Hezbollah man who 'made me feel better'

An obituary to Grand Ayatollah Mohammad Hussein Fadlallah, entitled "The Passing of Decent Men", has been taken down from ambassador Frances Guy's internet blog after attracting criticism.

The Foreign Office yesterday said the article was removed "after mature consideration".

Fadlallah, who died last week, was regarded as a key figure in the founding of Hezbollah in 1982, but both he and the militant group denied he was its spiritual leader.

He was revered as one of Shia Islam's highest religious authorities and won support from many Muslims for his anti-American stance and his support for the Islamic revolution in Iran. But he condemned the 9/11 terror attacks and had relatively progressive views on the role of women in society.

Hezbollah's military wing is proscribed in the UK as a terrorist organisation. It is thought to have been behind a spate of suicide bomb attacks on US forces and kidnappings of Westerners in Lebanon, including Terry Waite and John McCarthy, in the 1980s, though it has denied any involvement.

More recently it has become a powerful political and military force in Lebanon and was at the centre of a war with Israel in 2006 after kidnapping and killing Israeli troops.

Ms Guy's obituary described Fadlallah as the politician in Lebanon she enjoyed meeting most.

"When you visited him you could be sure of a real debate, a respectful argument and you knew you would leave his presence feeling a better person," she wrote. "That for me is the real effect of a true man of religion; leaving an impact on everyone he meets, no matter what their faith.

"Sheikh Fadlallah passed away yesterday. Lebanon is a lesser place the day after but his absence will be felt well beyond Lebanon's shores.

"The world needs more men like him willing to reach out across faiths, acknowledging the reality of the modern world and daring to confront old constraints. May he rest in peace."

Israeli Foreign Ministry spokesman Yigal Palmor was quoted in the Jerusalem Post as saying: "Sheikh Fadlallah was behind hostage-taking, suicide bombings and other sorts of wanton violence, but Ambassador Guy said he was a man of peace, and Ambassador Guy is an honourable woman."

He added: "Sheikh Fadlallah inspired suicide bombings, assassinations and wanton violence.

Militant group's inspiration

GRAND Ayatollah Mohammed Hussein Fadlallah, who died on Sunday aged 74, was routinely described as the spiritual leader of the militant movement Hezbollah when it was formed in 1982. It was, however, a claim both he and the group denied.

While never part of its formal hierarchy, he shared many of the same ideas and ideals as Hezbollah.

Revered as one of Shia Islam's most significant religious authorities, he won support from many Muslims for his anti-American stance and his support for the Islamic revolution in Iran.

He advocated suicide attacks as a way of fighting Israel, and has been linked to the 1983 suicide bombings that killed more 300 American troops at the US marine barracks in Beirut.

But the bespectacled cleric condemned the 11 September terror attacks and held relatively progressive views in certain areas.

Some of the fatwas he issued were against female circumcision and honour killings, for instance.

He also ruled that women had the right to hit back if beaten by their husbands, and argued that abortion could be permitted in cases where a woman's health was at risk.

In addition to more than 40 books and treatises, he leaves a rich legacy of charitable institutions and theological schools. But the British ambassador said the world needs more like him."

A Foreign Office spokesman in London yesterday said: "After mature consideration, we took the blog down."

"The ambassador expressed a personal view on Sheik Sayyed Fadlallah, describing the man as she knew him.

"While we welcomed his progressive views on women's rights and interfaith dialogue, we also had profound disagreements - especially over his statements advocating attacks on Israel," he added.