DEARBORN — The Future Movement of Michigan commemorated the ninth anniversary of the assassination of former Lebanese Prime Minister Rafic Hariri at Greenfield Manor in Dearborn on Sunday, Feb. 23. About 500 people, including religious and community leaders, attended the event.

Keynote speaker, former Lebanese Member of Parliament Mustafa Alloush who is a member of the Future Movement’s political office, praised the late Hariri and described him as a “visionary with a big dream.”

“We work to achieve the dream of the martyred prime minister through your faith in a free Lebanon that could be a model for democracy in the Middle East,” Alloush told the crowd. “Hariri turned the Lebanese youths away from holding rifles and put a book in their hands to seek education. He always worked for unity and found solutions to the issues.”

Hariri, who founded the Future Movement in the early 1990’s, was killed when a car bomb targeted his convoy in downtown Beirut on Feb. 14, 2005. Four members of Hizbullah are currently being tried in absentia at an international criminal court in the Hague in connection to the murder. Hizbullah denies involvement in the assassination and labels the tribunal as a Western conspiracy to target the party and tarnish its image.

Referring to the Hariri murder trial, Alloush said the Future movement is seeking justice and stability, not revenge. “Justice is the only way to avert civil strife,” he added.

The former MP said the Future Movement participated in the newly-formed Lebanese cabinet to fill the power vacuum, insisting that the movement did not engage in any back room deals during the formation of the government. 

A cabinet that includes most major political parties was announced on Feb. 15, nine months after Prime Minister Tammam Salam had been designated by the Parliament to form it. The 14 March Alliance, which includes the Future Movement, initially refused to participate in the cabinet with Hizbullah because of its military involvement in Syria.   

Alloush discussed the Syrian crisis, accusing the regime of creating the Islamic State of Iraq and al-Sham (ISIS), an Islamist fundamentalist transnational group that has been fighting both government and opposition forces in northern Syria.

“The ISIS serves the interests of the regime. It is fighting the Syrian revolution and turning the world’s attention to fighting terrorism instead of supporting the popular movement,” he explained. 

Alloush voiced his support for the Geneva peace talks, adding that the negotiations forced the Syrian government to recognize the opposition. 

A host of speakers took the podium, including a Syrian student who said Syrians are suffering and starving at the hand of their own government.

Tony Maalouf, an official in the  Lebanese Forces, stressed the importance of the alliance between his group and the Future Movement to achieve their shared goals.

“We salute the Lebanese army during these times of truth and justice,” said Maalouf.