'Abuse of power': Decision to strip 15 sheikhs of their titles contested

BEIRUT — A decision by the Religious Guidance Authority — a department within the Higher Shiite Islamic Council — to strip 15 sheikhs of their religious titles is being contested by one of the sheikhs, Sheikh Yasser Audi.

Audi is a Shiite cleric known for his opposition to Hezbollah and the Amal Movement. He lodged his appeal before the State Shura Council.

“The Religious Guidance Authority has exceeded its authority and abused its power,” said Audi’s lawyer, Hassan Bazzi, to L’Orient Today on Tuesday.

Reacting to the controversy that followed the announcement of the list last week, the Higher Shiite Islamic Council said in a statement last week that it had not endorsed the document.

"This press release does not reflect the opinions of the Higher Shiite Islamic Council. It was not read by the Council's Vice-Chairman, Ulema Ali al- Khatib," read the statement

However, Religious Guidance Authority Director-General Sheikh Abed al-Halim Sharara officially published the decision in the Jaafarite court (religious courts), despite lacking a signature from Khatib.

This decision “falls outside the jurisdiction of the authority, and the legitimate body with the right to make such decisions is the religious authority,” said Bazzi.

It shows “the internal divisions between the Higher Shiite Islamic Council and the Religious Guidance Authority which is another example of the abuse of power and the exploitation of religion taking place,” the lawyer continued.

The next step in the appeal is to await clarification from Sheikh Ali al-Khatib. If he disavows the Religious Guidance Authority's decision, it could lead to the annulment of the decision by the Religious Guidance Authority at the State Shura Council.

Deemed 'unfit without proof' 

Alternatively, if Khatib agrees to endorse the decision, “it would amount to public acknowledgment and adoption of the decision, which would greatly damage the reputation of the Higher Shiite Islamic Council and would be yet another case that shows the extent of corruption within the Council,” Bazzi explained.

In addition to Audi, the document lists Samer Abdel Hussein Ghanoui, Bilal Ibrahim Salim, Mohammad Youssef Hajj Hassan, Nizar Mohammad Hamzeh, Ibrahim Hassan Herz, Abdel Karim Cheikh Ali, Youssef Hassan Kanj, Ahmad Abbass Idi, Abou Hassan Mortada, Mohammad Ali Fouani, Hachem Ali Moussaoui, Mahmoud Abdallah Fakih, Abdel Salam Niazi Dandache and Nizar Jamal Jechi.

“These figures were deemed unfit due to 'theological deviance, behavioral deviations, or lack of religious knowledge,' but without proof,” Bazzi told L'Orient Today. “The Council had not even summoned them for questioning or given them the right to defend themselves against those generic accusations.”

L’Orient Today contacted the Council, which refused to comment further on the matter.

The Higher Shiite Islamic Council was founded in 1969 by Imam Musa al-Sadr, a Shiite religious leader, with the goal of uniting Muslims in Lebanon and across the world, as well as to open dialogue between the Shiite community and other faiths. 

It is tasked, according to its website, with "the organization of the community's affairs."