43-year-old Mohammed al-Dhaibi used "a slur mentioning God" in an argument with a supermarket owner. A cleric-led mob formed, ambushing Mohammed, mutilating his body, and murdering him.
Khalil al-Dhaibi (brother)
In August 2018, 43-year-old Mohammed al-Dhaibi reportedly got into a verbal altercation with a supermarket over a price dispute. In the heat of the moment, Mohammed used “a slur mentioning God,” though exactly what he said is unclear. At this point, a cleric overhearing the exchange intervened, accusing Mohammed of blaspheming God. Mohammed rebuffed him, starting another verbal altercation, before ultimately leaving the supermarket.
“The cleric asked him why he was blaspheming against God and accused him of apostasy and my brother told him to mind his own business.” - Khalil al-Dhaibi, Mohammed’s brother
According to Khalil, Mohammed’s brother who was with him at the time, the cleric and some others later ambushed Mohammed on his way home. Here, the murder took place.
“I met the forensic doctor and he told me about a wound that is 19 centimeters long, 7-8 centimeters deep and 6-7 centimeters wide near the heart... There is a wound near the lung while the hand is cut off and is barely attached to the body. There are also wounds on the legs, the head and the entire body.” - Khalil al-Dhaibi, Mohammed's brother
Following the murder, Lebanon’s Internal Security Forces released a statement which included the information that Mohammed had “cursed God.” According to another report, the cleric himself went to surrender to the police after the deed -- “while expressing pride in what he committed.”
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.