Lebanon Mufti calls for coexistence during Eid al-Adha sermon

During his Eid al-Adha sermon , Lebanon’s Grand Mufti Sheikh Mohammed Rashid Qabbani said Sunday that “Lebanon does not belong to anyone,” stressing it neither belongs “to any particular sect nor to any party or movement or politician, ” a possible reference to Hezbollah which dominates the current government.

Addressing the bickering between the March 8 and 14 alliances, Qabbani said in his sermon that the word “minority” should be limited to the parliamentary and cabinet  representation  .

“Minority should be dropped from our public, social and national lives,” he said.

“We are all majorities and there are no differences between us,” Qabbani added.

“Lebanon is for all its citizens who should reject its division,” Qabbani told worshipers , asking them “do you want to break your country?”

“We should hold onto our nation … reject differences and walk hand in hand towards a strong and fair state in which the Lebanese race towards serving each other,” he said.

He stressed that the role of the Government and Parliament is  to restore the teaching of ethics .

”Lebanon should improve its relations with the international community and rejected any deal that would divide the region.” He added

“We should hold onto each other amid attempts to redraw the map of the world particularly in our Arab region,” Qabbani said

“We won’t allow for a new Sykes-Picot agreement in the Arab region that comes in Israel’s interest,” he said in reference to the 1916 deal that divided the Arab provinces of the Ottoman Empire outside the Arabian peninsula into areas of future British and French influence.

“Our only enemy is the Zionist entity which has occupied  the land of Palestine, Lebanon and the Arabs,” he added.