Forty percent of the historic collection of more than 85,000 distinct books managed by Greek Orthodox Father Ibrahim Sarrouj were lost to arson, and employee Bashir Hazzouri shot, after false blasphemy accusations and a reported fatwa.
In Tripoli, Lebanon, Greek Orthodox Christian Father Ibrahim Sarrouj had owned and run the al-Saeh Library, a staple of his community, which contained more than 85,000 unique books. The library had been widely used by Muslims and Christians alike, making it a symbol of the comity between the religious communities in Tripoli and even in Lebanon at large. However, in January 2014, it was subject to an arson attack; an estimated 40% of its wealth of books was lost, and the day before the burning, one of the employees of the library, Bashir Hazzouri, was shot.
As it happened, rumors had been circulating that Father Sarrouj was guilty of blasphemy. Though the perpetrators of the attack are unknown, it came in the midst of this broader incident. The Father had apparently been accused of authoring a blasphemous article on a Danish website in 2010, for which a fatwa had been issued against him. Police stated that this charge was untrue. Seemingly, the accusations inspired fervor in some zealous Muslims who took matters into their own hands, though the perpetrators remain unknown.
“I call on [the police] to prosecute those who incited, ordered and issued a fatwa in favor of the attack rather than the fervent boys who carried out the attack.” - Salafi sheikh Salem al-Rafei
The attack was met with overwhelming condemnation from the community. Muslim leaders and local authorities voiced their support for Father Sarrouj; a well-liked figure in Tripoli, they did not need convincing of his innocence. Calls for justice resounded, even from a local Salafi sheikh, though he called only for the issuer of the fatwa against the Father to be punished.
Afterward, a collective effort at rebuilding and restoring the library commenced, even if a massive number of its books could not be recovered. The effort even became international, and it included crowd-funding and book donations. Finally, a year after the arson, the library reopened.
Tripoli's Torched Library Finally Re-Opens in Lebanon - Global Voices
Letter from Lebanon: A Bookshop Burns - The New Yorker
Burned books: A fire at the library brings together Tripoli's residents - The Economist
Tripoli mobilizes after historic library torched - The Daily Star
Lebanese library torched after blasphemy accusation - World Watch Monitor
Tripoli Bookshop Rises From the Ashes of Arson - Wall Street Journal
Cross-faith crowd-funding helps rebuild torched Lebanon library - CNN
Tripoli Figures Condemn Torching Famed Library as Father Sarrouj 'Forgives Attackers' - Naharnet
Lebanon’s religious demographics are less homogenous than those of its neighbors. The Muslim population is split between Shia and Sunni, and a third is composed of Maronite Christians. Lebanon’s relationship to Islam, religion, and irreligion is thus characterized by this sectarian balancing act. To placate potential religious conflict, Lebanon uses a confessionalist system, which divides government positions between Christians, Sunnis and Shias. Among the 18 state-recognized religious groups, atheist or irreligious is not one of them. Laws against blasphemy exist in this context of protecting offenses between religions, more than towards irreligious or atheist people themselves. While the Lebanese constitution theoretically grants freedom of religion, blasphemy laws have been invoked, both between religious sects and against irreligious people.