Grand Mufti of the Lebanese Republic Sheikh Mohammad Rashid Qabbani voiced his opposition to expelling the large influx of Syrian refugees that have fled violence in their country for Lebanon.
“Nobody, whether politicians or civilians, is to harass Syria refugees and demand they leave Lebanon, for they are our brothers and guests here,” Qabbani said in a statement issued on Friday.
The mufti called on Lebanese, Arab, Islamic and international organizations to “redouble their efforts to aid Syria refugees in Lebanon, especially during the winter season.”
“Dar al-Fatwa has done and is still doing its duty towards the Syrian brothers who fled their country and came to Lebanon seeking safety.”
Lebanon is facing difficulties dealing with the increasingly high number of refugees fleeing Syria’s violence, amid a split in its political landscape between supporters of the Syrian regime, represented by the March 8 alliance – spearheaded by Hezbollah – and Western-backed forces associated with the March 14 coalition.
Differences also emerged over the best way to control the situation, with some politicians close to the March 8 group calling for closing the border with Syria while others, affiliated with the opposition, dismissed the proposal and urged more humanitarian help for the displaced.
Syria is witnessing a violent uprising against the regime of President Bashar al-Assad, which has so far killed more than 60,000 people since its outbreak in March last year, according to figures released by the United Nations.
