'Moral crisis and love of power': Lebanon leaders blasted during Eid al-Adha sermon

Lebanese leaders were blasted on Saturday during an Eid al-Adha sermon in Beirut, as a cleric said they suffered a "moral crisis and love of power".

"The dignified, self-respecting people will not break in front of your corruption, thefts, and complex sick selves. You wasted their wealth and resources," said Dar al-Fatwa secretary Sheikh Amin Al-Kurdi.

He held a sermon in front of hundreds of worshippers in downtown Beirut’s notorious Muhammad al-Amin Mosque, with government officials such as the interior minister present.

Lebanon is observing Eid al-Adha as a public holiday until Tuesday.

"There’s no electricity, no water, no medicine, and no bread. Everything is obscenely expensive, and life has become arduous and compelling, "he said, adding that leaders suffered from "a moral crisis and the love for power."

Since 2019, Lebanon has reeled under its worst ever financial crisis. The economic meltdown has led to an acute energy crisis and medicine shortages across the country, with the currency losing around 90% of its value.

The crisis is blamed on decades of rampant corruption and mismanagement by the ruling elite.

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The country was further strained by the massive Beirut Port explosion in August 2020, as well as the coronavirus pandemic.

"Where’s the investigation into the Beirut Port blast? Where’s the feeling of security and tranquillity?" asked Al-Kurdi. "When the captain of the ship is troubled, all the passengers will feel insecure."

The crisis has forced many people into unemployment and poverty, with hundreds of thousands leaving the country in recent years.

During Eid, millions are unable to afford meat and other foods.

This is not the first time politicians have been heavily criticised by religious clerics, both Christian and Muslim.

Officials are once again locked in a dispute over the new government formation around two months after the parliamentary elections, which, despite some gains by independents, saw most sectarian-establishment parties keep their seats.

President Michel Aoun’s tenure is expected to end in October, but many fear the country could be heading to yet another presidential and government vacuum with the absence of a consensus.