Sheikh Qabbani’s remarks were made during a meeting he held in his office in Beirut with a Palestinian delegation representing refugees and various Palestinian factions in Lebanon.Another civil war among the Arabs coming? Read the whole thing.
The furious mufti later kicked the Palestinian representatives out of his office.
More than 400,000 Palestinians live in Lebanon, most of them in extremely harsh conditions in refugee camps.
The meeting was called to discuss Palestinian “assaults” on state-owned and Islamic Wakf lands in Lebanon.
“We’ve hosted you and no longer want you,” the mufti told stunned members of the Palestinian delegation.
Accusing Palestinians of “usurping” Wakf lands to build houses, Sheikh Qabbani told his visitors: “I will defend Wakf lands even if that costs me all what I have.”
Attempts by the Palestinian representatives to clam the mufti further enraged the top religious official, who at one point shouted at them: “You are trash. You [Palestinians] will never be victorious. Nor will your cause. I’m no longer afraid of your weapons.”
The Palestinian delegates said they were extremely shocked by the mufti’s abusive language and threats.
“He called us trash,” one of them said. “He didn’t even give us time to respond to his allegations.”
Friday, June 17, 2011
Lebanese Mufti: 'Palestinians are unwelcome trash'
The mufti of Lebanon, Sheikh Mohammed Rashid Qabbani, was quoted this week as saying that'Palestinians' are trash and are no longer welcome in Lebanon.
