RELIGIOUS LEADERS CALL FOR RESISTANCE IN SOUTH

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP05-01507R000100050067-7
• Release Decision: RIFPUB
• Original Classification: K
• Document Page Count: 3
• Document Creation Date: December 22, 2016
• Document Release Date: March 16, 2012
• Sequence Number: 67
• Publication Date: December 28, 1983
• Content Type: OPEN SOURCE

Declassified and Approved For Release 2012/03/16: CIA-RDP05-01507R000100050067-7
He added: "There is a plot. The Israeli enemy 1s in the south. The enemy
does not pose a danger to the Muslims only. The Jews are more dangerous
to the Christians. No one has forgotten how the Christians at Kafr Bar'am
on the northern border adjacent to Lebanese territory were treated. Israel
transferred the population of two villages into the interior of the occupied
territory, for it did not trust them and feared them because they were
Arabs."
He said: "Therefore, who supports the Christians? We do. If we turn all
our rifles, abilities and potential against the Israeli enemy, we will be
victorious. All of you know what happened on Sunday at Lebanon's Karbala',
the Karbala' of Jabal 'Anvil. You all know of the disturbances-on 'Ashura,
the 10th day of liuharram. Khaybar stood forth once again, and Dhu al-Fiqar
stood forth. Dhu al-Fiqar did not fear the warlike Zionist military machine.
Khaybar's supports sere shakep =tea ht fell a victim to the sword of 'All.
he fell stai:ad wit., his awn blood. Because of 'Ali's blow, he lost the
people. 'Ali, who shook the supports of the Jews. Yesterday at noon, yea-
terday at noon this sword appeared in Nabatiyah to say again: 'No youth but
'Alf, and no sword but Dhu al-Figar."'
He added: "Therefore, this sword has not taken into account the fact that
there are hot air balloons, gravity and armored machines. It has transcend-
ed all military plans and considerations. The sword, the shroud and naked
flesh say no to the occupation. They repeat once again the saying of the
Imam Musa al-Sadr: 'Israel is an absolute evil.' The disturbance at
Nabatiyah confirmed once again that there is no power but God's power and
no will but God's will. There are no protectors and no proselytizers ex-
cept those who are obedient to Cod. It is incumbent on us all to sake the
day of Nabatiyah a lesson for all Lebanese. We must cooperate anew In
order to renew the kinship between us."
The Mufti Qablan added: "We have never been fanatics. We have always sup-
ported the Qur'anic line and a united Lebanon. Therefore, you see that our
people in the south have not included in their calculations any regional
consideration. They lived in al-Jadidah, al-Finar, Byaqut, al-Nab'ah, Burj
Hamud, and Batshay. They lived everywhere, before the occurrence of the
Declassified and Approved For Release 2012/03/16: CIA-RDP05-01507R000100050067-7
JPRS; ._ DG2
TRANS ON N. EAST A N. AF.-2 z
2,s L)EC. igss
so that we can attain national unity in the end. For without Islamic unity
and a unified Islamic orientation, we cannot meet with our Christian brothers
on the same carpet and the same ground."
He added: "We never say this on a narrow sectarian basis or from the stand-
-uo,nt cf fanaticism. Indeed, we are -with eve" free, n'ble human being and
everyone who wants to build the Lebanon of justice, freedom, dignity, equal-
ity and mutual respect. We must open a new page, because violence, aggres-
sion and provocation, as well as all deviant acts that go beyond the limits
of religion and the law, are not supported by our Islamic religion. On the
contrary, Islam calls for good words. We talk about Islam, and it is our
duty to apply it to ourselves. If we call people to Islam while our acts
having nothing to do with it, what then? It is most loathsome to God when
you say what you do not do."
Beirut AL-SAFIR in Arabic 22 Oct 83 p 4
[Article: "Mosque Preachers Adhere to the Directives of the Mufti and Shams-
al-Din To Call for Resistance Against Israel and Unification of the Nation's
Ranks"]
(Text] The mosque preachers at Friday prayer yesterday focused on the neces-
sity of confronting Israel. not cooperating with it, and exposing its prac-
tices and plans in the south, as well as Islamic unification in preparation
for a national unification embracing the various sects, in order to build
the country on foundations of justice, equality, and the prevention of parti-
tion. They called for these things on the basis of instructions from the
Mufti of the Republic, Shaykh Hasan Khalid, and the vice-chairman of the
Supreme Shi'ite Islamic Council, Shaykh Muhammad Mahdi Shams-al-Din.
The prominent Ja'farite mufti, Shaykh 'Abd-al-Amir Qablan, said that Israel
was a danger to iluslims and Christiana alike, and tl.At the Muslims could pro-
tect the Christians better than Israel, since Israel would sell then as it
had sold others. He announced that he rejected the selling of land to Is-
raelis in the south, and he called on hie people to renounce Israel acd not
cooperate with it.
Mr Muhammad Husayn Fadlallah pointed out that Israel is playing a sectarian
card game in Lebanon. He called for Internal conflicts to be frozen In
order to confront the Israeli enemy, saying: "We-can only survive through
coexistence based on values, not the sectarian mentality.
Th Mufti Qablan
CQ:,t (- fPP
The Muf1ti gablln)gave the Friday sermon at the al-Rawl al-'Ali mosque in
Burl al-BaraJinah. lie began it by calling for a unified voice and the heal-
ing of rifts in this country, as well as obedience to the commands of God.
He affirmed that the idea of unification in Islam meant unifying speech and
action in one line and unifying orientation. "It means we serve the One
God," he said.
Qablan said: "In Lebanon, we are demanding unity. There are some who think
we are demanding Islamic unity. Yes, Islamic unity is an urgent necessity,
 i
Declassified and Approved For Release 2012/03/16: CIA-RDP05-01507R000100050067-7
recent events. Moreover, I say unto you that the Imam Musa al-Sadr wanted
to buy land above Juniyah, so that our people could live there as well.
This was so we could say to them: 'Our land is your land, our blood is your
blood.' We lived in Beirut and in the suburbs, because we are not fanatics.
Indeed, we were open to all people. Why are the regions being neglected
again? Why are the regions going to part:..ular :action.: -gain, W,at is the
meaning of partition? This is partition."
He said: "It is incumbent upon us to return the refugees so we can rebuild
our kinship ties. We must all live as one, with Lebanon being a center of
civilizations and religions, and every person promoting his religion in the
style that serves it, as well as his country and his brothers on the land."
The Mufti Qablan went on to say: "When we demand a Lebanon of justice, that
means we do not want to oppress others and live on their oppression. No,
we do not want that, and our religion is not satisfied by that. Our religion
refuses to oppress anyone. There is plotting against us from every direc-
tion. As the Prophetic saying goes, "The nations are about to speak out
together against you," so that you will lose heart. Someone asked the
Prophet, "Are we not few, Oh Messenger of Cod?" He said: "No. You are
many." He asked him, "But what is weakness, Oh Messenger of Cod?" And he
answered: "Weakness is the love of this world and hatred of death." HtJ
many states are in Lebanon? The East is here, the West 1o here, and so are
Europe, the Arabs and others. It is as if Lebanon were a cheese which they
all want to divide up. The country cannot be preserved by building it in
the likeness of each sect. There are 17 sects in Lebanon, each one of which
has the right to live with dignity, respect and appreciation. If a group
is allowed to do what it wants, use Lebanon's strength as it pleases, and
destroy Lebanon, then it will fall and we will fall with it. Therefore, we
must stop anyone who wants to harm Lebanon."
He went on: "We do not want partition or fragmentation. We do not accept
the existence of forbidden regions. Our orientation is toward building
Lebanon on the basis of justice and equality. We do not cling to the past
and to the constitution as if it were something holy that could not be
touched. A lot of heavenly books beside the Qur'an have been written by
people. These books change. Why should we not change the constitution? If
the constitution serves a faction and deprives another, then we are against
it, for the constitution must be just and equitable, instead of remaining
frozen, as if it were an idol to be worshipped."
He added: "We need to agree once again and cooperate anew. All the plotting
factions are trying to deceive this country. As long as the Israeli enemy
is in the south, we are ashamed before ourselves and our Lord to turn our
rifles against any of our factions."
He concluded by saying: "We say to all those present in the South and all
those who bear weapons: Desert Israel. Do not cooperate with it. We will
not let the land be sold. Nor will we allow relinquishment in favor of
Israel.
10,,
l' P!'?li5,ngfny.
Declassified and Approved For Release 2012/03/16: CIA-RDP05-01507R000100050067-7
"We are for you, with you, and better for you. Israel will sell you as it
has sold others beside you. Return to kinship, love and cooperation. We
must deal with the matter of security with wisdom and vision, not with provo-
cation and violence, for Islam has commanded us to suppress anger."
=4lallai, Fre )/1
M/ Muhammad Husayn ~%1 1- gave the Friday sermon at the mosque of al-Imam
a1~Rida' at BI'r al- a began his address by saying that a good society
is one with unity and solidarity, in which every individual feels his respon-
sibility toward others and it is not a divided society in which individuals
achieve their personal interests.
He said: "Political deviations come from those who treat the people with
subjugation, humiliation, arbitrariness and oppression. Oppression, occupa-
tion, the seizure of land, the humiliation of the people, and the plundering
of their wealth are abominations."
He affirmed that Israel is an abomination, because it was born on the ruins
of a people which it drove away. He said: "Israel came to protect the
Christians from the Muslims. The protector and the protected have changed
into a device for slaughtering others. Israel has played the Christian and
Druze cards in the mountain, and the Shi'a card in the south. Now its eye
is on the Sunni card in the province of al-Kharub, so that the sectarian
game can be completed. It is working to break Lebanon up into sects', par-
ties and families."
He called for conscious, understanding action to confront Israel and others.
He said, "It is true that we have ao airplanes and artillery, but we have a
strong will, stones, and dignit-.. important thing is that !ye rot stand
and watc:,. We must freeze our disputes and unite to confront Israel. We
will not be able to live in this country except by coexisting on the basis
of values instead of sectarian mentality."
He added: "Dialogue is useless as long as it rests on a sectarian basis.
We reject sectarianism and accept coexistence. We reject the return of
political, economic, social and religious hegemony. We want to have pride
and dignity in this country. It is civilized for us to live in a humane
fashion in this country. What we translate as hegemony is not civilization.
Coexistence means that every faction respects the humanity and rights of
every other faction. We ask, who brought all the countries into Lebanon?
Those who brought them in did so to preserve their privileges. The sorcer-
er's magic has turned against him."
He affirmed that the issue is survival, and said the Inhabitants of the en-
virons would reject any factional incursion.
At t Rashid al-Hurt mosque at the Arab University of Beirut, Shaykh CHahir
Hamad gave the Friday sermon. He began by saying that Islam had been calling
 elh. '
Declassified and Approved For Release 2012/03/16: CIA-RDPO5-01507ROO0100050067-7
for dialogue since its beginning. He said the call of Islam was being re-
peated now in the area of politics and society, after having been limited to
the field of doctrine. He said, "It is as if signs were descending upon us
anew, so that we will say to the People of the Book: Come, let us mediate
among ourselves, lest some of us oppress others among us, one exercise hegem-
ony over the other, and men come sneaking up to kill, slaughter, and kidnap.
However, we find that they are not responding to this call. They want to
oppress and exercise hegemony."
.He affirmed that the Book of God opens wide the door of dialogue with Chris-
tians, while warning against the Jews and cooperation with them. He said:
"However, some Christian parties are cooperating with the Jews. They are
inviting them in and making it possible for them to monitor us, although the
Israelis have struck out against those who have cooperated with them. They
are still drawing close to the Israelis and considering them their allies.
Thus, we say that we must treat any faction cooperating with Israel as we
do Israel. During our battle against hegemony and the Phalangist oppressors,
we must not forget that our primary battle is against Zionism. Neither can
we forget that everything has happened according to an Israeli plan."
He said that Israel is playing on Lebanon's contradictions, that it can mo-
bilize the conflict at any time, and that it can stop the conflict at any
time. He said, "Hence, we see that those who are working to establish
hegemony over the ste_c are serving Israel, either wittingly or unwittingly."
He mentioned the rioting at Nabatiyah on 'Ashore', saying: "It was an act
of resistance to oppression. We want to fight all those who cooperate with
the Jews, in preparation for the day on which we will devote ourselves to
fighting the Zionists and expel them from the South, so that the day will
come. on which we will enter al-Aqsa mosque."
Shaykh al-Rifa'i /fI )10 pp. 115 Shaykh/'..im al-Shama "I al-Rifa'i) the headlof the department of religious
affai a in Dar al-Fatwa, gave iTe Friday sermon from the pulpit of Saqiyat
al-Jinzir. He hailed the unrest in the South against the occupation, which
he said was an indication of Islamic glory and faith-filled dignity.
He demanded that the Muslims "stand fast in the face of the tyrannical enemy
and the cunning wolf," while affirming that a faction of the people, who are
foreigners, hate peace.
In his sermon, Shaykh al-Rifa'i said: "All Muslims are responsible before
the lord of the worlds for their societies. The Islamic nation is a single
nation which is responsible for its individuals and societies. Every over-
whelming power, no matter how big and great, is small before the power of
God and His authority."
He added: "Soup of the characteristics of Islamic society have been glory,
cleanliness, purity, innocence, and power, as well as equality. The only
preference is due piety. The Muslims practice solidarity and are equal be-
fore the Divine Law. There is no difference between rich and poor, master
and inferior. Islamic society is a society of justice and fairness which
makes no distinction between one who is close and one who is far."
He said: "Muslims do not like aggression. The response must accord with
the proverb: "Do not engage in aggression; God does not love the aggres-
sive." Muslims neither accept injustice nor are satisfied to see it con-
tinue.
"The action taken by our brothers in the South against the Zionist occupation
in all its forms and with all its evil deeds is a living, noble example. It
is an indication of Islamic glory and faith-filled dignity."
He added: "Steadfastness in the face of this tyrannical enemy is one of the
Muslims' most important religious duties. Islam came to establish the bal-
ances of justice among the people, affirm the truth, work with it, achieve
human freedom, and provide security and peace. In spreading its call, it
relies on wisdom and good exhortation."
He said, "There is a faction of people, some foreigners and some of their
followers, who do not love security and hate peace. They sometimes commit
naked aggression against the faithful, treacherously arrest the citizens,
and inject dissension among the pec^'e of n single c ant, dr..: n'cion, vlrh
the intention of seizing their homel,~nd and expelling them from their
houses. Steadfastness before them is incumbent on both individuals and
groups, men and women, great and small, and young and old."
He concluded by saying: "If Muslims wish to live as strong people, they
y1 cannot be booty for any foreigner or a target for any attacker. They must
defy death in the defense of themselves, their money and their land."
12224
CSO: 4404/119
Declassified and Approved For Release 2012/03/16: CIA-RDPO5-01507ROO0100050067-7