Sayyed Fadlullah:  The ongoing international and regional polarization that is already causing growing tensions and conflicts is making our time run out. We have to sit down quickly to formulate the Lebanon we want and not that the others want, lest we are going to pay a great price of assassinating the country in the aftermath of killing its leaders and symbols.

Asked in his weekly seminar the following question: How does Islam view emotionalism in politics, and confronting it by rationalism and careful studying?

The Religious Authority, Sayyed Muhammad Hussein Fadlullah, said:

Islam has always praised the mind, and gave it priority over the rest of God's creations, since it is the organizer of man's movement in this life and in choosing the best road to follow.

Conversely, emotionalism, that may represent an opponent for the mind, has always been a threat to the life of individuals and nations, since the stands it leads to are based upon bad temper and anger, which might lead to the fall of an entire stage, or a plan that has been studied and prepared for generations.

Imam Ali (a.s) said: "Temper is a kind of madness, because it leads to one’s remorse, if it does not, then the madness is deep rooted".

Perhaps one of the most dangerous kinds of emotionalism is the so-called "political emotionalism”, whether in the reactions to political opponents or in snapping decisive words when the situation does not call for such statements. Another manifestation could be to view certain developments or political phenomena from a certain angle neglecting all other approaches, which will ultimately lead to catastrophic and shocking results, especially on the political level. Such a reading will reflect itself in a counterproductive way both on the people and on the political developments in certain regions and perhaps in the entire world.

In this context, several wars against the Jews in the first phase of the confrontation with the Zionist project in Palestine were not based on any plans. They relied on our historic heroism without studying our potentials and capabilities and comparing them with those of the enemy. Thus, we moved from one small defeat to a bigger one, feeling sorry for refusing what we were offered in the previous round….

Thus, the international game was able to make use of the sense of defeat in the general plan of weakening the nation that aimed at reaching a final demise. But then the Resistance in Lebanon was able to reciprocate this course by attacking the enemy's weak points by our strong ones, and by resorting to a long-term policy of political and military action.

Then some of our officials or political leaders fell prey to emotionalism, only to find out, when it was too late, that the American plan was seeking a way to instigate negative reactions that would allow it to spread terror and destruction in our region in the name of fighting terrorism.

Thus, it is emotionalism, as well as the complicity of several responsible figures, which allowed the American project to settle in the heart of the Arab and Islamic world, and placed America on the political and military borders of many of our countries, enabling it to present itself as a military political and even economic controller to the pace of events in the regions, It also enabled its president to talk in a messianic way about his mission in the region.

Therefore, I appeal to all Lebanese in this difficult and critical stage to sit down and conduct a dialogue on the future of Lebanon: Do they want it a free sovereign and independent country, or do they want it a front where various regional and international forces interact? Do they want Sectarian confessionalism to determine their future or do they want the unifying state that excludes nobody to make the critical decisions that determine their present and their destiny.

The ongoing international and regional polarization that is already causing growing tensions and conflicts is making our time run out. We have to sit down quickly to formulate the Lebanon we want and not that the others want, lest we are going to pay a great price of assassinating the country in the aftermath of killing its leaders and symbols.