Not to place barriers to the new government phase
Sheikh Al-Aql’s words came during his presidency of the session of the General Assembly of the Sectarian Council, which was held in the sect’s house in Beirut today, to discuss and approve the general annual budget and related internal affairs, in the presence of the members of the Council, led by the Minister of Education in the caretaker government, Judge Abbas Al-Halabi, and MP Hadi Abu Al-Hassan. And former MP Anwar Al-Khalil.
Sheikh Abi Al-Muna began the meeting with a speech in which he addressed national and internal issues, in which he stated:
We meet today in a regular session to discuss and approve the general budget of the Sectarian Council for the year 2025, and to review and ratify the budget of the Sheikhdom of Mind, but in the context of what has happened and is happening in our country and the neighborhood, we must, and from this first monotheistic site, not stop at some of the issues occurring, whether on The sect level, or at the national or regional level.
He added: At the national level, we can only congratulate all the Lebanese on the election of General Joseph Aoun as President of the Republic and congratulate His Excellency the President on his oath of office speech that inspired confidence and security, and on assigning Ambassador Judge Nawaf Salam to form the government without delay and hesitation, which heralds a promising start for the new era, with the hope that Ministers who are distinguished by their scientific, moral and patriotic potential are selected The elite of Lebanese society and its diverse sectors, to form a homogeneous team directed as a whole to address the outstanding problems, rebuild and advance state institutions, establish a national formula that preserves the rights of individuals and groups, implement the Charter, and adhere to the Armistice Agreement.
He continued: As we rejoice in this new official national appearance that carries the spirit of commitment to the constants of national unity and coexistence, and the spirit of change for the better, we call on everyone to deal positively with this new reality and not to place barriers and obstacles in front of it and push it backwards, and if we do not… We expect miracles to happen overnight, but we place great hope on sincere direction, firm determination, and clear solidarity to achieve achievements step by step. A step, at the various social, economic, security and strategic levels, and at the level of Arab and international relations and restoring confidence in Lebanon.
He added: As for the internal level, we are keen on integration and cooperation with the political leadership in order to preserve the identity of the sect and its authentic monotheistic heritage, confirm its connection to its Arab and Islamic roots, and reject any plan to distort its historical truth, whether in Lebanon or in Syria and in all of the Levant, working in every way. The determination and wisdom we have been given to preserve its rights and establish its inclusive role and influential national presence. There is no doubt that our council is concerned with monotheistic construction and the renaissance of the sect as part of building the nation and its renaissance, and for this we have set several foundations and ideas for building the edifices of the desired renaissance. A number of obstacles have prevented its realization, from the accumulation of crises, the collapse of the economy, and the lack of resources to spending on necessary aid and the inability to Investing in endowments in light of the circumstances we went through, but we believe that the time has come to start, with The turning of the page of war and the dawn of a new era, on a journey of endeavor and tireless work to achieve the projects and achievements we aspire to in all fields, socially, religiously, culturally, and diaspora, and at the level of endowments, administrative, financial, health, environmental, and public relations matters, by the Board of Directors and the relevant Board committees, and under the auspices of A permanent leader of the mind, keen to institutionalize the work, support it, and make its steps successful.
He said: In the social field, we are keen to develop work related to well-known family care and address their problems, and to support poor families in need, and we are on the verge of obtaining knowledge and news from the Sanad Society for Social Solidarity, as well as hospital care, especially through care centers. The first, the first of which was in Aley, and the creation of the Health and Environment Committee is only an attempt to activate this role and contribute to awareness, care and raising the level of interest in a way that ensures the safety of society. And the environment.
He added: Regarding the issue of endowments, there are two investment paths: either through undertaking projects within the limited capabilities of the Council, for which we were unable to allocate acceptable amounts in the budget, and working to seek the assistance of donors to launch them, or through agreement with investors to establish productive projects and obtain a percentage. From the proceeds, we have formed a work plan to launch some projects with capable partners and contributors, including the Druze-Christian partnership agreements that we are trying to organize in the mountain, so that they will be presented. The Endowments Committee can also launch its possible projects, such as a project to install pine trees, for example, in some suitable properties (the Hasbaya property, with an area of 218 thousand square metres), and a project to reclaim and restore high-rise buildings in cooperation with investors, and in this context we should not forget what he presented. Sheikh Riyad Atallah from a conditional donation for endowment development ($145,000).
He continued: In the religious and cultural field, work is being done to reactivate the issue of monotheistic culture centers in the regions in cooperation between the Sheikhdom of Mind and the Religious Committee, as work has begun to resume in a number of them and the opening of new centers, in addition to developing plans to complete religious education in public schools, and to issue some educational publications. To hold a series of cultural and religious seminars, honor deserving people, and work to update Al-Duhaa magazine and reissue it after a forced hiatus as a result of the difficult situations that occurred, on security grounds. And financially, so that there will be special interest in the electronic version as well to reach a broader segment, in Lebanon, Syria, elsewhere, and in countries of exile, so that it will be a ready platform for disseminating the monotheistic, historical, and heritage culture, the dialogic and humanitarian vision, and the future outlook of the sect, and to respond to the slander, distortion, and forgery that some pens and tongues are trying to do, From outside the sect and from within, he broadcast it in the media and social media and through the pages of fake paid names that indicate hidden hatred. Or a cursed scheme, perhaps some of his malicious workers are from well-known loyalties, and others are small-minded, weak mercenaries.
He added: In the field of expatriation, we are waiting for the development of a comprehensive plan that counts those spread across the world, inspects their conditions, communicates with their associations, organizes their affairs, preserves their identity, connects them to their roots, and benefits from their energies and support. They are growing stronger with us, and we need them to strengthen our institutions and support our work programs, and what we have accomplished to date in terms of celebrations of honor and communication. There is nothing wrong with him, but he has not yet reached the level of complete care and interdependence The solid one.
He said: Administratively, we faced the problem of renting the General Directorate center by the state and the landlords’ demands to increase the rent value, and the solutions are still immediate, which raises the need to think about building a special council that includes the Directorate and the courts in Beirut. We also look forward to stabilizing conditions for the return of normal work in the departments. Most importantly, the regularity of the state’s work and allowing vacancies to be filled, as we have more than 20 vacant positions in the General Directorate and in the sheikhdom, in addition to necessary and unnoticed positions. In law, this costs us about $10,000 a month for contract employees.
Financially, we work according to the principle of liquidity management, that is, we spend as much as we have and no more, and what we have is not enough to cover the budget deficit, so we need support and donations in light of the limited revenues of the endowments, hoping that the problem of deposits will be solved and more than one million two hundred thousand dollars will be released to the account. The Council, and we also hope that we will be able to activate the charitable development fund that we agreed upon in the Council and the Sheikhdom as a unified fund to collect donations, and this is what requires organization, statistics, communication, and participation. Everyone and show enthusiasm to guide the wealthy and instill confidence in their hearts and minds to donate their money and donate to this charitable and development fund, which we hope will become the first fund in the sect into which donations and bequests are poured, and the reward is intended for supporting it with enthusiasm and generosity.
Legally, we have dozens of cases and studies in the legal arsenal, to liberate some endowments from their occupants, to adjust the rental value, to settle disputes over some of them, and to provide legal opinions to the endowments of villages and families, from whose proceeds we do not benefit from anything. Rather, we only bear the responsibility of caring for their committees and helping to solve their problems. We also look forward to a legal role in contributing to everything related to the sect’s institutions and associations in terms of supervising them and controlling their conditions according to what the law stipulates.
As for the issue of communication and public relations in the monotheistic community, the work does not stop, and social, family and political issues need daily follow-up. The council also needs to strengthen its relationship with society, through clarification, explanation, discussion and reform, and to confirm the integration between the council and the sect’s institutions and families in all regions, in addition to Our work in the sheikhdom of the mind and what is imposed by the reality of the sect, the national reality, the complex issues, and public relations in their various religious, social, national, and sectarian fields. Effort, sacrifice and potential.
He said: Everything we mentioned requires, in addition to effort and follow-up, significant financial capabilities. However, we are working with a minimum budget and are looking forward to a breakthrough soon. We are waiting for support and assistance and the ability to launch investment projects. We are all confident that the future will be better, and this depends on the stability of the nation and the advancement of the state. By strengthening confidence in our Council and its role, not questioning it and its importance, and by attracting energies and approaching issues with understanding. Cooperation and integration with the political leadership, with each other, and with society, and God is the Grantor of success.
After that, the provisions of the Sectarian Council’s budget were discussed and approved, and the budget of the Sheikhdom of Mind was approved.
