Dialogue will stem sectarian tension: Lebanese clerics

Lebanese clerics are stressing the need for convergence between the country's Sunni and Shia communities to stem the growing tide of extremism.

Tensions between the two Muslim sects have made Lebanese youth more likely to espouse extremist ideology, Sunni and Shia clerics told Al-Mashareq.

Tensions have been fueled by Hizbullah's intervention in the Syrian conflict, they said, and by opposing extremist ideology that has lured Sunni youth to fight alongside groups such as the "Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant" (ISIL).

Moderate clerics from both sects must join forces and engage in dialogue as a matter of urgency in order to counter the spread of extremist ideology and safeguard Lebanese youth, they said.

Sunni and Shia clerics and scholars are playing a key role in calling for amity between the sects in order to uphold the honorable image of Islam, said Islamic Centre for Studies and Media secretary general Sheikh Khaldoun Oraymet.

"We are all aware that the divergence taking place between Sunnis and Shia in Lebanon is due first and foremost to the involvement of sectarian political groups in the ongoing conflict in Syria," he told Al-Mashareq.

This has created resentment among Lebanese citizens, he added.

"Our issue is with religious groups and sectarian political movements that are dominated by Iran and ideologically, religiously, politically and financially follow the Wilayat al-Faqih [doctrine]," he said.

These groups are represented in Lebanon by Hizbullah, he said.

Sunni-Shia dialogue

Moderate Sunni and Shia clerics play a key role in fostering unity, Oraymet said.

There has been ongoing dialogue between Dar al-Fatwa and the Supreme Islamic Shia Council "to clarify the picture and disseminate the culture of openness and convergence among the sects", he said.

Meanwhile, he said, moderate Lebanese politicians from both sects, such as Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri and Future Movement head Saad Hariri, are leading parallel dialogues.

These efforts will help to stem the extremist ideology that can lead to terrorism and put an end to destructive sectarian tensions among the youth, he added.

"The disagreements between Sunnis and Shias over the conflict in Syria and its repercussions on the Lebanese arena [can be] attributed to Hizbullah’s flagrant intervention in Syria," Oraymet said.

"Religions call for peace, love and the culture of communication with others," said Sheikh Mohammed Ali al-Hajj al-Ameli, who directs the Hawza of Imam al-Sajjad.

"Unfortunately, however, we are currently witnessing the exploitation of religion for political ends and harnessing of Islamic ethos for war by hired groups who fuel sectarian conflict," he told Al-Mashareq.

This has negatively impacted Muslim relations, he added.

Calls for convergence

Al-Ameli stressed that the role of clerics on both sides is to return people to Islam’s tolerant ethos.

"The ethos of Islam abounds with references to and calls for convergence, and in this spirit, we are seeing individual and joint initiatives to arrange spiritual meetings in order to achieve convergence, which would help combat the phenomenon of terrorism among our youth," he said.

The challenges are significant, however, he said, "due to the existence of an environment that fosters extremism, religious tension and two-way hatred".

"We, as Shia clerics and scholars, do not see any benefit from the fighting in Syria, and presented an opposing position and called for dialogue with Sunnis," he said.

Unfortunately, al-Ameli said, those who call for dialogue and unity among the two sects are not speaking out loudly enough.

"We are disseminating the culture of peace and love as we are in desperate need to achieve convergence between Sunnis and Shia to counter the takfiri forces who use religion as a cover to achieve political aims," he said.

Christian clerics also are called to raise awareness "about the responsibilities we bear towards each other", said the Rev. Joseph Mwanness, secretary general of the Catholic Media Centre's Episcopal Media Committee.

"This applies to all sects", he told Al-Mashareq, commending the positive role of Grand Mufti of Lebanon Abdul Latif Derian and Supreme Islamic Shia Council vice-chairman Sheikh Abdel-Amir Qabalan in the achievement of reconciliation.

"This alleviates the climate of [sectarian] tension," he said, stressing that "everyone must conjure up the ability to forget offenses and forgive".