Ghada Al Yafi a woman militant in favor of secularism in Lebanon

L’Orient Le Jour newspaper published in yesterday’s issue an interview with secular activist Dr Ghada Al Yafi who disclosed she is committed to remaining in Lebanon so as to participate in community and social development. Al Yafi, daughter of late Prime Minister, Abdallah Al Yafi, became famous for her motto: “Towards a Non-Sectarian Society”. Furthermore, she unsuccessfully ran for the 1998 municipal and 2000 legislative elections. She also indicated that she turned her father’s house into a meeting place for academia and intellectuals to exchange views and debate about various social and political issues. Al Yafi noted that her primary concern now is to initiate a dialogue on Islam, a religion which is not reconcilable, as she put it, with divisive sectarianism. Describing her religion as that of “wisdom”, she told the newspaper theta she is presently militating to establish a secular society in Lebanon. And while she confessed that sometimes she feels down and betrayed, she said she will never give in to defeat. (L’Orient Le Jour, 24 February 2015)