In a recent TV interview, Muhammad Ali Al-Jozo, the Sunni Mufti of Mt. Lebanon, said that "the future of the Sunnis throughout the region is in jeopardy" because "the Shi'ite Hizbullah is amassing arms, training people, and arming them." He warned about the possibility of "the weapons of Hizbullah [being] turned against the Lebanese," as happened in the May 2008 clashes.
In the interview, which aired on the Lebanese LBC TV channel on October 14, 2010, Al-Jozo criticized Iran, saying: "Everything is always 'divine' with [Hizbullah]. As for the others – they are mere mortals with nothing to do with God... It is inconceivable for the Iranian role to take the place of the Arab role."
In another interview, which was aired on June 6, 2010 on the Lebanese Murr TV channel, Al-Jozo blasted Hizbullah for sectarian strife in Lebanon and for using its weapons against the Lebanese. He warned that the "real president of Lebanon" is "Hassan Nasrallah, who has cannons and machine guns, and can kill."
On several occasions, Al-Jozo has blamed Hizbullah for the 2006 war against Israel, which, he said, ended in heavy losses for Lebanon. In the June 6 interview, he said: "The truth is that [Hizbullah] cannot defend South Lebanon or the southern suburb of Beirut. We saw what happened in the 2006 war – not a single bridge remained intact." In an interview with Al-Arabiya TV, which aired several months after the war, on November 17, 2006, Al-Jozo said that it was "unacceptable for Hizbullah to make such a decision on its own" and that Lebanon paid a heavy price for what Hizbullah calls "a divine victory." While stressing that he is not against weapons if they are used only for resistance against Israel, "if these weapons become a domestic threat, and if Hizbullah imposes upon me whatever it wants, while disregarding everybody else – this is unacceptable, this is a dictatorship."
To view the October 14 clip on MEMRI TV, visit: http://www.memri.org/legacy/clip/0/0/0/0/0/0/2654.
To view the June 6 interview, visit: http://www.memri.org/legacy/clip/0/0/0/0/0/0/2538.
To view the November 17, 2006 interview, visit: http://www.memri.org/legacy/clip/0/0/0/0/0/0/1326.
For additional clips featuring Sheik Muhammad Ali Al-Jozo, go to:
http://www.memritv.org/search/en/results/0/0/0/0/0/0/0/0/0.htm?k=al-jozo&bAdvSearch=false
Following are excerpts from the October 14, 2010 interview:
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It Would Be a Catastrophe "If the Weapons of Hizbullah Are Turned against the Lebanese"
Interviewer: "Are you afraid that a war might break out in Lebanon, as long as the resistance remains active?"
Sheik Muhammad Ali Al-Jozo: "The war that Hizbullah might want to incite would incur a great loss for Hizbullah itself, because it would lose its status in the Islamic and Arab world. People view Hizbullah as fighting Israel, not the Lebanese people. If the weapons of Hizbullah are turned against the Lebanese – that would be a catastrophe."
Interviewer: "But hasn't this already happened in the past?"
Sheik Muhammad Ali Al-Jozo: "Yes, it has, and this is what distresses us. These weapons were turned against the Lebanese on May 7 [2008], and even before that, with the incidents around the Arab University and Al-Tariq Al-Jadida. [...]"
Interviewer: "If Hizbullah arms the people, will you let them into your homes without confronting them? Won't you defend yourselves?"
Sheik Muhammad Ali Al-Jozo: "I don't think that we would stand by with folded arms. People have their own personal weapons, of course, but weapons are not handed out in an organized fashion, by any political party. In the past, we supported the resistance against Israel, but today, there is absolutely no reason for us to arm ourselves. Who would we be arming ourselves against? Against Hizbullah? Against the Shi'ites? This is ludicrous. We do not want to fight the Shi'ites or to have them fighting us. What we want is to live as brothers in one homeland, and together to confront our enemy, Israel."
"The Future of the Sunnis throughout the Region Is in Jeopardy"
Interviewer: "Honorable Mufti, if the Shi'ite Hizbullah is amassing arms, is training people, and arming them, don't you think – according to what you yourself have said – that the Sunnis' future is in jeopardy?"
Sheik Muhammad Ali Al-Jozo: "The future of the Sunnis throughout the region is in jeopardy." [...]
"Everything Is Always 'Divine' with Hizbullah"
Interviewer: "Nasrallah told President Ahmadinejad that Iran was fulfilling its divine duty. Do you agree that Iran has a divine duty?"
Sheik Muhammad Ali Al-Jozo: "Regrettably, the expressions used by Hassan Nasrallah are always related to... Hizbullah ['The Party of God'], divine victory, divine duty – everything is always 'divine' with them. As for the others – they are mere mortals with nothing to do with God. This is inconceivable. [...]"
"It Is Inconceivable for the Iranian Role to Take the Place of the Arab Role"
Sheik Muhammad Ali Al-Jozo: "Therefore, I say: The divine war about which they talk must be directed against the enemies. With all due respect to Iran, we say: You must unite the words of the Muslims and stand alongside the Arab states. Nobody can surpass the Arab role, in any shape or form. Lebanon is an Arab state, with strong ties to the Arabs, which we cannot give up. It is inconceivable for the Iranian role to take the place of the Arab role."
