Islamic Endowment Calls on HIC Nominees to Submit Candidacy by Thursday

The general directorate of Islamic Endowments called on nominees, who want to run for the membership of the Higher Islamic Council, to submit their candidacy by Thursday.

The general directorate pointed out on Wednesday that the elections will be held on April 14 at 11:00 a.m. according to Grand Mufti Sheikh Mohammed Rashid Qabbani's decision.

The dispute over the HIC elections deepened amid increasing tension between Prime Minister Najib Miqati, former premiers and Qabbani.

Qabbani transferred managerial duties at Dar al-Fatwa to religious scholars over the weekend after Miqati and other former PMs urged him to convene the 32-member Council before March 16 to set a date for electing a new body.

The Mufti had been refusing to convene a Council meeting for considering that its term had expired.

Despite his objections, 21 members of the council, who are close to al-Mustaqbal movement, extended in December the body’s term until the end of 2013.

The Mufti's ties with al-Mustaqbal deteriorated in 2011 when he met with a delegation from Hizbullah the same day the Special Tribunal for Lebanon indicted four party members in ex-Premier Rafik Hariri's February 2005 assassination.

Relations between the two sides were also shaken when the mufti met with Syrian Ambassador Ali Abdul Karim Ali, whom al-Mustaqbal and the March 14 opposition alliance have on several occasions said should be expelled.