UPDATED "Praising Fadlallah" Follow-Up: The Public Apology of the British Ambassador

UPDATED 12 July: Frances Guy, Britain's Ambassador to Lebanon, has now paid public penance for her original comments --- now removed by the Foreign Office as incompatible with British policy --- on the death of Grand Ayatollah Fadlallah.

Guy's latest entry in her Foreign Office blog, "The Problem with Diplomatic Blogging", no longer makes any reference to Fadlallah and the possibilities of inter-faith discussion, "a real debate, a respectful argument" and "leav[ing] his presence feeling a better person". Instead:

UPDATED Middle East: CNN Senior Editor Fired over Twitter Remark about Lebanon’s Sheikh Fadlallah

I have no truck with terrorism wherever it is committed in whoever’s name. The British Government has been clear that it condemns terrorist activity carried out by Hizballah. I share that view....

I have spent most of my career in the Arab world working to combat terrorism, and the extremism and prejudice which can fuel it. I am sorry that an attempt to acknowledge the spiritual significance to many of Sayid Fadlallah and the views that he held in the latter part of his life has served only to further entrench divisions in this complex part of the world. I regret any offence caused.

In our coverage of the firing of CNN editor Octavia Nasr over her Twitter comment offering "sadness" for the passing of the late Grand Ayatollah Fadlallah and her respect for him, we noted that --- before Nasr's comments --- the British Ambassador to Lebanon, Frances Guy, had offered her own praise for the cleric on her blog on the Foreign Office's pages. The entry was titled, "The Passing of Decent Men". We later noted that, with Nasr gone, pressure was building on the British Government to denounce Guy's words.

Well, well, looks like Foreign Secretary William Hague has courageously ordered the removal of the blog entry. Before he did so, however, The Guardian of London saved a copy:

One of the privileges of being a diplomat is the people you meet; great and small, passionate and furious. People in Lebanon like to ask me which politician I admire most.

It is an unfair question, obviously, and many are seeking to make a political response of their own. I usually avoid answering by referring to those I enjoy meeting the most and those that impress me the most. Until yesterday my preferred answer was to refer to Sheikh Mohammed Hussein Fadlallah, head of the Shia clergy in Lebanon and much admired leader of many Shia muslims throughout the world. When you visited him you could be sure of a real debate, a respectful argument and you knew you would leave his presence feeling a better person. That for me is the real effect of a true man of religion; leaving an impact on everyone he meets, no matter what their faith.

Sheikh Fadlallah passed away yesterday. Lebanon is a lesser place the day after, but his absence will be felt well beyond Lebanon's shores. I remember well when I was nominated ambassador to Beirut, a Muslim acquaintance sought me out to tell me how lucky I was because I would get a chance to meet Sheikh Fadlallah. Truly he was right. If I was sad to hear the news I know other peoples' lives will be truly blighted. The world needs more men like him willing to reach out across faiths, acknowledging the reality of the modern world and daring to confront old constraints.

May he rest in peace.

UPDATED Middle East: CNN Senior Editor Fired over Twitter Remark about Lebanon's Sheikh Fadlallah

UPDATE 1545 GMT: Well, well, it looks like the British Ambassador to Lebanon, Frances Guy, could be in the firing line after her note on Grand Ayatollah Fadlallah. An Israeli Foreign Ministry official has told the website YNet News that it would be "interesting" to see how the British Foreign Office reacts.

The Foreign Office line with Tim Marshall of Sky News is that Guy had "profound disagreements with the Sheiks views on attacking Israel". While CNN's Nasr had praised a "Hezbollah Giant", the British Ambassador only praised Fadlallah for his spiritual work and interfaith dialogue.

UPDATE 1500 GMT: Analysts are noting, amidst the furour over Octavia Nasr's comment on Grand Ayatollah Fadlallah, that both Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki and Lebanese President Sa'ad Hariri have offered praise for the late cleric.

What had caught my attention earlier this week, however, was the public note posted by Britain's Ambassador to Lebanon, Frances Guy, in her blog on the Foreign Office's website: "The Passing of Decent Men". Guy wrote:

When you visited [Fadlallah] you could be sure of a real debate, a respectful argument and you knew you would leave his presence feeling a better person. That for me is the real effect of a true man of religion; leaving an impact on everyone he meets, no matter what their faith....The world needs more men like him willing to reach out across faiths, acknowledging the reality of the modern world and daring to confront old constraints. May he rest in peace.

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For now I am going to refrain on comment about this episode, leaving it to readers to make assessments both of the case and of its significance. I do want to note that, following Octavia Nasr both in her work for CNN and her use of social media, I have found her a responsible, thoughtful, and engaging journalist. I also note Rami Khouri's perspective on Grand Ayatollah Fadlallah, the leading Shi'a cleric in Lebanon, as a counterpart to other representations of Fadlallah's religious and political views.

From Mediaite:

CNN’s Senior Editor of Mideast Affairs Octavia Nasr is leaving the company following the controversy caused by her tweet in praise of Hezbollah leader Sayyed Mohammed Hussein Fadlallah.

Mediaite has the internal memo, which says “we believe that her credibility in her position as senior editor for Middle Eastern affairs has been compromised.”

Nasr tweeted this weekend: “Sad to hear of the passing of Sayyed Mohammed Hussein Fadlallah… One of Hezbollah’s giants I respect a lot.”

After a blog post expanding on her position, CNN promised the issue was “serious” and would “be dealt with accordingly.” That’s apparently her exit from CNN. Here’s an internal memo obtained by Mediaite:

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