Lebanese Muslim Scholars: Takfiri groups do not represent the Sunnis of Lebanon

Lebanon’s Coalition of Muslim Scholars have stressed that the guerrilla warfare waged by Takfiri groups in Tripoli is a battle by terrorists against the Lebanese state. “These terrorists want to seize the land and property of the people and to take them as prisoners of their [Takfiri] political orientation. We call on all citizens to stand alongside the [Lebanese] army in this battle,” they said in a statement released, reported Rasa News.

They pointed out that the Takfiri groups fighting in the northern Lebanese city of Tripoli, which is predominantly Sunni, do not represent the Sunnis of Lebanon. Their actions are not in defence of the Sunni people of Lebanon as they claim, but rather in service to the American-Zionist project which does not just affect Lebanon, but it affects the region as a whole. It is a political battle and not sectarian-based.

The Coalition offered their full support to the Lebanese army and asked them to proceed with the uprooting of these groups from their bases and to eliminate them in order to preserve the security and peace of Lebanon for its citizens. The Coalition also offered their deepest condolences to the army’s martyrs, and prayed that God Almighty grant their families patience and fortitude and grant the wounded a speedy recovery.

They pointed out that it has became clear to everyone that the Takfiri project in Lebanon aims to control parts of the country so that they can gain access to the sea. Foreign donors are providing these groups with money and weapons and manpower so they can continue their fight for the establishment of a Takfiri state, as they have declared in Iraq and Syria. The ISIL terrorists consider Lebanon a legitimate target as the nation is historically considered part of the Levant.

The Coalition of Muslim Scholars added that these groups are working for the annexation of Lebanon to the so-called Islamic State. They emphasized that this un-Islamic State was created with the help of the United States, Turkey, the Zionist entity and their Arab puppets in the Persian Gulf.

It was due to the intervention of the Islamic Resistance [Hezbollah] that the Takfiri terrorists were defeated in Tripoli. Due to the efforts of the Lebanese and Syrian armies, the Takfiris were rooted out of Arsal and Qalamoun and their evil project was foiled and aborted in these regions. They sought to gain control over the strategic Beqaa Valley and then gain control of coastal areas so they would have access to the Mediterranean Sea. The Coalition stated that some Lebanese politicians are blind to these facts and certain politicians seek to give immunity and protection to these Takfiri groups instead of fighting against it.