Writer Khalil Al-Hassi threatens to sue Beida imam reported to have called him a “Shia infidel”

By Moutaz Ali.

Tripoli, 29 October 2016:

Libyan writer and musician Khalil Al-Hassi is threatening t0 sue an imam in Beida, Mohamed Al-Drisy, over allegations that the latter denounced him as a deviant during his sermon at Friday’s prayers, urging people to shun his writings and music.

Claiming that witnesses who attended the prayers had told him that Darsy had used him as the main subject of his sermon, describing him as “Shia infidel”, Hassi says he will take legal action. He accuses the imam of endangering his personal safety saying that the sermon was an incitement to hatred and violence.

Condemnations of individuals by clerics on a number of occasions in Libya have been followed by assassinations and attacks carried out by militant Islamists.

Drisy, however, has denied the accusations on his Facebook page. “That wasn’t right, I didn’t call him a disbeliever. We are not Daesh Mr. Hassi,” Drisy said.

The imam said that Hassi was a secularist – a view that he said was unacceptable and deviant. However, he added, his semon “focused primarily on the dangers of Shia doctrine”.

Hassi, originally from Derna city, is now based in Shahat, next door to Beida. He fled Derna to escape from extremists there. He has written a number of anti-clerical articles.