and Deir ez-Zor. |
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Syria-Lebanon-Iran |
Mawlawi tells security forces to stop LGBTQ gatherings |
2022-06-27 |
[An Nahar] Leb![]() 's caretaker interior minister has given instructions to security forces to stop gatherings of the LGBTQ community, following pressure from religious institutions. Caretaker Interior Minister Bassam Mawlawi instructed Lebanon's Internal Security Forces and the General Security agency to "immediately take the necessary measures to prevent any type of celebration, meeting or gathering" by the LGBTQ community. The orders followed "calls on social media to organize parties and events promoting homosexuality in Lebanon, and following communication from religious figures rejecting the spread of this phenomenon," he said. Members of the LGBTQ community enjoy more freedom in Lebanon than in most other Middle East countries but still lack rights and face constant harassment. "This phenomenon is contrary to the habits and customs of our society" and religious principles, Mawlawi said, adding that "personal freedoms cannot be invoked." The move sparked anger and sarcasm on social media. "What he (the minister) calls traditions and religious principles are inherited prejudices that repress the rights of thousands of citizens," lawyer Nizar Saghieh said. LGBTQ events in Lebanon are often canceled, usually following pressure from religious authorities, and security forces are known to raid nightclubs and other locations frequented by members of the community. Lebanon's top Sunni Moslem mufti, Sheikh Abdul Latif Daryan, has said that Dar al-Fatwa, the country's top Sunni religious authority, "would not allow the legalisation of homosexuality." In 2019, a top Lebanese music festival canceled a concert by Mashrou' Leila, arguably the country's best-known band, whose lead singer is openly gay. Clerics had called for the cancellation of the concert in Byblos because some of the group's songs were deemed offensive to Christians. |
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Syria-Lebanon-Iran |
Rahi: Corruption Has Spread in Lebanese Society |
2021-08-31 |
[ENGLISH.AAWSAT] Maronite Patriarch Beshara al-Rahi said Sunday he regrets that the Lebanese society has become corrupt, and called on the security services to close illegal border crossings and prevent smuggling. Rahi was hinting at the latest security raids on hidden fuel and diesel tanks amid the severe fuel shortages that have crippled hospitals and caused long power cuts, and the tons of medicine that have been hoarded at warehouses throughout the country. "I encourage security apparatuses to expand their raids to include every person monopolizing medicine and basic goods," he said. The Patriarch also called on concerned security officials to close all illegal border crossings and prevent the smuggling of goods from Leb ![]() to Syria. Rahi spoke during Sunday’s mass in his summer residence in Diman. He called for expediting the formation of a rescue government that is up to the challenges, and that is neutral, non-partisan, and includes highly qualified people. On the Aug. 4, 2020 Beirut port explosion, Rahi said he is against "politicizing or paralyzing the investigation," saying "no official should be exempted from being questioned by the judiciary over the blast." The Patriarch said even President Michel Aoun ...president of Leb, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Hizbullah... had told the country's public prosecutor he was ready to give a statement about the earth-shattering kaboom. "What has become with the investigation into the port explosion crime? What is the fate of the summons issued against deputies, ministers and the head of security and military apparatuses?" he asked. Rahi was hinting to the subpoena issued by Judge Tarek Bitar for caretaker Prime Minister Hassan Diab after the latter failed to show up for questioning in the case. Bitar, leading the inquiry into the huge explosion, issued requests in July to question Diab and other brass hats, including former ministers, who were charged by his predecessor with negligence over the blast. However, women are made to be loved, not understood... the subpoena drove dismay and negative reactions from former prime ministers and Dar al-Fatwa. Meanwhile, ...back at the shootout, Butch cautiously raised his hat over the edge of the horse trough on the end of a stick...... Metropolitan Bishop of the Greek Orthodox Church of Antioch for the Archdiocese of Beirut Elias Audi wondered in his sermon on Sunday if the concerned authorities have held accountable any of the persons who had hidden fuel tanks or illegally stored medicines. The Bishop urged the Lebanese to be loyal and supportive to one another and to their country, saying: "Love your brethren who need you most, and do not abuse them, imitating the unjust, who only care about themselves by securing what they eat, what they drink, and what they store." |
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Syria-Lebanon-Iran |
Lebanese demand civil marriage on home soil |
2019-02-24 |
[PULSE.NG] Dozens of protesters rallied in the Lebanese capital Beirut on Saturday, calling on the government to recognise civil marriages carried out on home soil. The demonstrators gathered in front of Leb's interior ministry, days after recently-appointed Interior Minister Raya al-Hasan said she is willing to engage in "serious and profound dialogue" over the issue. The minister's comments prompted a backlash from religious bodies, including the highest Sunni authority in Leb, and stirred debate on social media. Leb has 15 separate personal status laws for its recognised religions but no civil code covering issues such as marriage. Many Lebanese couples travel to neighbouring Cyprus to tie the knot in a civil ceremony, because Lebanese authorities recognise such unions only if they have been registered abroad. Hasan, the first female interior minister in Leb and the Arab world, touched on the issue of civil unions in an interview with Euronews last week. She said she would "personally endorse" attempts to establish a framework to govern civil marriages in Leb. "I will try to open the door for serious and profound dialogue on this issue with all religious authorities and others, with the support of Prime Minister Saad Hariri ![]() ," she said. Dar al-Fatwa, the highest Sunni authority in Leb, issued a response the day after Hasan's interview was published, saying it "categorically rejects" civil unions conducted on Lebanese soil. Such unions "violate the provisions of Islamic law" and "contravene the provisions of the Lebanese constitution" regarding the authority of religious courts over personal status issues, it said. The highest Shiite authority in the country also expressed opposition. "The Lebanese constitution recognises that every sect has its own personal status laws," deputy head of the Supreme Islamic Shiite Council said Friday. "We strongly oppose civil marriage because it violates the constitution," he said. The head of Leb's Maronite church, Beshara Rai, however, said he was "not against civil unions" conducted on Lebanese territory. |
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Arabia |
Houthis condemned for coup |
2017-04-13 |
Riyadh, Jeddah- Yemen’s government said on Tuesday a Houthi decision taken two days ago to establish a so-called new Dar al-Fatwa and appoint a new rebel mufti, who studied and grew up in the religious academies of Qom and Tehran, reveals that the plan of insurgents in Yemen has sectarian and racial grounds. On Monday night, the so-called Houthi political council appointed Shams al-Din Mohammad Sharaf al-Din as the Mufti of Yemen instead of Judge Mohammed bin Ismail al-Omrani. Yemeni Minister of Endowments or Awqaf Ahmed Attiyah told Asharq Al-Awsat that this decision is a further step in the bad records of Houthis and Saleh rebels. The Yemeni minister said: “We had preferred that the religious institutions stay away from this conflict. We thought the coup was political and military. But through this decision, they have also hurt the religion and legitimate institutions.” Attiyah also warned that the new appointment would pave way for other fatwas that could spill blood and money based on sectarian grounds. The minister accused Iran of interfering in Yemen’s Sharia law. “We, at the Awqaf ministry, have a general mufti and a Dar al-Fatwa, therefore, we do not recognize this new rebellious authority.” Attiyah said the Yemeni Awqaf ministry fully rejects the Houthi decision, which the minister described as being “part of the coup and unconstitutional.” He told the newspaper that according to the constitution, the president has the sole right to form a new Fatwa authority. “The new mufti studied in Qom and Tehran, and he was raised in the auspices of Iranian mullahs,” Attiyah said. Meanwhile, the Yemeni government confirmed that the Socotra Island would remain under Yemen’s sovereignty, denying rumors spread by Houthi media outlets about leasing the island to the UAE. |
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Europe |
France's Le Pen cancels meet with Lebanon grand mufti over headscarf |
2017-02-21 |
![]() Le Pen, among the frontrunners for the presidency, is using a two-day visit to Lebanon to bolster her foreign policy credentials nine weeks from the April 23 first round, and may be partly targeting potential Franco-Lebanese votes. Many Lebanese fled to France, Lebanon's former colonial power, during their country's 1975-1990 civil war and became French citizens. After meeting Christian President Michel Aoun - her first public handshake with a head of state - and Sunni Prime Minister Saad al-Hariri on Monday, she had been scheduled to meet the Grand Mufti Sheikh Abdul Latif Derian He heads the Dar al-Fatwa, the top religious authority for Sunni Muslims in the multireligious country. The obligatory La Marseillaise |
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Syria-Lebanon-Iran |
Several Members of HIC Led by Qabbani Resign Ending Crisis |
2014-07-23 |
[An Nahar] Several members of the Higher Islamic Council led by Grand Mufti Sheikh Mohammed Rashid Qabbani![]() Jews were behind secularism, because they opposed the authority of the church, against Christianity.He also suggested that the attacks of September 11, 2001 were orchestratedby Jews in order to justify the persecution of Muslims worldwide.Qabbani is against the legalization of civil marriage in Lebanon. He has issued a fatwa declaring any Muslim politician who approves civil marriage legislation an apostate. Surprisingly, he is not considered very much of a nut by Moslem standards. resigned on Tuesday thus ending a three-year war that sought the division of the highest Sunni authority in Leb. Fifteen members had so far submitted their resignations thus suspending the works of the HIC headed by Qabbani. Six members of the resigned body said on Tuesday in a statement: "Nine members had already resigned from the newly formed 32-member formed council by Qabbani... And our resignation prompts the council to dissolve." "We were never chasing after personal interests or seeking rift between the two councils... We were seeking to bridge the gap between the two foes," the statement pointed out. It added that the members are "keen to preserve the Sunni sect's highest interest." "Our decision came in light of our attempt to avert the possible election of two Muftis due to the ongoing rift." "Our collective resignation dissolves this council." The members were identified as: Mwafaq al-Rouwas, Talal Majzoub, Saleh al-Dsouqi, Fouad Matraji, Rabih Qaterji, Mohammed Sinno, Bassem Assaf, Moustapha Qorra, Hammam Ziyadeh, Moustapha Banouk, Hani Qabbani, Omar Tarabah, Amir Raad, Haitham Fawwal and Saad Eddine Anouti. Recently the battle between the HIC led by Qabbani and another headed by his deputy Sheikh Omar Misqawi intensified after the two bodies filed lawsuits against each other. Both lawsuits include charges of impersonation. The Grand Mufti had also challenged the legality of the council led by Misqawi in April. Earlier in July, the body led by Misqawi charged the members of the council headed by Qabbani with having an "illegal status." Article 370 of the law states that the charges against the HIC led by Qabbani could lead to a year in prison if the member was employed and to three years in jail if the member was unemployed. Misqawi's council also accused head of Dar al-Fatwa's Islamic Endowments, Sheikh Hisham Khalifeh, who is loyal to Qabbani, of sectarian incitement, the endorsement of stances that violate the Shura Council decisions deeming them as "unbinding" and of making a void call for the election of a new Grand Mufti in August. In June, Sheikh Khalifeh called for electing a new Grand Mufti in August, but this announcement was met with the opposition of the council led by Misqawi, who demanded the elections to be held as soon as possible. Qabbani's term ends on September 15. The dispute between the council led by Qabbani and that of his deputy Misqawi is the result of political interference. The Higher Islamic Council -- which elects the Mufti and organizes Dar al-Fatwa's affairs became the center of controversy in 2012 after 21 of its members, who are close to al-Mustaqbal ... the Future Movement, political party led by Saad Hariri... movement, extended its term until 2015 despite Qabbani's objection. The Mufti later held elections for the Council, which were deemed illegal by ex-PMs Saniora and ![]() |
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Syria-Lebanon-Iran |
Lebanon Could Have 2 Grand Muftis over Dar al-Fatwa Differences |
2014-06-14 |
[An Nahar] Leb is faced with the possibility of having two grand muftis after the rival Higher Islamic Councils called on Thursday for a new head to the country's Sunni sect, al-Akhbar newspaper reported. "There would either be two muftis or Learned Elders of Islams would make a last-minute interference to find a settlement," al-Akhbar quoted informed sources as saying. But Dar al-Fatwa officials said no solution was looming in the horizon. The dispute between the council led by Grand Mufti Sheikh Mohammed Rashid Qabbani ![]() Jews were behind secularism, because they opposed the authority of the church, against Christianity.He also suggested that the attacks of September 11, 2001 were orchestratedby Jews in order to justify the persecution of Muslims worldwide.Qabbani is against the legalization of civil marriage in Lebanon. He has issued a fatwa declaring any Muslim politician who approves civil marriage legislation an apostate. Surprisingly, he is not considered very much of a nut by Moslem standards. and that of his deputy Omar Misqawi is the result of political interferences. The Higher Islamic Council -- which elects the Mufti and organizes Dar al-Fatwa's affairs -- became the center of controversy in 2012 after 21 of its members, who are close to al-Mustaqbal ... the Future Movement, political party led by Saad Hariri... movement, extended its term until 2015 despite Qabbani's objection. The Mufti later held elections for the Council, which were deemed illegal by ex-PMs Saniora and ![]() On Thursday, the two councils called for the election of a Mufti before the expiry of his term on Sept. 15. Mount Leb Mufti Sheikh Mohammed al-Jouzo told the Saudi Okaz daily that the invitation for the election of a grand mufti by Qabbani's council came in conformity with decree 18 of the by-laws which had been announced by Qabbani. "We shouldn't focus on the details as long as his term is nearing to end because any dispute on the issue would reflect negatively on the Sunni sect in Leb," he said. Former Prime Minister Salim al-Hoss has also defended the decision of Qabbani's council to call for elections. |
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Syria-Lebanon-Iran | |
Qabbani Blames Extremism on Attacks on 'Moderate' Dar al-Fatwa, Failure to Resolve Islamists' Case | |
2014-01-28 | |
[An Nahar] Grand Mufti Sheikh Mohammed Rashid Qabbani![]() Jews were behind secularism, because they opposed the authority of the church, against Christianity.He also suggested that the attacks of September 11, 2001 were orchestratedby Jews in order to justify the persecution of Muslims worldwide.Qabbani is against the legalization of civil marriage in Lebanon. He has issued a fatwa declaring any Muslim politician who approves civil marriage legislation an apostate. Surprisingly, he is not considered very much of a nut by Moslem standards. said Monday that extremism rose in Leb over the failure to resolve the file of Islamists held in Roumieh prison and attempts to topple Dar al-Fatwa's "moderate role."
Drop the gat, Rocky, or you're a dead 'un! during Fatah al-Islam A Syrian-incubated al-Qaeda work-alike that they think can be turned off if no longer needed to keep the Lebanon pot stirred. 's battles with the Lebanese army in the northern refugee camp of Nahr al-Bared in 2007. The spirit of vengeance grew among them over the years, Qabbani said in an address to the Lebanese. "The attempts to topple the moderate role of Dar al-Fatwa was another reason," he said. "We reject turning Dar al-Fatwa into a tool in anyone's hands," he said in a veiled reference to al-Mustaqbal ... the Future Movement, political party led by Saad Hariri... movement, whose ties with the Mufti deteriorated over the years. Qabbani urged the Lebanese to form an all-embracing cabinet and make sure to elect a president on time. "Beware of vacuum," he said, adding "be keen on your nation and its moderation." Qabbani supported national unity and called for dialogue to resolve the country's crises. "Our Constitution, which is based on the Taef Accord, hasn't been placed to organize the division of shares. It has been placed to have participation," he said in his address. "Our coexistence includes everyone." Addressing Arab and Islamic leaders, Qabbani said: "You should salvage your countries from fighting and destruction ... You could salvage the future of your countries and prevent foreigners from imposing solutions on you." "Those foreigners are plotting attacks to diminish the powers of the resistance and divide the region into weak sectarian states," he warned. The U.S. succeeded in creating infighting in these countries but it would not emerge victorious, he said. Qabbani urged the Lebanese to confront the plot and find consensual and centrist solutions to salvage the nation before it was too late. Such a plot aims at making Israel the hegemonic power in the region, he said. "As Arab nations are engaged in infighting, Israel builds more Jewish settlements, brings in more Jewish immigrants and expels the Paleostinian landowners," the Mufti added. | |
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Syria-Lebanon-Iran |
Muslim Clerics Protest Omar al-Atrash Arrest, Accuse Army of Acting as 'Gang' |
2014-01-27 |
[An Nahar] A number of Moslem scholars and holy mans who hail from the Bekaa on Sunday staged a protest to condemn the arrest of Sheikh Omar al-Atrash, who is reportedly involved in recent kabooms. "We are protesting due to the injustice that is being practiced against scholars and young men in Sunni regions who are supportive of the Syrian revolution," Sheikh Khaled al-Arefi said at a sit-in outside the defense ministry building in Yarze. Arefi voiced surprise that "detention has become a tool to physically liquidate Moslem holy mans," wondering whether the army was "acting as an army or as a gang?" "If aiding the (Syrian) refugees deserves liquidation, we say it loud and clear: the scholars committee will not allow authorities to use double standards," the holy man warned. The delegation called on the president, the prime minister, the army chief and the intelligence director to take a "serious" stance. "If the situation continued in this manner, what kind of security would they be seeking? We can rein in our youths for a while, but should injustice aggravate, everyone will regret that," the delegation warned. Another holy man at the rally noted that the holy mans have no faith in "the probe into the bombing that al-Atrash was said to be involved in." Prior to the sit-in, army troops had cordoned off all the entrances leading to the defense ministry. Meanwhile, ...back at the bunker, his Excellency called a hurried meeting of his closest advisors. It was to be his last. They discussed the officers's efficiency rating system... LBCI TV quoted sources following up on the investigations as saying that "Atrash's interrogation is being conducted under the supervision of the relevant judicial authorities and he has confessed to dealing with terrorist groups and facilitating the transportation of booby-trapped cars." On Friday, al-Akhbar newspaper broke the news about Atrash's arrest, saying he is "suspected of offering refuge for individuals with alleged links to the Abdullah Azzam Brigades ... Leb's current al-Qaeda affiliate, named after a guy whose car the current head of al-Qaeda had boomed... , al-Nusra Front and the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant ... the current version of al-Qaeda in Iraq, just as blood-thirsty and well-beloved as the original... ." Atrash played a "logistic role in terms of providing cars and facilitating the movements of the group suspected of carrying out the Bir al-Abed and Rweiss bombings," al-Akhbar added. The holy man is registered with Dar al-Fatwa, the top Sunni authority in the country, al-Akhbar noted. He is also a cousin of Omar al-Atrash, who was accused of involvement in the Aug. 9 Bir al-Abed bombing and who was killed in an ambush on the Lebanese-Syrian border on September 11. In January alone, three car kabooms have rocked areas that are considered Hizbullah strongholds in the country. Two bombings hit the Beirut southern suburb of Haret Hreik and another kaboom targeted the Bekaa town of Hermel. The three bombings were carried out by suicide kaboomers. |
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