Jumblat: Lebanon Will Inevitably Be Affected by ISIL

Progressive Socialist Party leader MP Walid Jumblat warned of the threat the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant will have on Lebanon, stressing the need for moderate Islam to hold sway over those susceptible to extremist thought, reported As Safir newspaper on Friday.

He told the daily: “The ISIL mentality will emerge in Lebanon given the collapse of the borders between Iraq and Syria.”

He highlighted the importance of moderate Islam, but noted the emergence of extremism in Roumieh Prison, the northern city of Tripoli, the western Bekaa region, and its town of Arsal.

“Tackling the security developments is a positive matter, but there is a need for political, social, economic, and intellectual approaches” to tackle fundamentalism, explained Jumblat.

He cited the discovery of suicide bombers in Beirut's Duroy Hotel in June and the delay in the trial of Islamists of Roumieh inmates as signs of emergence of extremism in Lebanon.

“What is the reason for the delay in the trial?” he wondered, noting that this issue is a “ticking time-bomb.”

Recent media reports suggested that extremists are planning on carrying out terrorist attacks in Lebanon in order to pressure authorities to release the inmates.

Asked whether terrorism in Lebanon is a local or foreign product, Jumblat replied that the spread of ISIL and Hizbullah's involvement in the conflict in Syria are among its causes.

“The ISIL threat has transcended all borders. It is not important whether ISIL fighters arrive in Lebanon, but the danger lies in the emergence of its extremist mentality,” warned the PSP chief.

“Thank God Lebanon is a very small country, but we should still be wary of ISIL,” he remarked.

Asked about the role of minorities, such as Druze and Christians, in Lebanon, he responded: “We are on the verge of extinction. All sides have played their part.”

“The Druze played their part during the age of Emir Fakhreddine, while Christians have also played an important role in Lebanon's history, but they failed to derive any lessons from it,” he lamented without elaborating.

“It is about time that the Christians reach reconciliation under the authority of Maronite Patriarch Beshara al-Rahi in order to elect a consensual president,” he explained.

“The Druze have a role to play, but none of them should be foolish enough to believe that they can establish their own plan away from Lebanon,” the MP stated.

“Such actions would be crazy and suicidal. We are Lebanese and Arabs after all,” he added.

M.T.

H.K.