Caretaker Interior Minister Bassam Mawlawi (center) during a press conference alongside Director General of the Internal Security Forces (ISF) Imad Osman (left), Feb. 23, 2022 in Beirut. (Credit: Anwar Amro/AFP)
Another setback for the Sunni political community has surfaced. At a time when the community feels undermined regionally, its members find themselves in a precarious position, sometimes relegated to the status of “dhimmis” (protected persons by law in an Islamic state), at other times labeled as extremists.Lebanon appears to be no exception to this troubling trend.More than a year and a half after the departure of Sunni leader and former Prime Minister Saad Hariri, another unsettling episode has rattled the community.This revolves around the ongoing tug-of-war between caretaker Interior Minister Bassam Mawlawi, who is aligned with caretaker Prime Minister Najib Mikati, and the director general of the Internal Security Forces, Imad Osman, who is reputedly close to Hariri.The situation has escalated to such an extent that Hariri himself...
Another setback for the Sunni political community has surfaced. At a time when the community feels undermined regionally, its members find themselves in a precarious position, sometimes relegated to the status of “dhimmis” (protected persons by law in an Islamic state), at other times labeled as extremists.Lebanon appears to be no exception to this troubling trend.More than a year and a half after the departure of Sunni leader and former Prime Minister Saad Hariri, another unsettling episode has rattled the community.This revolves around the ongoing tug-of-war between caretaker Interior Minister Bassam Mawlawi, who is aligned with caretaker Prime Minister Najib Mikati, and the director general of the Internal Security Forces, Imad Osman, who is reputedly close to Hariri.The situation has escalated to such an extent that Hariri...
