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Cardinal Bechara Rai tells UNESCO that Christians are ‘irreplaceable peacemakers’ and, without them, ‘Islam will fall into the hands of fundamentalists’

The exodus of Christians from the Middle East — due to wars, conflicts, socio-economic crises and persecution — will weaken moderate Islam “which, thanks to the Islamic-Christian conviviality, is so far the vast majority of Muslims in the Middle East,” said Lebanese Cardinal Bechara Rai.

Speaking at UNESCO in Paris on April 25, the cardinal said Christians were “irreplaceable peacemakers” and, without them, “Islam will fall into the hands of fundamentalists.” He called on Europe and the international community “to ensure that Christians remain in their countries.”

The first condition to save this presence, he said, is “the resolution of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.”

By Emily Jacquard

More than 200,000 killed. Nearly 4 million refugees. Four years since its onset, the Syrian Civil War has become one of the most destructive conflicts in the world, with a devastating effect on the entire Middle East.

Lebanon is bearing one of the heaviest burdens of the crisis, as civilians flow out of Syria and flee for safety.  Since the start of the war, 1.5 million refugees have crossed the border that the two nations share. Before the conflict, the population of Lebanon was about 4.5 million; in just 4 years, it has ballooned and now roughly 25 percent of the overall population of the country is actually made up of displaced Syrians. The challenges posed by the huge population influx are many, and the obstacles for the Lebanese government and the international community can seem insurmountable. As the world watches the continuing crisis in horror, it must focus on the increasing, urgent needs in Lebanon as a key component of reducing suffering and increasing stability in the region.

Angus McDowall, Reuters

Saudi King Salman on Wednesday appointed interior minister Mohammed bin Nayef as his new heir and made his son, defense minister Mohammed bin Salman, second-in-line to succeed in a dramatic reshuffle in the world’s top oil exporter.

By making Mohammed bin Nayef, 55, crown prince, and Mohammed bin Salman, who is thought to be in his early 30s, deputy crown prince, the Saudi monarch has set the kingdom’s succession in stone for decades and strengthened his branch of the dynasty.

He also replaced veteran foreign minister Prince Saud al-Faisal, who had served in the role since October 1975, with the kingdom’s Washington ambassador Adel al-Jubeir, the first non-royal to hold the post.

  A number of projects in Lebanon that are being funded by loans from the World Bank have been put on hold because of the obstruction of legislation at parliament, reported al-Joumhouria newspaper on Wednesday. Vice President of the World Bank for the Middle East and North Africa Hafez Ghanem revealed that the organization’s projects […]

  BEIRUT: French President Francois Hollande conveyed his country’s readiness to help end Lebanon’s 11-month presidential deadlock to the Maronite patriarch Tuesday, and reiterated France’s support for the Lebanese Army. The National News Agency reported that Hollande spoke to Maronite Patriarch Beshara Rai of the deep bonds between Lebanon and France, voicing his country’s readiness […]

  A deal to release captive servicemen held hostage by the al-Qaida-affiliate al-Nusra Front entered the last stages as a Qatari-appointed negotiator put the final touches on the agreement last week. A source said in comments published in al-Mustaqbal newspaper on Wednesday that the release of the captive is awaiting a decision on the date […]

  A member of the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine-General Command (PFLP-GC) was reportedly detained by the organization for seeking to carry out security attacks in Beirut’s Southern Suburbs – Dahiyeh and the coastal town of Naameh, around 20 kilometers south of Beirut. According to al-Joumhouria newspaper published on Tuesday, Mohammed Mohammed, previously […]

  BEIRUT: Two firefighters have died after battling a huge blaze overnight in Beirut’s Mar Elias, a security source said Tuesday. The source identified the fallen firefighters as Mohammad al-Mawla and Adel Saadeh. They died while fighting a fire that broke out around 8:30 p.m. Monday at a printing press in the basement of Al-Turk […]

Mexican and American Salma Hayek sits in front of a statue of Lebanese-American poet Khalil Gibran during her visit to his museum in the northeast mountain town of Bcharre, Lebanon, Sunday, April 26, 2015. Hayek visited her ancestral homeland Lebanon to launch her latest film "The Prophet," a screen adaptation of the book by the same name written nearly a century ago by the famed Lebanese-American poet and philosopher Gibran. (AP Photo/Bilal Hussein)

Mexican and American actress Salma Hayek, center, Lebanese legislator Setrida Geagea, left, and film director Roger Allers, right, stand for the Lebanese and Mexican national anthems during her visit at the museum of the famed Lebanese-born poet and philosopher Khalil Gibran in the northeast mountain town of Bcharre, Lebanon, Sunday, April 26, 2015. Hayek visited her ancestral homeland Lebanon to launch her latest film "The Prophet," a screen adaptation of the book by the same name written nearly a century ago by Gibran. (AP Photo/Bilal Hussein

Mexican-American actress Salma Hayek poses for photographers next to a poster for her film, "The Prophet," an animated feature film she co-produced, on her arrival to a cinema where she gave a press conference, in Beirut, Lebanon, Monday, April 27, 2015. In her first visit to her ancestral homeland, Hayek visited the picturesque mountain village of Bcharre in northern Lebanon on Sunday to pay homage to Khalil Gibran, the Lebanese-born poet who wrote "The Prophet," the book on which the film is based. (AP Photo/Hussein Malla)

Mexican and American actress Salma Hayek speaks with media as she arrives to her international premiere film "The Prophet," an animated feature film she co-produced, in Beirut, Lebanon, Monday, April 27, 2015. Hayek is in Lebanon for the film, written and directed by Roger Allers, the maker of the Disney production The Lion King. The film tells the story of a young girl who finds the voice she lost through her friendship with a poet imprisoned for his ideas. (AP Photo/Hassan Ammar)

Mexican and American actress Salma Hayek and her father pose for photographers during her visit to Khalil Gibran’s museum in the northeast mountain town of Bcharre, Lebanon, Sunday, April 26, 2015. Hayek visited her ancestral homeland Lebanon to launch her latest film "The Prophet," a screen adaptation of the book by the same name written nearly a century ago by the famed Lebanese-born poet and philosopher Gibran. (AP Photo/Bilal Hussein)

By Sylvia Westall

BEIRUT (Reuters) – Movie star Salma Hayek said on Monday her new film The Prophet was a labour of love that helped her explore her relationship with her late Lebanese grandfather who adored the book that inspired it.

The animated film, which draws on the 1923 book by Lebanese-born writer Kahlil Gibran, tells the story of Almitra, a headstrong girl who forms a friendship with the imprisoned poet Mustafa, voiced by actor Liam Neeson.

Mexican-American actress Hayek co-produced the film and does the voice-over for Almitra’s mother, Kamila. The story unfolds in an imaginary coastal city and explores Gibran’s themes of love and spirituality.

  Head of the Mustaqbal Movement MP Saad Hariri’s ongoing visit to the United States is focusing on safeguarding Lebanon from regional unrest and raising support for its army and security forces, reported the Kuwaiti daily al-Anba on Sunday. It added that efforts are underway to schedule a meeting between the former premier and U.S. […]