BEIRUT: The Mufti of the Republic extended the term of the Higher Islamic Council for one year Saturday, announcing that elections will be held before the end of next year.

Chairing a meeting of the council at Dar al-Fatwa Saturday, Sheikh Mohammad Rashid Qabbani decided after deliberating with council members to extend the term of the council, which ends on Dec. 31, to Dec. 31, 2012 at the latest.

Prime Minister Najib Mikati and former Prime Minister Fouad Siniora and muftis of Lebanese districts attended the meeting. In addition to the mufti of the republic and of districts, the council comprises the incumbent prime minister, former prime ministers and other Sunni politicians.

The council’s members are elected for four-year terms. This is the second year in a row that a one-year term extension has been granted, but attendees agreed to elect new council members during the coming year.

Following the meeting, Qabbani visited attended a luncheon held by Prime Minister Najib Mikati in his honor at the Grand Serail.

Separately, a decision last week by Qabbani not to renew the term of Akkar Mufti Sheikh Osama Rifai outraged the district’s residents and MPs, who held a meeting in Akkar Sunday to express their solidarity with Rifai.

Speaking to The Daily Star, Akkar MP Khaled Zahraman said that Qabbani’s decision was “inappropriate.”

“We tried to look for the reasons [of the decision], but there are no reasons,” he said, adding that the decision might have been politically motivated.

Some people, however, are working “calmly” to resolve the matter by keeping Rifai in his post until an electoral body is formed to elect a successor, Zahraman said. “We will not accept that Akkar is dealt with in this way without referring to its people and prominent figures ... we are afraid that this decision might result in divisions in Akkar.”

A source close to Dar al-Fatwa told The Daily Star the decision was made because Rifai was not attending council meetings or abiding by the instructions of Dar al-Fatwa, claims which were dismissed by Zahraman who described Rifai’s performance as “good.”

The source said that Dar al-Fatwa would not go back on its decision.

Meanwhile, former Akkar MP Wajih Baarini called for withdrawing the matter from media spotlight.

Baarini also called for allowing religious clerics who are holders of university degrees in Islamic studies to be members of the body that elects muftis.