LEBANON – Religious representatives appeal to politicians: “The people will not forgive, history will not be forgotten”
“People will not forgive. History will not be forgotten”, this is the appeal that yesterday the main representatives of the Lebanese Christian and Muslim communities addressed to the politicians of the country in the face of the political deadlock in the country, in which they jointly demand the formation of a government of “national salvation”. At a time when Lebanon seems to be plunging into the abyss, the appeal states that political parties and power groups, which are considered to be the main culprits of the disaster, are called upon to put sectarianism and mutual blackmail aside if they want to save further suffering to the population and avoid the dissolution of the “Land of Cedars”.
The appeal is signed, among others, by Maronite Patriarch Bechara Boutros Rai, the Mufti of the Lebanese Republic Abd al-Latif Derian, the Sheikh Abd al-Amir Qabalan, head of the Shiite Supreme Council, the Druze Sheikh Akl Naim Hassan and the Greek Orthodox Metropolitan of Beirut, Archbishop Elias Audi.
In their message, the Islamic and Christian religious representatives demand first and foremost that politicians commit themselves to the constitution and, in the spirit of coexistence and the common obligation to protect human dignity and freedom, to avoid further conflicts and alliances with external forces and make their own interests prevail.
The appeal calls on everyone to respect the national pact signed in the Taif agreements. Therefore, the signatories urge all those responsible “to work immediately to form a government of “national salvation” that does not aim at individual or sectarian successes”. According to the Islamic and Christian representatives, the crisis in Lebanon could be fatal for the country precisely because it is not a simple political crisis. Rather, they see the roots in a “severe moral crisis” in the country.
Meanwhile, clashes between protesters and security forces on the night of January 27-28 in the Lebanese city of Tripoli resulted in one death and more than 220 people injured. According to a spokesman for the Interior Ministry, the demonstrators are said to have thrown grenades at the police. The demonstrators protested against the curfews imposed by the authorities to contain Covid-19 infections and against the lack of government support for the needy and the unemployed. (GV) (Agenzia Fides, 28/1/2021)
