MP backtracks on targeting Christian symbolism after outrage in Lebanon

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church_byblos_st_john_the_baptist_2976505Lebanese MP Khaled Daher has apologized after being criticized by allies and opponents for saying Christian religious symbols should be removed from outside churches. He said his comments were abridged and taken out of context.

A recent agreement between the Future Movement and Hezbollah has seen the removal of political banners from Sidon to Tripoli.

However, controversy began among certain factions in the northern city of Tripoli when black flags containing the word “there is no God but God” in Arabic were removed from Abdel Hamid Karami Square.

“The Ministry of Interior needs to be clear on what is required” for removal, said Dr Imad Salamey, a political science professor at the Lebanese American University.

The ministry needs to be “clear whether political symbols and leaflets include religious symbols.”

Salamey said most Lebanese political parties use religious symbols, which adds to the confusion over where to draw the line.

Lebanese MP Khaled Daher has apologized for saying Christian religious symbols should be removed from outside churches. (AP)
Lebanese MP Khaled Daher has apologized for saying Christian religious symbols should be removed from outside churches. (AP)
Daher, a conservative Sunni Muslim, condemned the removal of the black flags. “We’ll never tolerate this clear and flagrant insult against the Sunni community,” he told a crowd at Abdel Hamid Karami Square.

“If they want to remove [religious banners], let them start with the Christ the King statue and posters of [Christian] saints,” he said.

Daher was last year accused of having had regular contact with Ahmad Mikati, an operative of the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria who was busted by Lebanese security forces.

Daher’s comments caused outrage in Lebanon, including from members of the Future Movement, to which he is aligned. There have been calls from Lebanese on social media for his removal from parliament.

Sheikh Malek al-Shaar, the mufti of Tripoli and northern Lebanon, said the black flags were being removed because of their association with ISIS.

Dr Sami Nader, director of the Levant Institute for Strategic Affairs, said Daher’s analogy was “rushed and not well thought out.”

Nader added that “the analogy wasn’t appropriate because Christ the King is a shrine and a landmark, as is Al-Amin mosque or any other mosque. They aren’t slogans. They’re part of our very identity and culture.”

Salamey said the Ministry of Interior should consider banning all religious symbols from public spaces, though he acknowledged that this was unlikely to happen.

Al Arabia

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5 responses to “MP backtracks on targeting Christian symbolism after outrage in Lebanon”

  1. sweetvirgo Avatar

    What an A-hole….he sounds like he is daesh

    1. 5thDrawer Avatar

      Just one of the guys who wants to politicize everything to do with a religion … which is why the place fills with all the ugly posters in the first place.
      To get rid of all the ‘symbols’ of religion, they’d have to knock down a lot of buildings.

    2. AkhouManUki Avatar
      AkhouManUki

      Seriously, why does a moron like this find it necessary to shake the already shaky foundation of Lebanon with such baffoonery? Simply put, he should be crucified to set an example for others.

  2. nagy_michael2 Avatar
    nagy_michael2

    it’s time for this low life to be jailed because he has been inciting Sunnis against the LAF. i find it strange with all bullets flying and going astray none has hit him yet.. Hint..

  3. Lebanon needs a secular government ASAP. You can not expect logical decisions from hyper-religious people, especially political representatives.

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