Head of the Lebanese Muslim Association, Samier Dandan, said the comment that Muslims should not have anything to do with the Christian celebration of Christmas was "an innocent mistake" and not representative of the Mosque's views.
A youth worker copied the text from another site and posted it after he received messages from members asking for guidance about celebrating Christmas. A message "Merry Xmas" later appeared in the sky above the mosque.
But Mr Dandan strongly denied that Sheikh Safi delivered a similar message during Friday prayers, yet one member of the congregation, who did not wish to be identified, disagrees. He maintains that Sheikh Safi said it was an act of "disbelief" for a Muslim to have a Christmas tree in their home and forbade celebrating New Year's Eve. He insists that the Sheikh's words were hotly debated outside the mosque.
The Grand Mufti of Australia Ibrahim Abu Mohammad and the spokesman for the Australian Federation of Islamic Councils, Keysar Trad were shocked by the post and said the foundations of Islam were peace, co-operation and respect.
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