Tensions rose in Beirut after Sunni clerics were attacked

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sunni cleric attacked in beirut 2Tensions rose in Beirut late Sunday evening following attacks against Sunni Sheikhs in Shiite neighborhoods, sparking anger as protesters blocked roads and armed men appeared on the streets of Beirut’s Tariq al-Jedideh neighborhood.

Two Sheikhs from Dar al Fatwa, identified as Mazen Hariri and Ahmad Fakhran, were beaten in the central Beirut neighborhood of Khandaq al-Ghamik while walking from Downtown Beirut’s Mohammad al-Amin Mosque, the National News Agency reported.

Meanwhile, another sheikh, identified as Omar Imami, was also assaulted in the South Beirut suburb of Shiyyah, Lebanon’s state agency added.

Following the incident, protesters in Sunni areas of Lebanon’s capital began blocking roads, as tension rose in the city.

Sunni Sheikh Ahmad al-Assir checked up on two of the wounded Sheikhs in the Makassed Hospital in Beirut’s Tariq al-Jedideh neighborhood, as hundreds of young men with Islamist flags gathered outside the building to protest against the attack.

Assir appealed for calm and called on his followers to open the roads to allow the army and security forces to do their jobs

As the night wore on, the Lebanese army deployed on the western side of the Kola roundabout across from Tariq al-Jedideh, the eyewitness added.

Local media outlets reported that roads were also blocked in Beirut’s Tayouneh neighborhood as well as in Sidon.

Amid the growing tension, the Lebanese army announced in a statement that it had raided the homes of men suspected in the attacks and arrested five of them.

Lebanon’s top Sunni cleric, Grand Mufti Mohammad Rashid Qabbani, called for “self-restraint” following the incident.

Meanwhile, Lebanese Premier Najib Miqati wrote late Sunday night on his Twitter account, “May God protect Lebanon from these [agitations] and aggressors from any party will be held accountable.”

Lebanese Interior Minister Marwan Charbel also visited the Makassed Hospital in Tariq al-Jedideh, saying afterward that he had spoken with Speaker Nabih Berri—the leader of the Shiite Amal Movement—who stressed security forces need to take action against the perpetrators of the Sheikhs’ assaults, MTV reported.

Hezbollah and the Amal Movement condemned the attack on the Sheikhs in Khandaq al-Ghamik, saying the incident aimed to incite strife.

Charbel described the suspects that attacked the clerics as drug addicts stressed that all Lebanese leaders have condemned the incident and the suspects will not have a political cover.

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86 responses to “Tensions rose in Beirut after Sunni clerics were attacked”

  1. As a Shia I’m the first person to say these idiots needs to be thrown in jail they had no right to do that I hope this sheikhs get better

    1. Mazen_M Avatar

      Well said!

    2. Hariri Assaoudi Avatar
      Hariri Assaoudi

      i salute your attitude and agree with it however, i dont think they are idiots; we, the innocent lebanese are the idiots by allowing foreign forces to play with us, by allowing people with foreign dependency to manipulate us, by allowing people from abroad to manipulate us, by siding with radicals just to revenge our deceptions from previous allies and foremost by having leaders like those who paraded yesterday in the 14th of march occasion; we need carthorses not parade horses

      1. true…charbel said they were drug addicts??? ok who are they?

        1. 5thDrawer Avatar
          5thDrawer

          Well, if a gang on motorcycles pulls a car over and beats the people in it, it’s hard to believe they were not targeted from the moment they got in their car.
          But that old ’80’s mentality is at work too. ‘Oh look … someone from the next street … let’s beat them for coming onto our street.’… sort of thing. ‘Hey! That guy looks different! Hit him.’ … or ‘Hey! That girl is walking alone ….’.
          Some people just have ‘thug’ mentality. (Shabiha?) And of course, after that, the gang from the next street blocks the roads. Everyone wants to show ‘force’ – and make it into an ‘us VS them’ political event. No-one calls the police FIRST and then waits.
          AND for sure, if you forced everyone to wear exactly the same uniform, cut hair the same, shave the same, and walk and talk the same, there would be some twitch of a face that would identify them as ‘different’. Or you would think you were in North Korea. Either way they would get beaten by ‘the gang’.
          ‘Foreign dependency’ … sure, must be Syrian refugees. AssAoudi and the foreign manipulators – parading all over the place. Really. Beat down those ‘paraders’ who want women’s rights and civil marriage too. Hey, if you don’t like the parade, don’t go watch it – and don’t watch the TV news after either. Can’t have people knowing that some think differently. Might become targets of a gang.

          1. Hannibal Avatar

            lmao

    3. i dont think the offenders were shiite otherwise they would have made it even bigger…i think theres internal issues betwenn hariri and qabalan…a few weeks ago hariri supporters came into the mosque in beirut and tried to interrrupt the friday sermon….

      1. Hannibal Avatar

        You are still wrong… They were Itaranians…

        1. Persistent Avatar
          Persistent

          If you love Lebanon as you say you do, why would you want it to bleed by demonestrating this kind of attitude especially when the emotions are running so high…

          1. Hannibal Avatar

            As to loving Lebanon I have mixed feelings about that…

            Tell me or please someone here tell me what is Lebanon? What is to love? Define for me Lebanon. Tell me please of its identity… Are we Arabs? Are we Lebanese? Are we Phoenicians? Canaanites? Are we Persian? Iranians? Are we Syrians? Are we Romans? Turks? Ottomans? Are we Moslems? Christians? Shiites? Druzes? Are we Maronites or Orthodox? What are we?

            Then What are the aspirations of a people? Immigration? Lack of opportunities? Follow blindly leaders who are taking all of us to a certain bankrupt future? What is our message? What have we accomplished in the last 100 years? NADA! NOTHING!

            Define Lebanon so I may so love it.

            As to the rest believe you and me they do not need hand holding to slaughter each others… The idiots have been doing it for years. It is like us Christians going after every Jew because they crucified Jesus unless they repent and believe me Christianity was not kind to the Jews and the Jews were not kind unleashing their media dogs on the Catholics recently.

            So explain to me that hatred between Sunni and Shia and pllllllease DO NOT tell me it does not exist. They do not need my help to kill each others and nobody reads this blog but a couple of fools including myself. 😉

            They so hate each others because of a conflict between two men? Where was God to protect Hassan and Hussain or Ali? What kind of a nation is that or culture that reveres killing and cutting and slaughtering and is God really that bloodthirsty he watches the family of a prophet being slaughtered and He does nothing about it?

            OK So let us write ONE sentence to define what is Lebanon so we all agree upon so we may love Lebanon.

          2. Persistent Avatar
            Persistent

            I am going to leave this one alone and wish you the best in whichever direction you travel. I am tired of going back and forth in history and talk about who killed who and why, I wish I have the perfect explanation for you but I don’t. Animosity has been there througout history and will continue to be, it is just how the composition of the plant is, I reject living in a state of hate and divisive environment and prefer to focus on the positive aspects in life and look at the glass as being half way full and not half way empty.
            Best of luck my fellow human being buddy.

          3. Hannibal Avatar

            I hope you understand I am not against you… I am just as tired of it as you are… I wasted my youth living this bull… I want to move forward… I want us to be the fathers of a new nation away from the poison of the old.
            Can we do that?

          4. Persistent Avatar
            Persistent

            You seem to be a good person at heart, no worries man. I feel so sorry for those folks who are stuck in the past and afraid to face the future and won’t let go of the failed and bankrupt old ideologies of the past that led cultures and civilization into complete destruction. They won’t wake up from this evil nightware even if someone nails them on the head with a 2×4. They fail to recognize that we as people from all walks of life must live together and there is no other choice, noone can totally erase the other and each of us should be judged based on their actions and not what relegion they practice or the country they are from.

          5. 5thDrawer Avatar
            5thDrawer

            As you said, who reads us? Best to hang in where you are for now.

          6. Prophettttt Avatar
            Prophettttt

            This is your masterpiece comment,Hannibal.Many valid questions,and very few convincing answers.Questions asked by every Lebanese, patriots or not.For years Lebanese are trying to define Lebanon,and so far they have no consensus on what Lebanon is,and what national identity is.

            We all need to think deep and hard to answer these questions. I won’t attempt to address them for you because we ALL need to get beyond the classic answers.
            We even have to think hard to understand God,and why God watched the family of his prophet being slaughtered, and why God watched Jesus being tortured to death on the cross and He did nothing about it.I know both religions build their faiths on these two tragic incident,and we all know the classic answers humanity heard for two thousand years.But It may not be enough.

          7. Hannibal Avatar

            I’d like to meet you…
            Where do you live?

          8. IraniAngel Avatar
            IraniAngel

            i want to meet all of you guys too.. i invite you all to my place after the nowrooz celebrations. iraniAngel dresscode: all women are to wear a stupid hijab, even though it doesnt have to cover all your hair. Wearing suicide belts are very recommendable but not a necessity for men. alcohol is avaliable in IrAngel but at a high cost so i suggust you to smuggle a couple of bottles.. although hashish and various other kinds of drugs are all cheap.

            ps. chant several times ‘marg bar amreeka’ (persian for: death to america) when you pass the security just to make the airport staff like you. Make sure you sound convincing.

          9. Hannibal Avatar

            I will start practicing…
            طولانی امریکا زندگی می کنند

            Will that get me passage… like to eternity? LOL

          10. Prophettttt Avatar
            Prophettttt

            I live on the east cost, NY city. Would be nice meet one day,I’ll make sure I shave my beard and long hair first,lol

          11. Hannibal Avatar

            Do you come up at all North wayward towards Boston? I know a nice Greek barber. he will take care of you. 😉

          12. Prophettttt Avatar
            Prophettttt

            You’re not too far then.I always assumed you live in a warmer area.
            I attended my niece’s graduation at MIT last year. We can hook up somewhere during spring time,or if you ever come down to the NY City,you may want to sample some authentic and ethnic food.
            You really want me to loose my Prophetic look,don’t you .But no Greek Barber; Greeks are backward,as I tell my good Greek friend .lol

          13. Hannibal Avatar

            If I’m going down your way I will give you a nudge if not we probably shall meet half way some weekend when it is warmer… Another snow storm hitting us tonight… Damn! 🙁

          14. Prophettttt Avatar
            Prophettttt

            Sounds good, we’ll keep each other updated,and TY
            We’re sharing same storm with you.

          15. IraniAngel Avatar
            IraniAngel

            i cant answer your questions but i can tell you this:
            once you go persiaaaaaaaan
            there’s no other versiaaaaaan!

          16. Hannibal Avatar

            LOL

          17. 5thDrawer Avatar
            5thDrawer

            Was that with an instrumental background? Or only drums and finger-cymbals? 😉

          18. 5thDrawer Avatar
            5thDrawer

            Maybe a ‘future’ description ….
            ‘A blood and oil-stained beach outside the dark shade under one last Cedar tree on a mountain close to the end of the Mediterranean.’

          19. Hannibal Avatar

            Damn Scotch… 😉

          20. 5thDrawer Avatar
            5thDrawer

            Not spilled on the sand, however …. 🙂

    4. I agree with you Ali, we need to stop thinking about our religion sect and work on a better future for lebanon

    5. Persistent Avatar
      Persistent

      I second those kind words, “balad faltan wa kell mean eido ello”. The perpetrators could be anyone and I am not condoning their heinous behavior. Having said that, there are elements within the lebanese society and their foreign backers are working day and night to create strife. Sadly to say, at some point the pipe will burst and we will ALL pay a heavy price. Obviously, some of us have not read the history books or learned anything from the civil war in Lebanon, Iraq, Syria, Sudan, Somalia, etc…. They are not aware that those leaders who we champion so dearly and follow so blindly are the real problem and are the ones who are playing us (the people) against each other.

      1. Prophettttt Avatar
        Prophettttt

        You could not have said that better.

      2. Hannibal Avatar

        balad faltan? Are you Syrian? That is a Syrian accent…
        Lebanese say it as such: balad felteen. lol

        1. Prophettttt Avatar
          Prophettttt

          falteen is very very southerner accent, faltan is a mid-southerner accent,lol,Plus,Weren’t we all Syrians at one time?lol

          1. Hannibal Avatar

            NO! We were Turks 😛

          2. Prophettttt Avatar
            Prophettttt

            Shwam before Turks,lol

        2. Persistent Avatar
          Persistent

          Sorry to disappoint you, No I am not Syrian.

  2. As a Shia I’m the first person to say these idiots needs to be thrown in jail they had no right to do that I hope this sheikhs get better

    1. Mazen_M Avatar

      Well said!

    2. Hariri Assaoudi Avatar
      Hariri Assaoudi

      i salute your attitude and agree with it however, i dont think they are idiots; we, the innocent lebanese are the idiots by allowing foreign forces to play with us, by allowing people with foreign dependency to manipulate us, by allowing people from abroad to manipulate us, by siding with radicals just to revenge our deceptions from previous allies and foremost by having leaders like those who paraded yesterday in the 14th of march occasion; we need carthorses not parade horses

      1. true…charbel said they were drug addicts??? ok who are they?

        1. 5thDrawer Avatar
          5thDrawer

          Well, if a gang on motorcycles pulls a car over and beats the people in it, it’s hard to believe they were not targeted from the moment they got in their car.
          But that old ’80’s mentality is at work too. ‘Oh look … someone from the next street … let’s beat them for coming onto our street.’… sort of thing. ‘Hey! That guy looks different! Hit him.’ … or ‘Hey! That girl is walking alone ….’.
          Some people just have ‘thug’ mentality. (Shabiha?) And of course, after that, the gang from the next street blocks the roads. Everyone wants to show ‘force’ – and make it into an ‘us VS them’ political event. No-one calls the police FIRST and then waits.
          AND for sure, if you forced everyone to wear exactly the same uniform, cut hair the same, shave the same, and walk and talk the same, there would be some twitch of a face that would identify them as ‘different’. Or you would think you were in North Korea. Either way they would get beaten by ‘the gang’.
          ‘Foreign dependency’ … sure, must be Syrian refugees. AssAoudi and the foreign manipulators – parading all over the place. Really. Beat down those ‘paraders’ who want women’s rights and civil marriage too. Hey, if you don’t like the parade, don’t go watch it – and don’t watch the TV news after either. Can’t have people knowing that some think differently. Might become targets of a gang.

          1. José Jalapeño Avatar
            José Jalapeño

            lmao

    3. i dont think the offenders were shiite otherwise they would have made it even bigger…i think theres internal issues betwenn hariri and qabalan…a few weeks ago hariri supporters came into the mosque in beirut and tried to interrrupt the friday sermon….

      1. José Jalapeño Avatar
        José Jalapeño

        You are still wrong… They were Itaranians…

        1. Persistent Avatar
          Persistent

          If you love Lebanon as you say you do, why would you want it to bleed by demonestrating this kind of attitude when the emotions are running so high…

          1. José Jalapeño Avatar
            José Jalapeño

            As to loving Lebanon I have mixed feelings about that…

            Tell me or please someone here tell me what is Lebanon? What is to love? Define for me Lebanon. Tell me please of its identity… Are we Arabs? Are we Lebanese? Are we Phoenicians? Canaanites? Are we Persian? Iranians? Are we Syrians? Are we Romans? Turks? Ottomans? Are we Moslems? Christians? Shiites? Druzes? Are we Maronites or Orthodox? What are we?

            Then What are the aspirations of a people? Immigration? Lack of opportunities? Follow blindly leaders who are taking all of us to a certain bankrupt future? What is our message? What have we accomplished in the last 100 years? NADA! NOTHING!

            Define Lebanon so I may so love it.

            As to the rest believe you and me they do not need hand holding to slaughter each others… The idiots have been doing it for years. It is like us Christians going after every Jew because they crucified Jesus unless they repent and believe me Christianity was not kind to the Jews and the Jews were not kind unleashing their media dogs on the Catholics recently.

            So explain to me that hatred between Sunni and Shia and pllllllease DO NOT tell me it does not exist. They do not need my help to kill each others and nobody reads this blog but a couple of fools including myself. 😉

            They so hate each others because of a conflict between two men? Where was God to protect Hassan and Hussain or Ali? What kind of a nation is that or culture that reveres killing and cutting and slaughtering and is God really that bloodthirsty he watches the family of a prophet being slaughtered and He does nothing about it?

            OK So let us write ONE sentence to define what is Lebanon so we all agree upon so we may love Lebanon.

          2. Persistent Avatar
            Persistent

            I am going to leave this one alone and wish you the best in whichever direction you travel. I am tired of going back and forth in history and talk about who killed who and why, I wish I have the perfect explanation for you but I don’t. Animosity has been there througout history and will continue to be, it is just how the composition of the plant is, I reject living in a state of hate and divisive environment and prefer to focus on the positive aspects in life and look at the glass as being half way full and not half way empty.
            Best of luck my fellow human being buddy.

          3. José Jalapeño Avatar
            José Jalapeño

            I hope you understand I am not against you… I am just as tired of it as you are… I wasted my youth living this bull… I want to move forward… I want us to be the fathers of a new nation away from the poison of the old.
            Can we do that?

          4. Persistent Avatar
            Persistent

            You seem to be a good person at heart, no worries man. I feel so sorry for those folks who are stuck in the past and afraid to face the future and won’t let go of the failed and bankrupt old ideologies of the past that led cultures and civilization into complete destruction. They won’t wake up from this evil nightware even if someone nails them on the head with a 2×4.

          5. 5thDrawer Avatar
            5thDrawer

            As you said, who reads us? Best to hang in where you are for now.

          6. Prophettttt Avatar
            Prophettttt

            This is your masterpiece comment,Hannibal.Many valid questions,and very few convincing answers.Questions asked by every Lebanese, patriots or not.For years Lebanese are trying to define Lebanon,and so far we they have no consensus on what is Lebanon,and what national identity is.

            We all need to think deep and hard to answer these questions. I won’t attempt to address them for you because we need to get beyond the classic answers.
            We even have to think hard to understand God,and why God watched the family of his prophet being slaughtered, and why God watched Jesus being tortured to death on the cross and He did nothing about it.I know both religions build their faiths on these two tragic incident,and we all know the classic answers humanity heard for two thousand years.But It may not be enough.

          7. José Jalapeño Avatar
            José Jalapeño

            I’d like to meet you…
            Where do you live?

          8. IraniAngel Avatar
            IraniAngel

            i want to meet all of you guys too.. i invite you all to my place after the nowrooz celebrations. iraniAngel dresscode: all women are to wear a stupid hijab, even though it doesnt have to cover all your hair. Wearing suicide belts are very recommendable but not a necessity for men. alcohol is avaliable in IrAngel but at a high cost so i suggust you to smuggle a couple of bottles.. although hashish and various other kinds of drugs are all cheap.

            ps. chant several times ‘marg bar amreeka’ (persian for: death to america) when you pass the security just to make the airport staff like you. Make sure you sound convincing.

          9. José Jalapeño Avatar
            José Jalapeño

            I will start practicing…
            طولانی امریکا زندگی می کنند

            Will that get me passage… like to eternity? LOL

          10. José Jalapeño Avatar
            José Jalapeño

            I will start practicing…
            طولانی امریکا زندگی می کنند

            Will that get me passage… like to eternity? LOL

          11. José Jalapeño Avatar
            José Jalapeño

            I will start practicing…
            طولانی امریکا زندگی می کنند

            Will that get me passage… like to eternity? LOL

          12. Prophettttt Avatar
            Prophettttt

            I live on the east cost, NY city. Would be nice meet one day,I’ll make sure I shave my beard and long hair first,lol

          13. José Jalapeño Avatar
            José Jalapeño

            Do you come up at all North wayward towards Boston? I know a nice Greek barber. he will take care of you. 😉

          14. José Jalapeño Avatar
            José Jalapeño

            Do you come up at all North wayward towards Boston? I know a nice Greek barber. he will take care of you. 😉

          15. José Jalapeño Avatar
            José Jalapeño

            Do you come up at all North wayward towards Boston? I know a nice Greek barber. he will take care of you. 😉

          16. Prophettttt Avatar
            Prophettttt

            You’re not too far then.I always assumed you live in a warmer area.
            I attended my niece’s graduation at MIT last year. We can hook up somewhere during spring time,or if you ever come down to the NY City,you may want to sample some authentic and ethnic food.
            You really want me to loose my Prophetic look,don’t you .But no Greek Barber; Greeks are backward,as I tell my good Greek friend .lol

          17. José Jalapeño Avatar
            José Jalapeño

            If I’m going down your way I will give you a nudge if not we probably shall meet half way some weekend when it is warmer… Another snow storm hitting us tonight… Damn! 🙁

          18. Prophettttt Avatar
            Prophettttt

            Sounds good, we’ll keep each other updated,and TY

          19. IraniAngel Avatar
            IraniAngel

            i cant answer your questions but i can tell you this:
            once you go persiaaaaaaaan
            there’s no other versiaaaaaan!

          20. José Jalapeño Avatar
            José Jalapeño

            LOL

          21. 5thDrawer Avatar
            5thDrawer

            Was that with an instrumental background? Or only drums and finger-cymbals? 😉

          22. 5thDrawer Avatar
            5thDrawer

            Was that with an instrumental background? Or only drums and finger-cymbals? 😉

          23. 5thDrawer Avatar
            5thDrawer

            Maybe a ‘future’ description ….
            ‘A blood and oil-stained beach outside the dark shade under one last Cedar tree on a mountain close to the end of the Mediterranean.’

          24. José Jalapeño Avatar
            José Jalapeño

            Damn Scotch… 😉

          25. 5thDrawer Avatar
            5thDrawer

            Not spilled on the sand, however …. 🙂

          26. 5thDrawer Avatar
            5thDrawer

            Not spilled on the sand, however …. 🙂

          27. 5thDrawer Avatar
            5thDrawer

            Not spilled on the sand, however …. 🙂

          28. José Jalapeño Avatar
            José Jalapeño

            Damn Scotch… 😉

          29. José Jalapeño Avatar
            José Jalapeño

            Damn Scotch… 😉

          30. 5thDrawer Avatar
            5thDrawer

            Maybe a ‘future’ description ….
            ‘A blood and oil-stained beach outside the dark shade under one last Cedar tree on a mountain close to the end of the Mediterranean.’

          31. 5thDrawer Avatar
            5thDrawer

            Maybe a ‘future’ description ….
            ‘A blood and oil-stained beach outside the dark shade under one last Cedar tree on a mountain close to the end of the Mediterranean.’

    4. I agree with you Ali, we need to stop thinking about our religion sect and work on a better future for lebanon

    5. Persistent Avatar
      Persistent

      I second those kind words, “balad faltan wa kell mean eido ello”. The perpetrators could be anyone and I am not condoning their heinous behavior. Having said that, there are elements within the lebanese society and their foreign backers are working day and night to create strife. Sadly to say, at some point the pipe will burst and we will ALL pay a heavy price. Obviously, some of us have not read the history books or learned anything from the civil war in Lebanon, Iraq, Syria, Sudan, Somalia, etc…. They are not aware that those leaders who we champion so dearly and follow blindly are the real problem and are the ones who are playing us (the people) against each other.

      1. Prophettttt Avatar
        Prophettttt

        You could not have said that better.

      2. José Jalapeño Avatar
        José Jalapeño

        balad faltan? Are you Syrian? That is a Syrian accent…
        Lebanese say it as such: balad felteen. lol

        1. Prophettttt Avatar
          Prophettttt

          falteen is very very southerner accent, faltan is a mid-southerner accent,lol,Plus,Weren’t we all Syrians at one time?lol

          1. José Jalapeño Avatar
            José Jalapeño

            NO! We were Turks 😛

          2. Prophettttt Avatar
            Prophettttt

            Shwam before Turks,lol

        2. Persistent Avatar
          Persistent

          Sorry to disappoint you, No I am not Syrian.

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