Qabbani Meets al-Rahi to Present him with Christian-Muslim Pact Draft-Project
Grand Mufti Sheikh Mohammed Rashid Qabbani presented on Tuesday Maronite Patriarch Beshara al-Rahi with a draft-project on a Christian-Muslim pact aimed at bolstering ties between the two religions in the Middle East.
The pact was devised after the waves of violence that targeted the two religions in recent years.
Qabbani revealed after talks with al-Rahi at Bkirki that the two clerics initially came up with the idea of the pact over two years ago in light of the 2011 bombing of a church in Alexandria in Egypt and the subsequent bombings of churches in Iraq.
Qabbani said that the bombings were aimed at destroying Christian-Muslim ties throughout the Middle East, explaining that the pact is aimed at preserving Lebanon as an example of coexistence and morality between religions.
It calls for Christians and Muslims to respect each other's religion and reject attacks against each other.
They should avoid harming others and murder, as well as respect places of worship, religious relics, and clergymen.
Religious freedoms should be respected and incitement over one's sect and religion should be shunned, stipulated the pact.
A church for Coptic Christians was bombed on January 1, 2011, leaving 23 people dead and about 97 injured.
The attack took place as the worshipers were leaving a new year service.
M.T.
S.D.B.
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