President of Lebanon Syriac League Explains about Misusing Quranic Verses
In an interview with Georges Yasmine on his daily talk show “Hiwar al-Yawm” (“Today’s Discussion”), Habib Afram discussed what he said were feelings of superiority among different groups in the Middle East.
“Some people think they’re God’s chosen people, like the Jewish belief that they are better than everyone, which is not true,” he said. “The Muslim belief, which needs interpretation, is ‘We are the best of people.’ What does that mean? Are there people better than others? We’re all equal,” he added, the Daily Start reported.
The interview faced backlash on social media, with political figures like Future Movement Secretary-General Ahmad Hariri tweeting:
“To Habib Afram and Georges Yasmine, your use of Quranic verses during an interview on OTV without understanding their deep meaning and sacredness to Muslims, is condemned and rejected ... Fear God.”
Former MP Ammar Houri also tweeted on the issue: “What Habib Afram said is dangerous, condemned and sparks public outrage. Dealing with the Quran [in this way] is a red line and he must apologize.”
Afram released a statement Monday explaining that he never called for a change in the Quran as local websites had reported, according to the state-run National News Agency.
“I understand the sacredness of the [Quranic] text for Muslims, and I respect that. I discussed the interpretation of one verse, to say that no one is better than the other,” Afram said. He added that he used the verse to call for total equality among all people.
