Mufti: Syrians' steadfastness will save entire Arab nation

Grand Mufti of the Republic Ahmad Badreddin Hassoun affirmed that the steadfastness of the Syrian people in the face of the aggression targeting them will save the entire Arab nation from sedition, chaos, cosnpriacies and division. In an interview with al-Manar TV broadcast on Friday, Hassoun said that the Syrian people's support for the Syrian Army is the reason behind victory, noting that Syria's enemies thought it will become a gateway to fragment Lebanon, Jordan and Saudi Arabia, but Syria's steadfastness protected these countries. The Grand Mufti asserted that the Syrian people alone have the final say and they decide who will run for elections, stressing that no opposition or foreign side has the right to said preconditions, adding that the real issue isn't about individuals; rather it's about a nation that will either kneel or stand fast. He asserted that since the beginning of the crisis, President Bashar had faith in God and had faith that those who are right will emerge victorious. Hassoun said that the Syrian people have invited those who bore arms to throw down their weapons and embrace reconciliation and forgiveness, noting that hundreds of armed individuals are turning in their weapons, while foreign gunmen are starting to flee, adding that the Syrian people invited the opposition to come back to the homeland and pose their plans, projects and candidates. He said that those who talked about Syria being "occupied" are the ones who brought foreigners from all over the world to murder Syrians and decapitate them and eat their flesh, and that they were the ones who asked the US to bombard Syria and attack it. The Grand Mufti said that Islam's enemies are trying to transform it into fear, terrorism and destruction, employing some Muslims to this end, and that Islam's enemies are seeking to create sedition to destroy the Islamic nation but the Arab people reject this. He pointed out that the takfiri sedition isn't new to the Arab world, as it always emerges when the nation grows strong in order to weaken it, noting that the recent conference of religious scholars held in Beirut is a beacon of light and good omens in a time of darkness, and that it seeks to warn people of impending danger, show them the truth, and keep them from being terrorized by malicious channels like al-Jazeera and al-Arabiya. Hassoun also asserted that the religious scholars of the Levant are all in support of Palestine, and that the Egyptian people rebelled against those who tried to force their own version of Islam upon them.