Lebanon's Druze commemorate the liberation of Al-Shahar at the Maqam of Sayyid Abdullah Al-Tanukhi

In a speech on the occasion, His Eminence the Sheikh Al-Aql thanked the sheikhs and the people of Bissour for the unifying event, saying: "We thank God Almighty for the occasion we are meeting for today. At that time, we were praying, reflecting, and gathering under the mantle of our esteemed sheikhs and the leadership of a trusted national figure, represented by Walid Bey—may God prolong his life—drawing inspiration from history, monotheism (Tawhid), and Ma'roufi stances through the blessing of the esteemed sheikhs and the zeal of the committed youth to restore Al-Shahar and the holy sites. All of this warrants praise and thanks."

He added: "The first thing we must do after praise and thanks is to rally around this clan and this community, which throughout its history has been the faction that fights and defends the frontiers, dignity, land, honor, and religion. This monotheistic heritage requires us to be united monotheists. Then, there is the need for lasting unity, protecting one another, and internal cohesion. Protecting one another means protecting our society and community, which forms a guarantee for preserving our homeland, not being hostile to others. Rather, we should be a distinguished force that can integrate with other forces to build this nation. From here, we take pride in our history and internal cohesion, so that we may form a force for the nation, not against it, alongside our partners in it."

He continued: "We celebrate the occasion and meet on the duty of unity and preserving the foundations of our existence, which are three. The monotheistic creed and faith are a foundation, which has been our guarantee through the blessing of our sheikhs for hundreds of years, and their preservation and adherence to this monotheistic trust—without them, those foundations would have been lost. These are the guardians of the creed that guards and protects us; this is the first foundation. As for the second, it is moral values and virtues; noble morals must not be lost, and that is also a fundamental pillar of ours. We must preserve our Ma'roufi values, for we were not called 'Bani Ma'rouf' in vain, meaning the people of grace, values, morals, and noble traits. By doing so, we preserve our cohesive, united society that believes in its monotheistic creed and is based on moral and social values, to protect our families, our morals, our values, and our noble traditions, no matter how much time evolves and renews. While there are noble traditions we must preserve, we must balance tradition and renewal. We say renewal is necessary, but preserving noble tradition is also necessary. These are the two pillars: creed and values. The third pillar is the land, and attachment to the land and the nation. We defended the frontiers and protected our existence; we hold fast to our love for the land and protect it, and by doing so, we hold fast to the nation, the law, and order. Thus, we must preserve these three pillars; if we squander them, we squander our existence."

His Eminence said: "We commemorate this day to revive in our souls and within ourselves the constants of our society, so that it may be faithful, monotheistic, and based on morals, values, and virtues, especially today when there is much dissipation and liberation from those values. Therefore, it is our duty, all of us—sheikhs, social elites, community leaders, and heads of families—to preserve values and not squander them under the guise of globalization that is sweeping the world, families, households, and homes, and dismantling them. We must be aware of this danger, which is equivalent to occupying the land by occupying thoughts and hearts, and confiscating values, faith, and the constants of attachment to the land and the nation. Many young people today care only about some of their personal interests, technology, and a lot of liberation and identification with the West and globalization. Development is necessary but not at the expense of holding onto roots. As we always say: we are like a tree whose roots are fixed and branches extend into space; if we cut the roots, we destroy the tree. There are constants and roots that we must preserve. There are many variables today that we must know how to deal with by preserving our unity, our society, our monotheism, our morals, and our relationship with the nation and our partners."

In turn, former Minister Al-Aridi spoke, greeting the occasion, the sheikhs, the region, and the Mountain, saying: "We were the foundation of the reconciliation in the Mountain and we paid a heavy price for it before it was accomplished and completed through a partnership between Walid Bey and the late Patriarch Sfeir. When we commemorate an occasion, it is for memory, history, and loyalty to those who struggled, and to take lessons and draw conclusions from all experiences."

He added: "We meet today as one team to commemorate this occasion, and it is everyone's duty to participate in it, to affirm the unity of word and rank. And when we say we are the people of Tawhid (monotheism), each of us must strive for unity. We say this at the most difficult stage we are going through. The situation is troubled and complex, and what surrounds us is very dangerous. We are still in the orbit of war, the risks are great, and the internal conditions are difficult. Therefore, everything we strive for under the leadership of Walid Bey, and in cooperation with everyone, is to provide protection for this clan, this community, this environment, and this society, and by extension for Lebanon, to ward off dangers from it. We are the people of reason (Aql), and we should act with reason and wisdom. This is why all the recent positions were announced, and the visits we are making, and the understanding with everyone and openness to everyone, even those we differed or differ with."

He concluded: "The trust requires today the unity of position and overcoming all matters. I am one of those who believe that there is nothing that cannot be solved, so let us use reason and address all matters with wisdom, deliberation, and calmness to safeguard our singular dignity, our existence, and our future."