The cemeteries of the National Evangelical Church of Beirut (NECB) and that of the Franco-German Protestant communities in Beirut located on the Damascus Road in the area of Ras Al Naba’, were subject to an assault by unidentified persons last Thursday/Friday May 27/28, 2021. Six marble crosses were smashed into pieces and some flower vases were either thrown to the ground or broken. Immediately the Church filed a complaint with the police authorities and the case now is in the hands of the security forces.

In the aftermath, Rev. Dr. Habib Badr, pastor of NECB, issued the following statement:

“As a Protestant community in Lebanon and an Evangelical Church in Beirut, we strongly condemn such assaults on Holy places, and sincerely hope that they shall never recur. 

We also declare that these acts of vandalism will not affect us negatively, neither will they incite our religious sentiments.  Indeed, our evangelical spirituality remains steadfast because we do not believe in revenge nor is it our conviction to conquer evil with evil.  We absolutely condemn the use of force or violence to defend our holy sites.  To the contrary, we believe in a God who was crucified for us, who forgave those who crucified him, and who rose from the dead for our salvation.  

What pains and saddens us most, however, as Lebanese citizens and as Evangelical Christians, is to realize that there are people in our country who still practice such acts of vandalism and hatred, and who commit acts of destruction which inflict pain and suffering in the hearts of those whose loved ones lie in peace underground.

It is also worth noting in this regard that within the confines of the same cemetery, are buried some of the most notable Lebanese personages who served our church, our country and our region in a most distinguished way.  Worth mentioning in this context are: The former president of the Lebanese Republic (during the French mandate), Dr. Ayoub Tabet, the great Boutros Al Bustani, a leading light of the Arab Renaissance of the 19th century, and the composer of our national anthem, Mr. Wadih Sabra.”