I raise my hat to TIMESONLINE for publishing Mr. Omar Hariri's response to my article. It only shows how much we cherish the free press and free opinion in our life and I appreciate most sincerely Mr. Hariri's views on the matter.
I have lived most of my life overseas and visited Lebanon four times, most recently last year in May. I was invited to the downtown aera where I have seen the new Beirut, though very much different from what I recall. The cafes were swarmed by the tourists, lebanese university students from all walks of life enjoying the evening with friends and families, others strolling down the streets with their kids along. You could sense the joy and hear the laughters everywhere.
When the opposition decided to occupy the downtown core to express their dissatisfaction over Government's policies, most of these cafes, restaurants and businesses were closed and abandoned as described in major media oulets. The word "Prostitution" is certainly out of bound.

Bernie Haddad, Calgary, Alberta, Canada

excellent news .
honour killing is very rare in muslim countries in north africa , anyone who kills his wife or sister will simply be treated as a criminal and will face a jail sentence . Sikhs and hindus also practice this honour killing , even when the wife does not bring enough dowry she is often killed or burnt alive / i have read many examples , a sikh also killed his daughter in canada because she ran away with a white guy , a hindu his daughter because she got involved with a guy from a lower cast . but you dont get to find them in front pages , you have to find them . and dig for them .

nesreen, Bristol , UK

I think this was one of the best thing that a Muslim religious cleric has said in long time. Well done your eminence. We need more clerics like Shiekh Fadlallah to ban such practices that are unislamic.

Z Hussain, Rochdale, UK

This is response to Bernie Haddad: The sit-in in Beirut did not close down 90% of the city's businesses but it did shut down over 90% of prostitution business, which seems to worry you a lot!

Omar Hariri, davis, california

Sir,
Amazing the links between Islam and "honour killing," I suppose that no other tribal dominated societies have similar links e.g. Panjabi Sikhs?

SC, London, United Kingdom

'Course, that fatwa only applies to Lebanon, & only to the Shiites w/in Lebanon, not the Sunnis, who consider the Shiites to be hell-bound apostates.
How about a fatwa from the senior Muslim dude in the UK to stop the UK honor killings?

mark m, Albuquerque, New Mexico (Like Old Mexico, but cleaner)

Why the Grand Ayatollah does not condemn the Hizbullah party for instigating the killing of thousands of Lebanese women and children among other things by Israel and the destruction of their homes and businesses? why the Grand Ayatollah does not force Hizbullah to hand over their arms to the legitimate Lebanese Government and stand to defend the interests of Lebanon instead of those of Syria and Iran? why does he encourage thousands of Hizbullah followers to continue their sit-in in the middle of downtown Beirut forcing 90% of the city's businesses to shut down thus forcing thousands of workers to be laid off? I think the fatwa should be issued to arrest him and his followers and throw them in jail.

Bernie Haddad, Calgary, Alberta, Canada

Aw, isn't that nice, they've had to tell their followers that murdering their children maybe isn't the most loving thing a parent can do. Maybe we can ban it in Britain, too. Now if we can only persuade the rest of the Islamic world that encouraging their children to blow themselves up on a bus (or in a market or a children's hospital, etc) is equally repulsive we might be on to something.

Ellen Morris, Leeds,

Finally a popularly reported fatwa which Muslims (Shia and Sunni alike) can be proud of; one which prohibits such indecency as has become rampant amongst the ignorants who have the audacity to claim that 'honour killings' are in anyway permitted by Islam.

Farrukh, Woking, UK