Qabbani Presides Urgent Meeting at Dar al-Fatwa over Elections Controversy
Grand Mufti Sheikh Mohammed Rashid Qabbani headed on Monday an urgent meeting of Sunni religious scholars after a controversy erupted over his call for the elections of the Higher Islamic Council on April 22.
A statement issued after the meeting held at Dar al-Fatwa said the conferees stressed “the importance of the Islamic and national role of the Mufti … in unifying the Muslims and Lebanese.”
They also vowed to contribute to the modernization of Dar al-Fatwa.
The meeting came after Qabbani’s deputy, Dr. Omar Mesqawi, asked the Council’s secretary-general Sheikh Khaldoun Oraimet to call for an exceptional meeting on Tuesday to discuss the controversy that erupted after the Mufti set April 22 as the date for the elections.
Tripoli Mufti Sheikh Malek al-Shaar was quoted on Monday as saying that Qabbani’s call for the elections is illegal because he hasn’t consulted anyone.
Al-Shaar hoped that the issue would not lead to a crisis between the political authority at Dar al-Fatwa and the premiership.
The mandate of the Council expired on Dec. 31, 2009 and has since been extended.
Media reports have said that Qabbani’s call for elections in an attempt to modernize the Council comes against the backdrop of a dispute between him and ex-Premier Saad Hariri’s al-Mustaqbal movement.
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