Islamic clerics hold second summit to back tolerance

Source: The Daily Star, 18-04-2008
BEIRUT: "Muslim unity and Christian unity are two of the main pillars of the national unity that is being sought today," senior Muslim clerics declared after a meeting in Dar al-Fatwa on Thursday. The meeting between Grand Mufti Sheikh Mohammad Rashid Qabbani, Higher Shiite Council vice president Sheikh Abdel-Amir Qabalan, Druze spiritual leader Sheikh Naim Hassan and other high-ranking clerics sought to address the political crisis in Lebanon, specifically the threat of an intra-Muslim rift in the country.
In a statement read after the meeting, the lead organizer of the Islamic Spiritual Leaders Summit, Mohammad Sammak, called for restraint and for resistance against attempts to cause sectarian strife among Muslims in particular, and Lebanese in general.
The clerics then urged the "political leadership to bring about an end to the crisis," expressed dissatisfaction with the stalled election of the Lebanese Armed Forces commander, General Michel Suleiman, as president - and demanded that political leaders "facilitate the implementation of the Arab League initiative" aimed at resolving the impasse.
Furthermore, the clerics said they fear the crisis will have negative repercussions on the social conditions and living standards of the Lebanese population, noting that the "Lebanese market has been stripped of its ability to attract Arab and international investment."
The clerical summit represents the second meeting among spiritual leaders of the various Lebanese Muslim communities since clashes between Sunni and Shiite youths in Beirut earlier this year increased fears of sectarian conflict, as religious tensions across the region continue to flare-up.
The February 13 assassination of senior Hizbullah commander Imad Moghniyeh - coming on the eve of the commemoration of the slaying of former Prime Minister Rafik Hariri, and as the clashes in Beirut persisted - further raised expectations of a communal rift.
Since a first meeting between the various Muslim spiritual leaders in early March, however, there has been an apparent reduction in violence, with no significant clashes having occurred since.