Higher Islamic Council Calls for Electing New Members in 'One Phase'

The Higher Islamic Council called on Saturday for providing the “appropriate” conditions to elect the new members of the council and the vacant posts in Dar al-Fatwa in “one phase,” urging Grand Mufti Sheikh Mohammed Rashid Qabbani to abide by regulations.

The council demanded Qabbani to chair the upcoming meeting, stressing on the unity of Dar al-Fatwa and the importance of Qabbani to “realize” the role he plays.

The upcoming meeting will be held on March 2.

The council did not convene at Dar al-Fatwa as the dispute with Qabbani remained unresolved.

The meeting was instead held that the residence of member Bassam al-Barghout, reported Voice of Lebanon radio (100.5).

Deputy chief of the Higher Islamic Council Omar Misqawi had called the council to convene in the lobby of Dar al-Fatwa on Saturday.

Misqawi had earlier denied claims that the session would be canceled, saying that such reports are aimed at impeding the council's activity.

He told al-Liwaa newspaper Saturday that the meeting will be held despite Qabbani's reluctance and “even if he locks the doors of Dar al-Fatwa.”

“All measures that need to be taken, in light of Friday's meeting of former premiers, will be taken,” Misqawi added.

“This includes raising the number of members of the Higher Islamic Council in order to achieve fair representation and hold elections for muftis of various regions in Lebanon,” he explained.

The elections at the council cannot be held before the election of new muftis, he stated.

Prime Minister Najib Miqati had stated on Friday that Saturday's Higher Islamic Council could be postponed, while ruling out the possibility of removing Qabbani from his post.

This issue is not being discussed at the moment, he revealed.

Misqawi continued: “The Higher Islamic Council is seeking to tackle the concerns voiced by the former premiers, but their meeting on Friday failed to achieve desired results.”

Ad Diyar newspaper had reported on Saturday that Qabbani “would meet Misqawi's call for the council to convene on Saturday by shutting the doors of Dar al-Fatwa.”

A sharp rift emerged after Qabbani called for electing new council members in February after he declared that the three-year term of the Council had ended.

The mufti had canceled the elections that he had called for on December 31 to allow Dar al-Fatwa, which is Lebanon’s top Sunni religious authority, to issue a list of eligible voters for the 32-member Council.