The Sheikh Aql of the Druze Unitarian community, Sheikh Dr. Sami Abi Al-Muna, received further calls and greeting cables on the occasion of Eid al-Adha and exchanged congratulatory messages, most notably from the Grand Mufti of the Republic, Sheikh Abdul Latif Derian, and from the Greek Melkite Catholic Patriarch of Antioch and All the East, Youssef Absi, the Secretary-General of the King Abdullah bin Abdulaziz International Centre for Interreligious and Intercultural Dialogue (KAICIID), Dr. Zuhair Al-Harthi, Bishop George Saliba, the Druze Council in Argentina, and calls from several figures from Lebanon and the diaspora.
On the other hand, the Sheikh Aql held a meeting at his residence in Shanay with the "Green Hand Organization," as part of the Authentic Aley strategy for the advancement plan of Aabey town, in the presence of representatives of the Maronite and Capuchin orders and members of the advisory team of engineers, experts, and technicians involved in the Authentic Aley project to promote the Aley District in general and the town of Aabey in particular, headed by Rana Al-Dubeissi.
The meeting was an occasion during which the Sheikh Aql welcomed “the step aimed at reviving the spiritual heritage of the town of Aabey and commended the efforts made by Authentic Aley to achieve this project, which falls within the context of the true reconciliation that took place in the Mountain, and aims to achieve economic development in the town of Aabey, which stores a great deal of cultural and spiritual heritage, and which contributes to strengthening the development reality in the Mountain in general.”
Sheikh Abi Al-Muna believed that “the success of this step in the Mountain, which is the heart of Lebanon, will form a model for all of Lebanon and will be a blessed step in preserving the blessing we possess and building for the future with optimism and love among the various sons of the nation.
The Sheikh Aql stressed the importance of creating incentives to return the immigrant sons of the Mountain to their homeland and towns to enjoy their bounties and benefit them with their expertise, and this matter is no less important than the return of the sons of the Mountain who were displaced from their towns so that they can contribute to building and together form one national family and a prestigious economic force.
The head of the Green Hand Organization - Authentic Aley, Zaher Radwan, provided an explanation in which he presented the various stages that are being worked on in order to achieve the development project for the Aley District in general and the town of Aabey in particular, by returning it to the tourism, cultural, economic, religious, and spiritual map. Radwan pointed out that the plan that Authentic Aley is working to complete and transform into a real project on the ground reflects benefits and advantages for the people of Aabey town and its surroundings through this vital project, which requires creating a unified roadmap, including many natural, tourism, environmental, economic, and religious facilities, in a way that contributes to reviving tourism and the economy through an economic development plan and by preserving heritage and the environment and reviving traditional heritages at various levels within a unified strategic plan.
For his part, the head of the Capuchin Fathers' Monastery in Aabey, Father Abdullah Nofaili, stressed “the importance of this meeting, which highlighted the importance of the historical role of the town of Aabey through the cultural and historical reservoir it possesses, as the American University started from Aabey, and the Capuchin fathers had a large center in the town. Aabey also constitutes a meeting point between the Christian and Druze communities, and herein lies the importance of highlighting the importance of the town of Aabey through this meeting, which is a first step to put Aabey back on the global, cultural, and spiritual map, especially since it has all the components that qualify it to play this role.”
He added: “We have hope and confidence, and there is no doubt that the challenges are great, but the will exists to achieve this step, and therefore we must have hope and faith so that the town of Aabey becomes one of the most important Lebanese towns.”
The heritage conservation specialist, Dr. Rana Al-Dubeissi, and head of the advisory committee of Authentic Aley, pointed to the importance of the initiative that starts from Aabey to create a model for how to deal with our heritage and history. She points out that Aabey is characterized by a distinctive cultural, architectural, and natural heritage with a very deep spiritual dimension, and by strengthening and documenting this heritage, people's relationship with their places and times can be restored, and then this heritage can be introduced into the economic context, so that it can be a fundamental point in people's livelihoods, and thus this heritage can enter the economic circle and contribute to stabilizing people in their towns.”
The advisory team includes Dr. Habib Sadek, Dr. Yahya Al-Timsah, Dr. Nasim Raad, Dr. Jamil Abu Asali, Eng. Manal Malaeb, Eng. Maysam Zaaiter, Eng. Grisy Al-Qassifi, historian Anis Yahya, professor Youssef Gharib, in addition to more than 25 specialized engineers.
The Sheikh Aql received a delegation of the Badawi family sheikhs, including Sheikh Nadim Badawi and the head of the association, Nader Badawi.
He also received a delegation from the Abu Faraj family from Choueifat accompanied by Sheikh Nazih Saab and Sheikh Issam Salman, to thank his eminence for offering condolences for the late wife of Sheikh Amin Abu Faraj. He also received Brigadier Generals Malek Abdel Khalek and Anwar Yahya, who offered congratulations on Eid al-Adha. Then researcher Dr. Mohammed Saeed Al-Turaihi, who presented a collection of his books, accompanied by Dr. Munir Hamza.
The Sheikh Aql, heading a delegation, offered condolences to the Progressive Socialist Party and the family of the former Deputy Head of the Party, the late militant Durayd Yaghi, on his passing, at the Scientific Guidance and Specialization Association in Beirut, in the presence of the late's wife, Mrs. Nadia, his brothers Dr. Yasser and lawyer Naji, former MP Assem Qanso, and relatives and family.
Sheikh Abi Al-Muna visited the towns of Ebbaieh and Maasrati in the afternoon to offer condolences for the late Sheikh Faisal Abu Hamra and the late militant Atef Al-Sayegh.
