BEIRUT: Justice Minister Ashraf Rifi Tuesday denied rumors that selling Christian crosses and icons had been banned in Tripoli and stressed that banning alcohol from a religious perspective was rejected.
The jewelry sellers of the northern city will hold a special news conference to deny the claims about banning Christian religious crafts, Rifi told reporters just before entering Thursday’s Cabinet session at the Grand Serail.
An Ad-Diyar newspaper report published Thursday said that young salafist men had threatened jewelry sellers in Tripoli over selling such products, while the merchants chose not to attract media attention to avoid a greater risk of being targeted.
“Concerning the ban on alcohol, if it comes out of a religious perspective, then it is rejected,” Rifi said. “But if those selling alcohol do not possess the legal licenses, then the interior minister will follow up on the matter.”
Tripoli's mayor made a decision last week to ban alcohol ads in the city, reportedly upon the request of the Muslim Scholars Committee. Many Tripoli activists protested the decision on social media, with some calling it an ISIS-like arrangement.
Separately, Rifi said the top priority for the Cabinet session would be discussing the issue of the missing soldiers and policemen believed to have been taken hostage by militants during clashes in the Bekaa Valley town of Arsal.
Negotiations between the Lebanese authorities and the militants are being carried out by the Muslim Scholars Committee, which says it has no direct contact with the militants.
The militants, allegedly from the Islamic State of Iraq and Greater Syria, delivered through the committee a video reportedly showing seven of the Army soldiers Wednesday.
As negotiations to free the military and security personnel face complications, Army commander Gen. Jean Kahwagi said a maximum of 20 troops were missing, with some feared to be dead.
In comments published in daily Al-Mustaqbal Thursday, Kahwagi said a video addressed to Prime Minister Tammam Salam depicting some of the soldiers captured during battles between the Army and jihadist militants in Arsal was authentic.
“The recording is true, in principle, but we decided not to show it publicly out of respect for the missing soldiers and their families,” Kahwagi said.
“The Lebanese soldiers who are reported missing are at most 20, and we insist on calling them missing, as we fear that some martyrs (dead) could be among them,” Kahwagi added.
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