Rafehi after Aide Held: We Won't Hesitate to Wage Jihad if Yabrud People Urge
إقرأ هذا الخبر بالعربية
Tripoli-based Salafist leader Sheikh Salem al-Rafehi stressed Friday that the northern city's Islamists will not hesitate to go to jihad, or holy war, in support of the regime-besieged Syrian town of Yabrud.
“A lot of those who are collecting extortions in the city are still on the loose and a lot of criminals are still at large, while the free men were arrested, such as Omar al-Homsi, Sheikh Omar al-Atrash, Dr. Abdul Nasser Shatah and others,” Rafehi said outside al-Salam Mosque in Tripoli, after the director of his office Jalal Kalash was arrested at the Rafik Hariri International Airport.
According to state-run National News Agency, Kalash was released prior to the cleric's televised address. Rafehi said the man was freed due to “popular pressure.”
“Why are our young men being arrested when they go to Syria and when they return? Why doesn't this apply to Hizbullah's fighters?” the cleric asked.
“If they (Lebanese authorities) are afraid of the West, they can rely on the remarks of (Hizbullah chief Sayyed Hassan) Nasrallah, who had said 'let us go fight in Syria',” Rafehi added.
“We say it loud and clear: we won't back down from supporting our people in Syria, whatever that may cost us. When our people in (Syria's) Qusayr pleaded to us, we heeded their call, and today if Yabrud's people urge us to act, we won't hesitate to wage jihad with them,” the Islamist leader vowed.
He called on “Lebanon's rulers” to “draw lessons,” stressing that Syrian President “Bashar Assad's rule will not last for long.”
“Do not stand by the tyrant,” Rafehi went on to say.
He voiced surprise that “an army force is still protecting (Arab Democratic Party leader) Ali Eid's house in Hikr al-Daheri until the moment.”
Rafehi revealed that Army Commander General Jean Qahwaji had allegedly promised him to capture Eid once an arrest warrant is issued for him in the case of the deadly bombings that hit Tripoli's al-Taqwa and al-Salam mosques.
“When the policy statement faced a deadlock, the Arab Democratic Party was ordered to bombard Tripoli and it is unacceptable that an entire city be punished over the behavior of one young man,” Rafehi said, referring to the deadly clashes that erupted Thursday in Tripoli in the wake of the killing of a Jabal Mohsen man.
“When this cabinet was formed, we were surprised by the raids and Tripoli was turned into a military barracks and people became afraid to be on the streets,” Rafehi noted.
14 March 2014, 17:14
37
popeye you are right neither Hizballah nor these men should be going to Syria, period.. It is not Lebanon's fight. Get the heck out of Syria.
They need to stop bringing masayeb to their people. stupid war mentality.
14 March 2014, 17:18
47
Mr. Rafehi, do whatever that takes your fancy, but do it inside Syria, not in Lebanon, and oh, don't wait to be asked, go now!! But in Syria, not Lebanon.
14 March 2014, 18:52
62
Thanks once again to show ur respect toward ur sunni fellow countrymen.
Just for ur information, this is the guy that used all of his contacts in Syria to get the shia pilgrims and the 2 bishops released.
He is more open-minded, fair and lebanese u'll ever be...
14 March 2014, 19:30
34
@cedre, I oppose all form of Jihad and holy wars and those who threaten me to carry them out. Does it make me any less Lebanese? The language of the sword is rejected shar7an wa faslan, what authority does this man have to fight in Yarboud? He helped free kidnapped people? I thank him, does that give him carte blanche to declare holy wars and Jihad in a foreign country? Absolutely not!
14 March 2014, 20:05
42
bandoul, if u're maronite, alawite, sunni and u only care about ur sect/confession then u're not lebanese just maronite, alawite, sunni... I'm sunni and i understand that christians, alawites, shias civilians have right to defend themselves, and their coreligionists have the right to try to help them. Thats no extremism, just solidarity.
Also rafehi, alassir and other did not declare jihad until HA intervened in syria using lebanese territories...
Did sunnis ask christians not to intervene in the nuns' story coz they're syrians ? One must be fair...
14 March 2014, 20:17
64
Cedre, are you addressing me? If yes, then I am more respectful towards all Lebanese as anyone, thank you. I just am as fed up with every sane Lebanese person talking of Jihad here or Jihad there. Then the war is in Syria, so it aint me who made thew Jihad declaration but Mr. Rafehi. If it is as you said, that he played such an important role in the release of the hostages, then I bot my hat to him, but then, calling for Jihad now sits badly with almost everyone If he goes to Jihad, don't you think that his opponents will react? Then Sayed Hassan was clear from day one, do battle with him in Syria, even if I don't like what he did, yet I still accept, Syria, not Lebanon.
14 March 2014, 20:31
31
ok so christians can protect themselves, get help from abroad from fellow christians, same with shias, but not sunnis ? Is this logic ?
Rafehi, Alaasir and others did not speak of jihad until HA went to syria. State did not stop them, fair enough, I understand that christians in Metn or Batroun dont give a fuss about tnt barrel bombed kids in Homs. But then, state'd better not stop sunnis going and coming to fight in syria. Or u'll have the troubles in lebanon.
We, sunnis, take honour to help anybody from assad and terrorists, at home and abroad. But unfortunately, not lebanese are thinking the same way...
14 March 2014, 22:35
34
Cedre I understand that it pains you to see your fellow Sunnis suffering, trust me I do. However I do not agree with Hizbullah's intervention in Syria and I don't agree with Mr Rafehi's call for Jihad for exactly the same reason. You mention that Christians are getting help from abroad. Really what help have they gotten? I don't know of any Lebanese Christians fighting in Syria! Do you? Condemnation is one thing, asking people to help free the nuns is another, but going there and actually fighting is something completely different.
14 March 2014, 22:36
34
I am a Christian from Metn and I give a huge fuss about kids being bombed in Homs but not because they're sunnis. After all the syrian people from all religions are our brothers and sisters and war is destroying them for generations to come. Look what our war achieved for us... Absolutely nothing. I remember how for example the Lebanese forces treated the people they were supposedly trying to protect in the 80s.
Sending fighters will not solve the problem. Stopping fighters going will
15 March 2014, 01:06
10
thanks loubnani for ur answer.
I do understand ur point about not sending fighters.
14 March 2014, 17:27
00
Hezbollah is in Syria on the invitation of the legitimate government, and does not represent any danger to Lebanon after returning home, as opposed to a fresh members of terrorist groups like Al-Nusra, ISIS, Ahrar ash-Sham etc, who have already made several suicide attacks in Lebanon and threat with general war.
14 March 2014, 19:26
44
@Rafehi, I reject you, I reject your threats, I reject Islamism, I reject Jihadism and consider you an enemy of the free sovereign state of Lebanon. You and the likes of you are the flip side of the coin. I strongly believe the majority of Lebanese reject you and HA equally! Get off our backs and crawl back to the dark ages where you belong. That goes for all of you who kill and oppress in the name of God.
14 March 2014, 20:07
41
bandoul i really think that u should go on youtube and listen to his speech before talking...
14 March 2014, 20:29
44
I respectfully disagree with your stance cedre and the way you rationalize his actions above (solidarity is best expressed thru peaceful means). I don't identify with my religion, I identify with my nationality. Just because HA is breaking all kinds of laws and moral codes to fight in Syria does not justify this guy to do the same. Let's just agree to disagree? BTW I don't engage in thumbs up thumbs down.
14 March 2014, 20:58
22
lets agree to disagree, enjoyed the discussion a lot, i felt u and popeye were very sincere about it, its nice to exchange in this way...
14 March 2014, 19:49
32
Ur military analysis is correct and clever, but since HA is fighting there, why are sunnis not able to do it ?
14 March 2014, 20:22
04
Simply because if you are going to act like they do, then you lose the right to criticize them.
Here is what he said:
We say it loud and clear: we won't back down from supporting our people in Syria...........
Isn't this the extreme Sunni version of the HA version? When will we Lebanese start defining "OUR PEOPLE" as patriotic Citizens of this country and not as co-religious who are all over the globe. Any wonder Lebanon is in such a dire strait?
14 March 2014, 20:26
14
dear cedre; if every lebanese sect goes to syria to defend their own, how can they live together in lebanon once they come back. This is not the Lebanon that we want. This is why we are all against the terror's party sectarian war in syria. Don't take the bait
14 March 2014, 20:37
23
fighting each other in Syria is what nasrallah said in one of his speeches:"let's have a go at it in syria", remember. That is exactly what he wants. I believe he knew the repercussions of his statement and was baiting the sunnis to go there. He is an inciter for sure.
14 March 2014, 20:55
12
i enjoyed it as well popeye, made me think a lot.
After all, maybe I'm wrong, not being selfish and cold.
Maybe thats what it means to be lebanese today...
15 March 2014, 01:24
01
Please declare your "Jihad" in and towards uncivilized countries outside and without implicating Lebanon. Having said that God be with you and leave us alone.
15 March 2014, 04:23
31
mystic, i'm sure u work in a 'Labraroty' that produces captagon among other things...
15 March 2014, 13:30
10
I do agree with cedre there is a double standard. HA has proved that they will use their weapons internally and against other Arabs in a sectarian manner. It's no longer for Israel only but only for Shiites. This is too bad because at one point I almost believed their sincerity. It's kind of like my theory on gun control in the US. You can't have one group only armed, so everyone must arm. Sunni and Christians all must have their own strong militia to protect their interest and places of worship from "the enemy" in order to "resist" being dominated and receive arms and funds from external allies and hVe one big arms race. Either this or everyone disarm and fall under the army. We can give preference to a single sect a right to resist.
17 July 2014, 07:12
00
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