Fadlallah: Our responsibility is solidarity and extending bridges among the people of the homeland
Allama Sayyed Ali Fadlallah patronized the honouring ceremony held by the Imam Al-Hussein School(PBUH) in the Bekaa town of Sohmor for its students who passed the official examinations for the intermediate certificate, in the presence of a gathering of religious, political, educational, cultural, social, municipal and mukhtar figures and the families of the graduates and those honoured.
The ceremony opened with verses from the Holy Quran, then the Lebanese national anthem, after which the school's students presented an anthem inspired by the occasion, followed by a speech from the graduates, then the families' speech delivered by Hassan Munim, followed by the speech of the school's director Mr. Hussein Abdullah, who addressed the students, saying: “You know deeply the meaning of the word success, because it simply means insisting on continuing the road to excellence and elevation. You set down your bags where you wish, so as to complete your journey, drawing inspiration from what you have acquired of knowledge, learning, upbringing, culture and values - and you will carry all of that wherever you alight. There is therefore no fear for you on this journey of life; you will have your scholarly, family, social and professional standing.”
Allama Fadlallah then delivered a speech in which he expressed at the outset his great happiness at patronizing this ceremony, pointing out “that we meet once again in one of the institutions built for the human being and for refining them scholarly, educationally and in faith, so that they may be an active element in their homeland and their society”.
He praised: “this exemplary picture this area lives”, saying: “Our meeting here is only to affirm, within the expanses of this institution founded on the foundations of encounter, dialogue and openness, the value of a unity that embraces diversity among religions, sects, denominations and cultures.” He pointed out that this attendance by all the components of this area constitutes a true expression of this human spirit it lives among the people of this homeland, which we want to be extended to all the other areas.
He added: “We always call for strengthening the common denominators and searching for the many points of meeting that bring us together as religions, denominations and regions. We do not want the dialogue of formalities and flatteries we have known in this homeland, but the sincere and serious dialogue that we translate on the ground. Hence we value all the initiatives launched in order to strengthen this value and to stand in the face of everyone who wants to light sectarian and denominational fires and seeks to spread a spirit of division and separation and to tamper with our internal unity - while our responsibility, all of us, is to be the firefighters for all these fires.”
He affirmed: “These institutions carry in their substance the message that seeks to embrace this diversity in which they believed and which they made among their most important goals. They never set out from denominational or sectarian backgrounds; rather their starting points and their aspirations were the moral, national and human commonalities that bring them together with others - and these are many.”
He called: “for the necessity of joining efforts among the members of society and among institutions in order to ease the acute living crises people are experiencing in this difficult stage”, adding: “Together we can overcome these challenges and crises the homeland suffers, and our responsibility in solidarity and giving is not confined within a narrow frame, whether denominational, sectarian or political; rather it must include every needy and poor person, especially now that most Lebanese live the concern of securing their daily bread, and whoever is unable to do so has come to loiter at the doors of the embassies searching for a travel visa in order to flee the hell of this reality we have reached.”
He extended his thanks to the school's administration, its teachers and administrators, valuing their efforts, which were crowned by this success and these results; thanking the families for their cooperation and their standing alongside their children; and valuing the students' striving and perseverance.
