Aoun Says Church Incident a Breach of National Charter by 'Those Claiming to be Christian'
Free Patriotic Movement leader MP Michel Aoun on Tuesday said that preventing him from entering the Our Lady of Elige Church in Maifouq on Sunday was a breach of the Lebanese National Charter by "those who are claiming to be Christian," noting that the FPM does not mind that the Orthodox Gathering electoral law be put to a vote during the meeting of the Joint Parliamentary Committees.
"I regret that the ownership of the Our Lady of Elige Church has shifted to the Lebanese Forces, but I'd like to say that the Constitution guarantees freedom of movement in any region and no politician can prevent anyone from enjoying that privilege," Aoun told reporters sardonically after the weekly meeting of the Change and Reform parliamentary bloc.
“No one can claim to be Christian and commit such an act ... This behavior has nothing to do with Christian values and we hope it will not be repeated, especially by fathers,” Aoun added.
Aoun's visit to the church as part of his Byblos electoral tour was called off after LF supporters congregated to voice out their objection to it, due to the place's historical symbolism. Hundreds of LF fighters killed in the Elimination War against Aoun's forces were buried in Our Lady of Elige in 1989.
“I'm not insane to enter a church by force,” Aoun noted, extending gratitude to Maifouq's residents “who condemned what happened although some of them do not support us in politics.”
Turning to the issue of the parliamentary debate over the electoral law that will govern the 2013 vote, Aoun said: “Let the chairman of the Joint Committees session put the Orthodox Gathering law to a vote and we don't have any objections.”
The Orthodox Gathering has proposed a law under which each sect would elect its own representatives in parliament.
“The Phalange Party and the LF have been talking about the selling of lands (to foreigners), but where is their draft law? I have a feeling that this law is being deliberately obstructed,” Aoun added, criticizing his Christian rivals.
“Let no one talk to me about the unity of the Christians! Let us first agree on defining the threats and the needed reform. How can we reach consensus if we don't have a common point of view,” he went on to say.
“Let MP Sami Gemayel cooperate with us on his land ownership bill and we are ready to help,” Aoun added.
Addressing the issue of the draft state budget, Aoun hoped it will be “approved with reforms instead of returning to the pre-2010 era that was marred by violations.”
over 11 years
Aoun is the greatest man Lebanon has ever produced. Vive the General!
over 11 years
And how is he the greatest ?
Is it his personality ? Is it his charisma ?
Is it his wise words and eloquence ?
Is it by not fighting the Syrian the 13 Oct ?
The greatest men in Lebabon happened to be the martyres who fought for a free Lebanon till death, and above them all Bashir El Gemayel and Gebran Tueni.... They can't beat them so they kill them !
over 11 years
Cukoo cukoo.....it is Tuesday again. The Christian back stabber is speaking again.
Listen to him speaking of Christian values when he sells the country out to the Shia.
over 11 years
Q: Why did the chicken cross the road?
A: The French embassy was on the other side.
over 11 years
God bless you General, we are all with you.
over 11 years
oh yes you are insane and all your comments and actions denote that
over 11 years
Put a small black mustache and you will have a Hitler look-alike...LOL! A clown and those who support him belong in that same circus of fools!
over 11 years
Tuesday again, so fast, Z general is on....happy hour y'all...the crazy senile is AOUUUUUUUUNNNNNNNNNN is onnnnnnnnnnnnnnnn :)
over 11 years
@ anonymetexasusa
"Not a supporter of Aoun". You could have easily fooled me.
over 11 years
same M8 tricks: they deliberately do things they know will be a provocation just to ignite problems and then claim to be victims...
good old hypocrit and populist manoeuver to strike the minds of the weak....
over 11 years
Tell your Shia friends to stop building on church property ya Aoun.
over 11 years
The Orthodox Law is the worst proposal possible for Chrsitians and all other sects in Lebanon.
Parties will be even more identified by one sect only, and thus they will only represent one segment of the Lebanese population. Parties will be in direct competition against one another, pitting all sects in competition against one another. How can we achieve progress if the design of the political system is to divide the Lebanese people in sects?
How are parties going to work for Lebanon if they only seek the votes of their sect? This is a contradiction. Down with all these politicians ruining this great country.
over 11 years
This is like geagea going to the south and campaigning there... the only reason Aoun is welcomed there is due to his alliances...
on another note, if the tables were turned, M8 /numerous militia cronies would have parked a bomb and waited for the politician to come...
over 11 years
LOL
who said i dont go to the South??
dont come to conclusions idiot... ive been to the South on numerous occasions...its the politicians who cant go... just like how Hassan cant leave his rat hole because he is targeted...same goes to any M14 official going to the South.. idiot...
over 11 years
and you keep bringing up sects and whatnot...ive got no problem with any sect idiot... my problem is with their political views... again don't come to conclusions before knowing all the fact...typical aoun mentality..
over 11 years
@slash makes sense. Will also vouch, having seen and read many of @anonymetexasusa's comments that he is not a Aoun lover.
Back to the subject matter. The right of people to congregate, hold meetings and demonstrate is guaranteed in democracies. If such expression of views ends up derailing a politician's plan then so be it.
In fact, a good politician would have avoided moves that he knows will arouse old feelings and elicit counter behavior. He would have sucked it up and made no big deal of it and it would have died. Then again we know that Aoun is neither a good politician nor a good leader.
over 11 years
the christian thing for mr aoun to do would be to humble himself and apologize for all the wrongs he has done in the past against his christian brothers. (take the log out of his eye rather than focusing on the speck in others) .... and he should turn away from his evil unchristian alliance with march 8 and the masons.
over 11 years
“No one can claim to be Christian and commit such an act ... This behavior has nothing to do with Christian values and we hope it will not be repeated, especially by fathers,”
Afaf should not talk about virtues, Hitler should not talk about human rights, and Michel Aoun should not talk about Christian values. Period.
over 11 years
This is a very good presentation, although it does not alleviate my concerns at all. In fact, reading about it more only makes me even more angry at the fact that such a divisive law is being proposed.
over 11 years
An interesting graph is the one that shows which confessions are over/under-represented. Not all votes have the same weight as others in this system, demonstrates the lack of equality among voter impact.
As the UN Human Rights Committee says, "The vote of one elector should be equal to the vote of another".
over 11 years
Aoun should not be allowed to enter any church unless he is willing to repent, acknowledge all his misdeeds and ask for forgiveness.
over 11 years
"but dont think that Geagea ordered his men to go and do that"
LOL
over 11 years
c'mon flame you can do better then that! warzones ? sensitive areas LOL. that sounds like a speech by hussouny. I'm waiting for the new hezb branch of natural resource protection agency, wait for it, it is coming.
over 11 years
Aoun going to that church is like Sharon going to the Temple Mount. It is an incitement. Buried in the cemetery at that church are Christians who died in the Aoun-LF war of 1989. Where is the Christian value in Aoun, acting as pseudo PM declaring war on the Christian militia when there were militia running all over Lebanon. Aoun did it at the instruction of Hafez al Assad as the price tag for Assad's presumed promise to make Aoun President in 1990.
At the altar of Aoun's blind presidential ambitions are buried Christian people who were caused to pay the price.
This may be why the crowd gathered. I am sure that Geagea did not have to lift a finger to cause such a crowd to gather.
over 11 years
why not just vote for the politician on the basis of where you currently reside? Then there maybe a fairer representation and more pressure on the politician to actually work for his electorate. Lets get rid of the religious factor on whom to vote for. that sounds like an idea, unfortunately we the lebanese people will always revert to religion to falsely define our views and identity when all religion preaches peace, harmony and love.
over 11 years
Very well said. Religion must be taken out of the system, and we must find ways to separate the powers of government so that each part of the government imposes checks and balances on another.
I don't believe we should revert to federalism, but we need some type of secular system that limits the power of government and allows individuals to flourish on the basis of merit and not on the basis of religion.
over 11 years
Primate!
over 11 years
OMG Aoun hit a new low with his dementia and his hatred towards other Christians.
He is like a Penny stock: worthless
over 11 years
visiting the graves of the people who he killed them !!! he's a lunatic. No one ever did that before!
ya ex-general you have no shame...you are a TRAITOR!!!