Published: 16:00 GMT Standard Time - Tuesday 14 January 2014
Historic Christian-owned library in Lebanon torched
Country/Region: Middle East and North Africa, Lebanon
A false blasphemy allegation triggered an arson attack on an historic library owned by a church leader in Lebanon; two-thirds of its 80,000 books and manuscripts were destroyed.
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| Al-Saeh library is located in the northern city of Tripoli I, Tadmouri / CC BY-SA 3.0 |
Al-Saeh library in the Serail neighbourhood of Tripoli was torched on 3 January. The decades-old centre of some renown is owned by Ibrahim Srouj.
The building was targeted following rumours linking it to material deemed insulting to Islam and Muhammad. One source said that this related to an online article that Ibrahim was accused of writing, while another said that a blasphemous pamphlet was found inside one of the books at the library.
Before the fire, Muslims were planning a demonstration over the matter, but Ibrahim met with Islamic leaders and was able to diffuse the situation. When it became clear that the church leader had nothing to do with any blasphemous material, the protest was called off.
At a press conference following the attack, a Salafist sheikh defended Ibrahim and called on the authorities to pursue those who ordered the attack rather than those who carried it out, adding:
We are against any strife in Tripoli especially in these circumstances.
Local media quoted Ibrahim as saying that he forgave the perpetrators and that he prayed for peace in the city.
He has received public expressions of support from civil society groups and activists who are collecting money to rebuild the library.
Attacks against Christian targets in Lebanon are rare, but sectarian violence is escalating as the Syrian conflict spills over the border.
Fighters from the Lebanon-based Shiite militant group Hezbollah have helped shore up Syrian President Assad’s forces, while the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant, an al-Qaeda-linked Sunni movement, has launched attacks in Lebanon.
Lebanon is a delicate balance of Christians, Sunni and Shia Muslims, Druze and others; power is shared along sectarian lines. It has the highest proportion of Christians of any country in the Middle East at around 32%.
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