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By Ali Salem.
Tripoli, 9 November 2014:
Libya’s House of Representatives (HoR) voted today to sack Grand Mufti Sheikh Sadik Al-Ghariani and dissolve . . .[restrict]the Dar Al-Ifta, reassigning the duties of Grand Mufti to the Authority of Islamic Endowment.
Even before the Supreme Court ruled the HoR illegal and unconstitutional this week, it would have been most unlikely that Ghariani or his supporters would have accepted the decision. Now it is far more unlikely. Further complicating today’s ruling is the fact that there were reportedly only 76 MP present for the vote, although the appointment of a Grand Mufti is not seen as a constitutional issue.
Meanwhile, Ghariani himself has spent the past few days publicly congratulating the Libyan people and Prime Minister Omer Al-Hassi’s antigovernment on the Supreme Court decision.
Ghariani appeared live on TV satellite channels loyal to Libya Dawn, giving a message to the Libyan people. He congratulated the Libyans on their victory over what he called the “enemies of the revolution”.
Ghariani released public statements directed to different parties as well. In his first message to what he described as “the good Libyans”, he encouraged them to stand firm on their principles, not giving way to despair, and he promised victory from Allah.
In his second message, to Hassi, the Grand Mufti asked him and his administration to take the following decisions immediately:
- Appoint the right people in the right positions in order to build the government institutions and to provide security to the people;
- Ensure that all decisions are in accordance with Islam, with the first step being to stop the banks from breaking the laws of Islamic banking;
- Pay special care to the young revolutionaries who are fighting in the battlefields by appointing them to good positions in the government, taking care of their families and providing medical treatment to those who are injured.
Ghariani’s third message was directed to the revolutionaries. He urged them to be good people and to save themselves by stopping the “bad people who are using drugs and robbing people” from penetrating their ranks.
In Ghariani’s final message, to the international community, he asked them side with the Libyan people and not with failing politicians who wanted to steal the benefits of the revolution from Libyans. He exhorted the international community to respect the law as they do in their own modern societies. [/restrict]
