A priest 's flock is crowd-funding $ 35,000 to restore a renowned Lebanese library , which was set on fire a few weeks ago . Between a quarter and a third of the 85,000 titles in the Maktabat al-Sa'eh ( The Pilgrim 's Bookshop ) in the northern city of Tripoli were destroyed by the fire , according to reports , including a pair of 200-year-old Muslim manuscripts . The 40-year-old antiquarian bookstore and library in the old city souk of the Serail neighborhood is the life 's work of Ibrahim Sarrouj , a Greek Orthodox priest . Since the attack by suspected Muslim extremists , hundreds of people have come out in support of Sarrouj , helping with the clean-up , donating books and setting up an online crowd-funding effort to refurbish the library . At the time of writing , almost $ 25,000 has been pledged . Sarrouj says it is unexpected but he is thrilled by the way people of all religious backgrounds have joined together to help . `` ( It was ) a great source of joy for me that the burning of this library brought together Muslims and Christians , and especially clergy and Muslim sheiks , '' he said . Social community support . Sarrouj is a popular figure in Sunni Muslim-majority Tripoli , well-known for preaching in favor of coexistence and religious tolerance . There are significant Christian and Alawite minority populations in the city . Read more : The dangers of being an Arab cartoonist . But the city , which is just 30 kilometers ( 18 miles ) from the border with Syria , has seen intensified sectarian violence and growing extremism over the past two years , including battles between supporters and opponents of the regime in Lebanon 's neighbor to the east . In the days prior to the fire , Sarrouj says he received a threat via text message . It concerned a rumor that a pamphlet insulting the Prophet Mohammed had been found inside one of the library 's books . The rumor was later discounted by authorities , according to Sarrouj . According to local reports , around 9.30 p.m. on January 3 , a group of men broke into the library and set it ablaze with petrol . Fire services arrived only a few minutes later and doused the flames quickly , saving the majority of the library 's precious contents . The day after the fire , Mu'taz Salloum , a 26-year-old filmmaker , together with a few friends decided to organize a sit-in protest and clean-up at the library . They created a Facebook event inviting people to `` Say no ! Stop cultural terrorism in our city . '' By the afternoon , Salloum estimates that 600 people had gathered at the library . `` The reaction was very positive , it was not expected , '' said Salloum . `` A lot of people from outside Tripoli ( came ) and I saw friends I had n't seen for years , that had n't participated in any civil society demonstration or activity . '' That day , as people cleaned and discussed what else they could do , the Kafana Samtan ( `` Enough Silence '' ) campaign was born . `` We said , 'We should n't stop at only cleaning the library . Why not create a campaign to restore the library and bring it back better than before , '' Salloum added . Volunteers unite . The movement is powered by volunteers without any political or sectarian backing , according to Salloum . Salloum has been working at the library every weekend since the fire and estimates that around 50 volunteers help out each Friday and Saturday . One participant , Hrs Darwich wrote on the Facebook page : `` This city will not kneel to terrorism and bigotry and extremism . Solidarity prevails , I 'll be there . '' Sarrouj says he has been inundated with telephone calls from all over the world pledging money , and tens of cartons of books are being sent to him from all over Lebanon by publishers , universities and the Lebanese Ministry of Culture . Read more : Qatart gets its first World Heritage site . It 's only been a few weeks since the fire and Sarrouj says it remains difficult to fully quantify the damage done . But Kafana Samtan has big plans for the library . All the donated books will be put in a new public area where anyone can spend time reading and researching . If they are successful in crowd-funding $ 35,000 , they will spend it modernizing the library 's crumbling interior , installing security equipment and buying back rare books . Salloum says the people of Tripoli have had enough of the violence in their city -- and the library has become a symbol of that . `` Tripoli is the second largest city in Lebanon and deserves a better way of living ... this is going to be a really strong message to those who are behind the burning , '' he said . Sarrouj , for his part , is less concerned with the books and donations . `` What 's behind it , the movement of the heart , this is what counts for me ... I hope that with this movement that we can change our Arab world . ''
Library and antique bookshop in Tripoli torched in early January . Restoration is driven by community crowd-funding . People from all faiths have contributed to the effort . Many hope the project can be a focal point for better community relations .