3 days ago
Statue of Virgin Mary vandalized in Jezzine district
BEIRUT — A statue of the Virgin Mary was destroyed in the village of Qtaleh (Jezzine district), a security source told L'Orient Today on Tuesday, just days before the feast of the Assumption of the Virgin Mary, which takes place every year on Aug. 15.
The source had not yet been able to determine when exactly the incident occurred but added that an investigation has been launched.
MP Charbel Massaad condemned 'the cowardly act of vandalizing the statue" in a statement relayed by the state-run National News Agency, and called on the security and judicial authorities to 'take immediate and serious action to identify the perpetrators and impose the harshest penalties on them."
However, he also insisted that 'coexistence and mutual respect" among the region's residents will "remain stronger than any attempt to sow discord or stir up sectarianism.' Although southern Lebanon has a Shiite majority, the district of Jezzine is predominantly Christian.
This kind of incident is not rare in Lebanon. Various regions across the country have seen similar incidents where religious statues are vandalized, arousing the emotions of the faithful.
Last February, the destruction of a Virgin Mary statue in Sania, another village in the Jezzine district, raised concerns. Earlier this year, several individuals were arrested for stealing saint figurines displayed in a Christmas grotto in Shadra. In June, also in Shadra, two motorcyclists allegedly threw a heavy stone at a small structure housing an icon of the Virgin and Child Jesus.
