After she sparked anger in Israel by praising the late Ayatollah Sayyed Mohammad Hussein Fadlullah, Britain's Ambassador to Lebanon Frances Guy has taken down an obituary entitled "The Passing of Decent Men" from her internet blog.
The British Foreign office said on Friday the article was removed. "After mature consideration, we took the blog down."
Earlier late Thursday, a Foreign Office spokesman said that "the ambassador expressed a personal view on Shiekh Sayyid Mohammad Hussein Fadlallah describing the man as she knew him."
"We welcomed his progressive views on women's rights and interfaith dialogue but there were also areas where we had profound disagreements, especially over his statements advocating attacks on Israel."
In her obituary Guy described Fadlullah as the politician in Lebanon she enjoyed meeting most.
"When you visited him you could be sure of a real debate, a respectful argument and you knew you would leave his presence feeling a better person," she wrote.
"That for me is the real effect of a true man of religion; leaving an impact on everyone he meets, no matter what their faith."
"Sheikh Fadlullah passed away yesterday. Lebanon is a lesser place the day after but his absence will be felt well beyond Lebanon's shores."
"The world needs more men like him willing to reach out across faiths, acknowledging the reality of the modern world and daring to confront old constraints. May he rest in peace!"
The Israeli government said it was astounded that an official representative of the British government had not remembered the devastation caused by fighters loyal to Fadlullah.
Israel's foreign ministry spokesman denounced the ambassador's comments.
"Fadlullah was an inspiration to the hostage takers, suicide bombers and warmongers of Hezbollah," Yigal Palmor said. "But the British ambassador thinks he was a man of peace and the world needs more of him, and the British ambassador is an honorable woman."
In London Foreign policy experts said Guy's comments showed blatant disregard for the Foreign Office's traditional allies in the Middle East.
"It is very surprising that a representative of HMG would take such a controversial stance. Hizbollah, to put it mildly, is not on the side of the British government's interests or values in that part of the world," Alan Mendoza, of the London think-tank, the Henry Jackson society, said.
"We know from experience that interventions like this only embolden Hezbollah," Mendoza added.
HMG refers to "Her Majesty's Government", a formal title for the Government of the UK.
Grand Ayatollah Fadlullah died Sunday after a long illness and many people and figures from Lebanon and all over the Arab and Muslim world took part in his funeral on Tuesday.
In America a CNN Senior Editor for Middle East Affairs Octaivia Nasr lost her job on Wednesday after she expressed her sadness for the death of the Late Sayyed Fadlullah by posting a simple note on Twitter. Nasr later apologized for her tweet, but CNN's senior vice president for international newsgathering, Parisa Khosravi, said Wednesday that Nasr's credibility had been compromised.
By Andrew Woodcock, Press Association
Friday, 9 July 2010
Britain's ambassador to Lebanon has sparked anger in Israel by praising a man regarded by many as the spiritual mentor of Hezbollah, it emerged today.
The Foreign Office today said the article was removed "after mature consideration".
Fadlallah, who died last week, was regarded as a key figure in the founding of Hezbollah in 1982, but both he and the militant group denied he was its spiritual leader.
He was revered as one of Shia Islam's highest religious authorities and won support from many Muslims for his anti-American stance and his support for the Islamic revolution in Iran. But he condemned the 9/11 terror attacks and had relatively progressive views on the role of women in society.
Hezbollah's military wing is proscribed in the UK as a terrorist organisation. It is thought to have been behind a spate of suicide bomb attacks on US forces and kidnappings of Westerners including Terry Waite and John McCarthy in the 1980s, though it has denied involvement.
More recently it has become a powerful political and military force in Lebanon and was at the centre of a war with Israel in 2006 after kidnapping and killing Israeli troops.
Ms Guy's obituary described Fadlallah as the politician in Lebanon she enjoyed meeting most.
"When you visited him you could be sure of a real debate, a respectful argument and you knew you would leave his presence feeling a better person," she wrote. "That for me is the real effect of a true man of religion; leaving an impact on everyone he meets, no matter what their faith.
"Sheikh Fadlallah passed away yesterday. Lebanon is a lesser place the day after but his absence will be felt well beyond Lebanon's shores.
"The world needs more men like him willing to reach out across faiths, acknowledging the reality of the modern world and daring to confront old constraints. May he rest in peace."
Israeli Foreign Ministry spokesman Yigal Palmor was quoted in the Jerusalem Post as saying: "Sheikh Fadlallah was behind hostage-taking, suicide bombings and other sorts of wanton violence, but Ambassador Guy said he was a man of peace, and Ambassador Guy is an honourable woman."
A Foreign Office spokesman in London today said: "After mature consideration, we took the blog down."
* blogs.fco.gov.uk/roller/guy/
River to Sea
Uprooted Palestinian
No comments:
Post a Comment