Sheikh Al-Aql in Lebanon: Defend Reconciliation, Coexistence, and National Partnership

His Eminence the Sheikh Al-Aql of the Unitarian Druze community, Sheikh Dr. Sami Abi Al-Muna, met today at the community house in Beirut with the Dean of the Maronite General Council, former Minister Sheikh Wadih El-Khazen, who stated after the meeting: “I was honored to meet His Eminence, where we discussed the national situation and ways to keep internal disputes away from the local arena.” His Eminence considered that “national unity is the most potent weapon to protect civil peace, and that strengthening the bonds of unity is achieved by implementing the remaining provisions of the Taif Agreement, constant and constructive dialogue, and rejecting everything that divides the Lebanese, in addition to emphasizing security, political, and social stability.”

He added: “We touched upon the necessity of electing a new President of the Republic as soon as possible, through the consensus of all influential forces in this field, given the importance and symbolism of the position. There is no security or other impediment preventing the Parliament from taking the initiative to elect a new president for the country who is acceptable to the majority of parties, because options are available and broad in this field. No country can move forward without a head to manage its affairs in cooperation with the government. I affirmed to His Eminence that the fluctuating circumstances on the security level mandate that we all continue to support the Army and all security forces, and rally around them in their confrontation with imminent dangers, because the Army and the security forces, with their unified national composition, belong to all Lebanese and are keen on the security of them all.”

His Eminence also met with MP Mark Daou, and they discussed the general situation and current developments.

His Eminence met with the Legal Committee of the Confessional Council, in the presence of its head, lawyer Nashaat Hilal.

His Eminence Sheikh Al-Aql received at his residence in Chanay: lawyer Raed Al-Sayegh; Sheikh Khalil Al-Saifi, in the presence of his advisor, Confessional Council member Sheikh Fadi Al-Attar; Sheikh Mustafa Al-Deeb; Sheikh Dr. Wajdi Al-Jurdi and Sheikh Kamel Al-Oraydi, who presented him with the book "Manaqib al-A'yan" (Virtues of the Notables) - Part Five, authored by the late Sheikh Abu Saleh Farhan Al-Oraydi and edited and prepared by Sheikh Al-Jurdi. A delegation from the “Olia Association” from the town of Sharoun, accompanied by Raed Al-Sayegh, came to request his patronage for a religious meeting for youth ahead of the blessed Eid al-Adha.

His Eminence Sheikh Al-Aql visited the city of Choueifat for the second time in a week to perform social, spiritual, and community duties and offer condolences, accompanied by the venerable Sheikhs Abu Zeineddine Hassan Ghannam and Abu Fayez Amin Makarem and a number of Sheikhs and members of the Confessional Council, including the member of the Confessional Council Board, Mr. Naji Saab.

His Eminence Sheikh Abi Al-Muna began his tour from the house of Sheikh Abu Hani Wafiq Haidar, who accompanied His Eminence and the Sheikhs on a series of visits in the city. They had a stop at the Al-Abi Faraj family council, in the presence of a gathering of Sheikhs and some of the city's dignitaries. After welcoming speeches by the Choueifat-Khalde internal agent of the Progressive Socialist Party, Imad Abu Faraj, and Mukhtar Marwan Mohammed Abu Faraj, His Eminence addressed the attendees in a speech in which he emphasized “adherence to the constants of the Unitarian faith, the noble path, the values of the Ma'roufi (Druze) tradition, social cohesion, rootedness in the land, and unity of rank and word.” Among what he said: “Choueifat means a lot to us, as it is the gateway to the mountain and the first of the frontiers we protected from invaders, aggressors, and occupiers. Throughout our history, we defended the frontiers of this Arab-Islamic East and succeeded in our defense; we were always the fighting and defending faction, never aggressors, but always defenders.”

He added: “Since we existed on this land in this region, the strongest defense was from the breath of the Sheikhs of the pious predecessors, who defended through their prayers from the highest mountains to the coast, with their retreats, their councils, and their Unitarian path, giving spirit to this clan and strength to the heroic youth. We defended, endured, and remained on our land, in ancient history and in modern history, and even on May 11, we were defenders and not attackers or aggressors. However, today the required defense is of another face and in another way: reconciliation and coexistence. The defense is that we know how to live with our partners in the nation, to live in peace and safety with everyone, while maintaining our constants, our origins, our roots, our traditions, and our Unitarianism. And most importantly, preserving our land. Preserving our land and our history is a duty, not an aggression. From here, I call for holding on more and more to the land; the land is not real estate for sale, but history, blood, and heritage. It is the sweat of our ancestors, the breath of our Unitarians, and the blood of heroes. The land is not to be forsaken, but preserved by committing to the one, unified decision. We also preserve our Ma'roufi values, which are a pillar, a reservoir, ammunition, and a treasure for us; the Ma'roufi values and noble morals that distinguish us, and for which we are named Bani Ma'rouf, because we preserve these Ma'roufi ethical values and human virtues that distinguish us. If we lose them, we lose the community. Just as we preserve the doctrine, if we maintain our faith, the sincerity of our doctrine, our wisdom, and our Islamic-religious-behavioral origins that our Sheikhs have guarded for hundreds of years. The Unitarian doctrine that guards us, we maintained it so that it may guard us, as the late Sayyid Sheikh Abu Hassan Aref Halawi said: ‘As much as we preserve, we shall be preserved,’ if we neglect it, we disintegrate.”

He continued: “Choueifat is a model for coexistence, a model for steadfastness, and a model for remaining and rooting in the land. I say again, we are not in confrontation with anyone and we do not attack anyone; this is our right, and the political leadership acknowledges it. From our spiritual position, we acknowledge this right: to preserve our community and adhere to our right to life and to live with dignity on the land and in the nation. We are essential partners in the nation, strong without weakness in our partnership. We want to participate strongly when we are strong in our doctrine, our values, and our rootedness in the land. And most importantly is our cohesion with each other, even if parties differ, ideas differ, and scientific levels differ; one thing unites us, which is our Unitarian origin and our spiritual Unitarian identity. What unites us is stronger than any division; nothing separates us in identity. We sometimes differ in opinion, but we are united by the Unitarian identity and the spiritual identity of the community.”

He concluded: “God willing, we shall remain through the blessing and prayers of our Sheikhs. Our meeting and our visits to each other are only an affirmation that if the spiritual body is strong, the community is strong, and if the political body is also strong, we are strong and complement each other. To be loving toward one another is the source of our strength.”

The visits included the homes of Sheikhs: Bahaa Al-Qadi, Fawzi Saab, Walid Musharrafieh, Shakib Al-Rishani, Fawzi Saab, Sami Haidar, Nabil Bou Arram, Hamza Bou Arram, Sajih Bou Arram, Salah Haidar, Abu Saleh Adib Naeem, Adib Al-Okaz, Kamal Al-Okaz, Tarek Haidar, Majid Haidar, and Farid Haidar. Condolences were also offered for: the late Sheikha Ikram Nasr, wife of Sheikh Abu Nabil Amin Abu Faraj; the late Abu Majid Munther Abi Faraj at the home of his nephew, Major General Walid Salman; the late Ramzi Rafiq Haidar; and the late Abu Sami Adel Al-Jurdi, in the presence of Confessional Council member Ayoub Al-Jurdi.

His Eminence also visited the town of Al-Ghaboun to offer condolences for the late struggler Nazih Mahmoud Al-Debs.

His Eminence Sheikh Al-Aql also participated in the extensive religious evening at the shrine of Prophet Ayoub (PBUH) in Niha, in the presence of the venerable Sheikhs Abu Zeineddine Hassan Ghannam, Abu Fayez Amin Makarem, Abu Dawood Munir Al-Qadamani, Abu Hassan Adel Al-Nimr, and Abu Hani Wafiq Haidar, and a large gathering of Sheikhs.

Preceding this were visits made by His Eminence which included: Sheikh Mohammed Abu Shaqra and Sheikh Salem Arnaout in Niha; the shrine of the late Sheikh Abu Mohammed Jamil Abu Daher in Jibla; condolences in the town for the late Samir Malak; a visit to Sheikh Hassan Maher in Ain Qani and Sheikh Fawzat Al-Arram in Mukhtara; and condolences in the town of Kfarnabrakh for the late Sawsan Amin Abu Fakher El-Dine, wife of Mr. Saeed Fayez Mursel.