In the Name of God the Most Gracious the Most Merciful

Praise be to God Lord of Mankind, Prayers and Peace be upon the Master of Messengers, His Family and His Companions to the day of Recompense

My dear brothers,

Peace and Benedictions of His Almighty be upon you

First of all, I salute your conference that is being held for the sixty eighth time, recalling in my mind the huge efforts that the ancestors had made in order to accomplish this vital achievement you are preserving, and you are spending the available abilities to achieve the best permanently.

This conference, sponsored by the American Druze Society ADS, is proud for having united the Druze Unitarians from the Diaspora countries on an annual meeting that has become one of the signs that incite the community to gather as well as an opportunity for acquaintances and marriages between our guys and girls and an exchange of charity, friendship and brotherhood feelings that we are all shaded by in the shadow of our great heritage and all that is cultivated from it in our hearts of noble values, eternal knowledge and humanitarian noble qualities that turn the Maaroufite into a civilized special human wherever he goes all over the land and its countries. I would also like to praise the cooperation of the presidency of ADS and its communications held with us, as well as the role of “CORA” for its spiritual activity to the youth and its program adopted in this concern, and which we have reviewed its constituent content and given our opinion, wishing you all the best of luck and progress.

You conference is a sincere desire in gathering all under the same roof and under the united slogan of Maaroufites for every humanitarian significance. I advise you to preserve each other and never get into conflicts since these will arise nothing but fail.

I would like to aspire with you to this noble affection that binds us with more useful achievements and with the accomplishment of what we intend to of the cooperation spirit in regulative structural frames. I would like to recall that the regulative basis that was launched again eight years ago, I mean the Confessional Council of the Druze Unitarian Community and the competent committees subordinated to it, added to all that is related to the scope of the Druze Sheikhdom of consultative authorities and other, is a practical basis that should be developed with one spirit, one mutual vision and one united initiative, since it is only that way no matter what we face of difficulties, that it seems possible to leave for the coming generations achievements they will be pride and honored of, and thus, they will follow the path with strength and leading ambition. We hope that all of you realize the essential role of our national symbol Me. Walid Bek Junblatt in the union of the Community and the nation as well, since we deem that the success of the Confessional Council is the ideal way to achieve the required rise with the participation of all with no exception, considering it as an umbrella that gathers all with its distinguished legal legislation.

My dear brothers,

All that we want is to consolidate the coordination base between us and lay the participation edges according to what the obligation requires. We have a huge accumulation of many issues all through one hundred years in the field of residents dealing with our sons in the Diaspora countries and their issues, in particular the issue of culture and the assimilation of heritage in a vital way. In brief, I would like to share with you some of the remarks that I have deemed important in this field, without forgetting the role of the emigrants in supporting their parents as well as their combative role in the face of difficult times:

• The necessity of reviewing the overall of this accumulation to conclude the core of it, and thus, make use of its advantages and neglect its disadvantages.
• The necessity of stressing on the previous academic experiences with a methodological awareness to study the points of benefit and the disorder at the same time, in order to push this trend toward a sound and straight path.
• The importance of looking for the consolidation of the links, suggesting the establishment of an academic researches centre in the nation to follow up on these issues with the spirit of cooperation, participation and the preservation of the noble Maaroufite values in a lighted manner, without forgetting the decisions of the emigrants conference that was held in the nation in 2010. In this concern, I remind about our communication that will be renewed by the will of His Almighty with ADF, being keen on the coordination of the sound vision and the right methodology.

Our hand is laid and our heart is open to every good initiative. We really hope that the Maaroufite roots would be consolidated in the minds and consciences. All that we have to do is to achieve our mutual rise as per the obligations, responsibilities and calls of the consciences.

I advise you to enhance the ways of permanent communication and negotiation, and each one of us is liable for his words and acts and will be held answerable before God and history.

We wish you a successful, productive and fertile conference with the seeds of its goodness that it cultivates in our parents’ hearts and minds, asking God his Almighty to take us all with the hand toward the goodness and salvation.

All my invocations of good health, safety and tranquility to all of you. May God grant you success with His virtuous intentions.

The Sheikh Akl of the Druze Unitarian Community, Naim Hassan

Beirut, on June 21, 2014