Sheikh Shaaban, al-Kheir: Frail “Future Party” Festival in Tripoli Failed… Revealed Illegitimate Arms
It was quite significant that the Mufti of Tripoli and North Sheikh Malek Shaar, as well as many sheikhs and Islamic powers in good terms with "the Future Party" - on top of who are "al- Jama'a el-Islamiyya" (The Islamic Group) and a big part of "the Salafi Movement" - was absent from the festival. The speeches delivered bore no new style or context but the mere repetition of previous speeches.
Yet, it was significant that the Head of "the Future Bloc" Fouad Siniora delivered the speech of the Head of "the Future Party" Saad Hariri, who has been out of the sight of his audience, contacting them only through Twitter.
"The Islamic Unification Movement (IUF)" Secretary General Sheikh Bilal Saeed Shaaban comments on this festival; whereby he says he is sorry to see that the rate of political and security tension and the sectarian incitement has been elevated in Tripoli's festival: "The party of ‘erudition' a couple of days ago shifted into the party of arms and combat, attacking Syria and the Resistance." Also, Sheikh Shaaban sees that the speeches made in the celebration should have met the level of independence which brings the citizens of our nation together so as to face the foreign dangers.
Sheikh Shaaban points out to al-Intiqad that "Tripoli's message was very clear; whereby Tripoli did not participate in this celebration, especially when the numbers of the participants did not exceed thousands - as the rally organizers themselves stated." Sheikh Shaaban then calls the government to sustain its path necessarily through unification and dialogue amid the interior and exterior dangers that the Middle East Region is facing.
Sheikh Shaaban does not censure the speech delivery by the Head of "the Future Bloc" Siniora instead of Hariri; whereby he declares that the main reason beyond the pre-festival media promotion was crowding the biggest public that was possible, and he sees that the stances of the festival's speech-makers bore nothing new but were rather expected.
Sheikh Shaaban finally iteratd the necessity of maintaining the resistance scheme in Iraq, Afghanistan, Palestine, and Lebanon, pointing out that "Making edgy speeches can only lead to more collapse, fight, quarrel, and blazing the fire of sectarianism."
Kamal al-Kheir: Festival Exposed Militia, Mafia
As for the President of "the National Center in North Lebanon" Kamal al-Kheir, he censures "the Tripoli Festival", describing it as "frail and failing". He iterates that the northern people can't be bought with money and sectarian incitement as the popular attendance did not exceed 10,000 people in spite of the attempts to crowd people through sectarian and media means.
Al-Kheir iterates to al-Intiqad Website that ""Al-Jama'a el-Islamiyya" and the Sunnis constitute the base of Arabism and resistance, and our central cause is liberating al-Aqsa Mosque from the Zionist occupation's desecration." Al-Kheir points out that the failure of the festival of "the Future Party" was expected since the northerners iterated two days ago that they wouldn't be lured by the Zionist-US scheme. As well, al-Kheir emphasizes that "the March-14 Alliance" is ‘the marionette' of the US and Zionist Administrations.
Al-Kheir points out that the purpose beyond the festival was to achieve the US and "Israeli" regional schemes, and he iterates that "Israel" is the main enemy of the City of Tripoli. He denounces the request of the parliamentarians of "the Future Party" that the Resistance be disarmed after it has brought pride forth to the nation and humiliated our enemy.
Al-Kheir says, "This northern city, which is home to erudite and learned people, will continue to be the fortress of Arabism, and people like Mustapha Allouch and Muhammad Kabbara (parliamentarians of "the Future Bloc") will not be able to change its history and nationalistic path that withstands the enemy." He adds, "Tripoli is not going to accept to be the platform for targeting and striking Syria that has stood by the Lebanese people and Resistance." Al-Kheir then recalls the big role Damascus performed in the days of the Lebanon Civil War in 1975, and he says that the Syrian President Bashar al-Assad is facing a ‘universal' conspiracy shared by the West, "Israel", Turkish regime, and "the Arab League" upon the Syrian regime's refusal to be ‘the mat' for the US and "Israel".
Furthermore, al-Kheir emphasizes that Lebanon - the country of resistance - will always stand by the Syrian command and people, and he believes that the absence of the Head of "the Future Party" Saad Hariri from the festival was because of Hariri's worsening financial crisis and the immaturity of his plot against Syria. Hereupon, al-Kheir sees that Hariri will never arrive in Beirut as long as he sees his return to Lebanon has to be through "Damascus International Airport (DAM)".
Regarding the injury of several people in the North because of fire shooting during the festival, al-Kheir strongly denounces the fire shooting and terrorizing civilians, and he describes "the Future Party" as "a militia; a mafia". He wonders, "Why was fire shot?! Have we liberated Palestine, al-Aqsa Mosque, and the occupied Arab territories?! And should the innocent civilians in the safety of their homes have been terrorized?! Aren't the parliamentarians of "the Future Party" requesting that the Resistance be disarmed so that the Party itself keeps its militia's arms to tyrannize and sabotage Lebanon?
Finally, al-Kheir considers that the regional equation will change when the US forces withdraw from Iraq by the end of this year, and he iterates that the scheme of resistance and withstanding the enemy will soon triumph - God willing.
Source: al-Intiqad, translated and edited by moqawama.org
