Sheikh Kabalan outlines solutions for Lebanon's economic and sovereign challenges

In his Friday sermon, Sheikh Ahmad Kabalan considered that "there is no doubt that the country is experiencing a historical crisis, and the stubbornness embraced by the politicians is a suicide for the country.

He said: "What we witnessed in the budget exhibition reveals how the country is suffocating, as well as the politicians. The budget is undoubtedly necessary, and voting on it is as important as preserving the country."

Kabalan continued: "However, it should not be done without presenting devilish goods, especially regarding some taxes and fees. There is no solution without a state's financial stability that considers the state's social, health, and service roles; otherwise, we destroy the state on the heads of its people."

He said, "What is required in this field is an economic vision and a real financial structure for banks, emphasizing the necessity of preserving deposits. Progressive taxation is fair when it targets large incomes, and taxation according to national and social needs is necessary. However, without its exploitation, it loses that necessity."

He added, "The country is in a state of war, and what the resistance is doing on the southern front will determine Lebanon's fate and sovereignty for decades. There is no compromise or negligence with Lebanese sovereignty, and what is happening in Gaza, Lebanon, and the Bab el-Mandeb is sovereign. Its interconnection is also a sovereign necessity for everyone, and the enemy on all these fronts is one: Israel and those who support it."

In addition, he reminded the government that "ending the displacement crisis is an urgent necessity for the survival of Lebanon. It starts with protecting markets, securing Lebanese labor, and preventing displacement from forming any influential force or investment, regardless of its type and description.

"It is necessary to establish national 'data' for displacement, and the sea must be opened. Delaying that is a bigger crisis and a greater national catastrophe. Europe has no sovereignty in this country, and it is unacceptable for the Lebanese army to turn into a maritime guard for Europe, the partner in the Syrian massacre," Kabalan said.