06 January 2005
BEIRUT: Preserving Christian-Muslim unity and dialogue is the legacy of Sheikh Mohammed Mehdi Shamseddine, the late president of Higher Shiite Council (HSC), said leaders who gathered in Beirut Wednesday to commemorate the fourth anniversary of his death. In a speech to religious and political leaders and others, HSC deputy Sheikh Abdel Amir Qabalan said: "Continuing the path of Imam Musa Sadr, Shamseddine strived to safeguard Lebanese unity, tolerance and coexistence in a free and sovereign state through dialogue and continuous consultation."
Other speakers recalled Pope John Paul II's praise of Shamseddine's efforts to promote tolerance and understanding between the West and the Muslim world.
Speaking on behalf of Maronite Cardinal Nasrallah Butros Sfeir, the Bishop of Beirut Boulos Matar said: "Let us bring Shamseddine's thoughts and message to fruition, let us carry on his worldwide campaign for dialogue, let us grasp the campaign's constructive consequen-ces for humanity as a whole."
Speakers also addressed regional political developments, rejecting notions that Shiites are seeking political gain through the crisis in Iraq.
Without naming him, Qabalan rejected King Abdullah II of Jordan's accusation that Iran is working for the creation of a "Shiite crescent starting in Iran and ending in Lebanon."
"I warn those who might fall into these dangerous thoughts and urge the Muslim nation to beware of inciting sectarianism." He reaffirmed Shamseddine's denial that the Shiites have sectarian agendas in Lebanon, Iraq or anywhere else in the Muslim world.
"The Shiites are true Muslims committed to protect and safeguard the sovereignty of their different countries and states," Qabalan said.
The Imam Sadeq Association for Research and Revitalization of Religious Scholars in Jabal Amel organized the event under the auspices of President Emile Lahoud, represented by Culture Minister Naji Boustani and the president of Iran, Mohammad Khatami, represented by the Iranian ambassador to Lebanon, Massoud Idrissi.
Khatami thought Shamseddine's work complimentary to his worldwide call for a dialogue between the civilizations, according to Idrissi. "Shamseddine was an advocate of uniting all sects of the Muslim faith and his efforts has had great impact on scholars in Egypt, Iran and other Muslim countries," Idrissi said.
In his speech, Ibrahim Shamseddine (the son of the late Shamseddine), the president of the Cultural Charity Association, stressed that his father was a nonsectarian scholar who believed in the Shiite confession as one rich source of religious doctrines shared by all other Muslim sects. Regarding discussions and arguments over the electoral law, Shamseddine quoted his father, saying: "The unity approach should rule all discussions and searches to reach a permanent electoral law that assures the application of the Taif Accord and guarantees unity and fair representation of all sections of the Lebanese population." Many MPs and ministers were present including Zghorta MP Nayla Mouawad and Baabda MP Pierre Dakkash.
