L'Orient Today /
05 July 2025 13:21
, updated at
18:11
Grand Mufti of Lebanon Abdellatif Derian. (Credit: NNA)
BEIRUT — Lebanon’s Grand Mufti, Sunni Sheikh Abdellatif Derian, began his visit to Syria on Saturday and is expected to meet Syrian President Ahmad al-Sharaa later during the trip.
According to the state-run National News Agency (NNA), Derian was received at the Jdeidat Yabous border crossing by Samer Bairaqdar, Assistant Director General at the Syrian Ministry of Religious Endowments, and Ahmad Hallak, the ministry’s Director of Public Relations. The visit began with prayers at the Great Mosque of Bani Umayya, “a prominent Islamic symbol and a historical gem that carries a rich Arab heritage from the history of the region,” according to NNA. The mosque is described as the “fourth most famous Islamic mosque and an archaeological landmark.” Later, Derian and the accompanying delegation visited the Syrian Minister of Endowments, Sheikh Dr. Mohammad Abu al-Khair Shukri, at the ministry’s headquarters. The meeting was attended by the Mufti of Damascus, Sheikh Dr. Abdel Fattah al-Bazm, members of the General Fatwa Council in Syria, and senior Syrian scholars. Discussions focused on the importance of consultation, cooperation, and coordination between Syrian and Lebanese scholars in strengthening identity, and addressed Islamic and national issues as well as shared Arab interests. Derian emphasized “the importance of the Islamic role in Lebanon through Dar al-Fatwa in spreading moderate Islamic thought that respects others, acknowledges specificities, and promotes a culture of citizenship and coexistence among segments of society, especially amid the difficult circumstances facing the Arab region.” He also presented Shukri with a Dar al-Fatwa shield as a token of appreciation and respect, and extended an invitation for him to visit Lebanon.NNA further reported that the Grand Mufti visited Mount Qasioun, the mountain overlooking the city of Damascus.This marks Derian’s first visit to Syria since the fall of the former regime in December 2024 and the rise to power of Ahmad al-Sharaa, the former leader of the Islamist group Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham. Derian is accompanied by regional muftis from across Lebanon, the head of Lebanon’s Sunni Sharia Courts, Sheikh Mohammad Assaf, the Secretary of Fatwa, Sheikh Amin al-Kurdi, and Dar al-Fatwa’s Director of Public Relations and Media, Khaldoun Qawas.
The visit began with prayers at the Great Mosque of Bani Umayya, “a prominent Islamic symbol and a historical gem that carries a rich Arab heritage from the history of the region,” according to NNA. The mosque is described as the “fourth most famous Islamic mosque and an archaeological landmark.” He also presented Shukri with a Dar al-Fatwa shield as a token of appreciation and respect, and extended an invitation for him to visit Lebanon. NNA further reported that the Grand Mufti visited Mount Qasioun, the mountain overlooking the city of Damascus. Derian is accompanied by regional muftis from across Lebanon, the head of Lebanon’s Sunni Sharia Courts, Sheikh Mohammad Assaf, the Secretary of Fatwa, Sheikh Amin al-Kurdi, and Dar al-Fatwa’s Director of Public Relations and Media, Khaldoun Qawas....
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