MUSLIM RELIGIOUS LEADERS VOICE CALLS TO UNIFY SUNNIS, SHI'AS

Grand Mufti Sheikh Mohammad Rashid Qabbani urged the Lebanese people to preserve their country, which he said, “is going through fateful moments.” Qabbani made his remarks in a letter addressed on the eve of Al-Israa Wal Miraj holiday, the night of Prophet Muhammad’s ascension to the seven heavens. “We, as Lebanese, should defy any attempt to attack our unity or sow strife and divisions among us,” Qabbani said. “And the hands that blow up the country whenever the political situation worsens are nothing but the hands of strife.” He also urged the Arabs and Muslims to preserve Palestine and protect it from “occupiers.” Meanwhile, senior Shiite cleric Sayyed Mohammad Hussein Fadlallah met with Mohammad Sammak, an envoy of Future Movement leader MP Saad Hariri, to discuss the latest developments in Lebanon and the region. Fadlallah voiced support to any step that contributes to bringing Lebanese parties together. Fadlallah also met with former Finance Minister Jihad Azour for talks on economic and living conditions in the country. Fadlallah said the problem in Lebanon resides in the fact that the concept of the state is still “cloudy” and that political circumstances are controlling it.