Lebanon’s Grand Mufti Sheikh Abdel Latif Derian warned against the danger of boycotting the upcoming parliamentary elections, calling for a heavy turnout.
During his Eid al-Fitr sermon on Monday, Derian stressed the importance to seize “the opportunity to achieve change through the elections.”
The prayers were attended by Prime Minister Najib Mikati, former Prime Minister Fouad Siniora and a number of ambassadors, including Kuwaiti Ambassador Abdul-Al Al-Qenaei.
The Grand Mufti lashed out at those who “turned Lebanon into a failed state,” saying: “None of those useless ones has the courage to admit what their dirty hands committed in corruption and illicit dealings. They classify themselves as angels and saints in order to return to the crime scene again. Beware of their deceptive and misleading statements.”
He went on to say: “They try to make the abuser a well-doer and the criminal a hero, elevating the useless to the highest levels of praise and honor. They are the ones who transformed Lebanon into a failed state begging for water, electricity and bread.”
Derian stressed that the parliamentary elections “are an opportunity for us to change.”
“Let it be a change for the better,” he underlined.
He said that the Lebanese were “capable of rebuilding their country and restoring the collapsed state institutions, based on the selection of members of parliament, which is the gateway to the desired reform.”
The elections are scheduled for May 15.
Following the prayers, Mikati and Siniora visited the tomb of late Prime Minister Rafik Hariri in downtown Beirut.
