Sheikh Amin al-Kurdi delivering his sermon at the Adha prayer at the Mohammad al-Amin mosque in Beirut on Sunday, June 16, 2024. (Credit: NNA)
On the first day of the Muslim Eid al-Adha holiday, Lebanon's religious leaders issued calls for "unity among the Lebanese people" and a "halt to the fighting" in the Gaza Strip and south Lebanon.
Amin al-Kurdi, secretary of Dar al-Fatwa and representative of the mufti of the republic, Abdel-Latif Derian, said that "trust between the Lebanese, as well as their unity, strengthens our internal position and protects us against this oppressive enemy [Israel], which makes no distinction between Muslims and Christians, Sunnis or Shiites," during his sermon delivered at the Mohammad al-Amin mosque in Beirut.
Kurdi also touched on pro-Palestinian solidarity demonstrations around the world: "Look at these students from universities all over the world who are defending the cause of Palestine and Gaza; most of them are not Muslims, but their humanity has led them to call for freedom," he said.
Fear of 'total collapse'
The mufti of Akkar, Zeid Bakkar Zakaria, spoke similar words from the Great Mosque of Halba. "In these days, our gaze is turned to Mecca, to Palestine and Gaza, which are facing criminal tyrants … but also to Lebanon. The most painful thing is that, despite all the crises, the country's leaders don't seem concerned by the suffering of our people."
In Choueifat, south of Beirut, Druze religious leader Sami Abil-Mona called on Lebanon's various communities to "rise above internal quarrels and partisan interests" in the name of "the higher national interest" in order to get out of the "inferno of the destructive war in Palestine and southern Lebanon … before total collapse occurs."
For his part, Maronite patriarch Bechara al-Rai again spoke about Lebanon's need to elect a new president, calling for the election of an "exceptional personality for the presidency of the republic, distinguished by his ethics, patriotism, courage, balance and maturity," as well as the "serious implementation of international decisions, in particular Security Council resolutions 1559, 1680 and 1701, guaranteeing Lebanon's independence, sovereignty and sole legitimate authority over the whole of Lebanese territory."
'Miscalculation' risk
In addition to these statements by Lebanese religious authorities, the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) also sent a message to the political players concerned to put an end to the "escalation" on the Israeli-Lebanese border after more than eight months of daily fighting between Hezbollah and the Israeli army. "As communities in Lebanon and around the world celebrate the festival of Adha, the U.N. family reiterates its call to all actors along the Blue Line to lay down their weapons and commit to the path of peace," it said in a statement released on Saturday evening.
"Since October, we have seen too many lives lost, families uprooted and neighborhoods destroyed. We are deeply concerned by the escalation we have witnessed recently. The risk of a miscalculation leading to a sudden and wider conflict is very real, and we continue to engage with the parties and urge all actors to cease fire and commit to working towards a political and diplomatic solution — which is the only lasting solution," the text, a joint statement signed by UN Special Coordinator for Lebanon Jeanine Hennis-Plasschaert and UNIFIL Commander-in-Chief Aroldo Lazaro, continues.
Hamas, for its part, issued an Eid al-Adha statement in which it called for "support for the resistance" in the face of what it described as "the most horrific and brutal war of aggression in modern history … during which more than 122,000 people have been killed or wounded, and more than 10,000 are missing."
"Despite the pain of displacement, hunger and thirst, the cries of loss and the depth of the wounds, we stand with unshakeable determination and a will that will not break, with unwavering firmness and faith in victory," the press release states.
Meanwhile, Ismail Haniyeh, head of Hamas's political wing, said in a televised statement that the latest response sent by his movement was "in line" with the main points of the Gaza cease-fire plan presented at the end of May by U.S. President Joe Biden.