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WEEKLY NEWSLETTER
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Lebanon
Index
Arab rule under the Umayyads and Abbasids had a profound impact
on the eastern Mediterranean area and, to a great degree, was
responsible for the composition of modern Lebanese society. It was
during this period that Lebanon became a refuge for various ethnic
and religious groups. The presence of these diverse, cohesive
groups led to the eventual emergence of the Lebanese confessional
state, whereby different religious communities were represented in
the government according to their numerical strength
(see The Basis of Government
, ch. 4).
The ancestors of the present-day
Maronites (see Glossary) were
among the Christian communities that settled in Lebanon during this
period
(see Christian Sects
, ch. 2). To avoid feuds with other
Christian sects in the area, these followers of Saint John Maron
moved from the upper valley of the Orontes River and settled in the
picturesque Qadisha Valley, located in the northern Lebanon
Mountains, about twenty-five kilometers southeast of Tripoli.
Lebanon also became the refuge for a small Christian group
called Melchites, living in northern and central Lebanon.
Influenced by the Greek Christian theology of Constantinople, they
accepted the controversial decrees of the Council of Chalcedon, the
fourth ecumenical council of the church held in 451. As a result of
missionary activity by the Roman Catholic Church, some were later
drawn away from this creed and became known as Greek Catholics
because Greek is the language of their liturgy. They lived mainly
in the central part of the Biqa Valley.
During the Arab era, still another religious faith found
sanctuary in Lebanon. After Al Hakim (996-1021), the Fatimid caliph
of Egypt, proclaimed himself an incarnation of God, two of his
followers, Hamza and Darazi, formulated the dogmas for his cult.
Darazi left Egypt and continued to preach these tenets after
settling in southern Lebanon. His followers became known as
Druzes (see Glossary);
along with Christians and Muslims, they constitute
major communities in modern Lebanon.
Under the Abbasids, philosophy, literature, and the sciences
received great attention, especially during the caliphate of Harun
ar Rashid and that of his son, Al Mamun. Lebanon made a notable
contribution to this intellectual renaissance. The physician Rashid
ad Din, the jurist Al Awazi, and the philosopher Qusta ibn Luqa
were leaders in their respective disciplines. The country also
enjoyed an economic boom in which the Lebanese harbors of Tyre and
Tripoli were busy with shipping as the textile, ceramic, and glass
industries prospered. Lebanese products were sought after not only
in Arab countries but also throughout the Mediterranean Basin.
In general, Arab rulers were tolerant of Christians and Jews,
both of whom were assessed special taxes and were exempted from
military service. Later, under the Ottoman Empire, the practice
developed of administering non-Muslim groups as separate
communities called millets. In the late-1980s, this system
continued; each religious community was organized under its own
head and observed its own laws pertaining to matters such as
divorce and inheritance
(see The Judiciary
, ch. 4).
Data as of December 1987
The Abbasids, founded by the Arab Abul Abbas, replaced the
Umayyads in early 750. They treated Lebanon and Syria as conquered
countries, and their harshness led to several revolts, including an
abortive rebellion of Lebanese mountaineers in 759. By the end of
the tenth century, the amir of Tyre proclaimed his independence
from the Abbasids and coined money in his own name. However, his
rule was terminated by the Fatimids of Egypt, an independent Arab
Muslim dynasty.
Impact of Arab Rule
Arab rule under the Umayyads and Abbasids had a profound impact
on the eastern Mediterranean area and, to a great degree, was
responsible for the composition of modern Lebanese society. It was
during this period that Lebanon became a refuge for various ethnic
and religious groups. The presence of these diverse, cohesive
groups led to the eventual emergence of the Lebanese confessional
state, whereby different religious communities were represented in
the government according to their numerical strength
(see The Basis of Government
, ch. 4).
The ancestors of the present-day
Maronites (see Glossary) were
among the Christian communities that settled in Lebanon during this
period
(see Christian Sects
, ch. 2). To avoid feuds with other
Christian sects in the area, these followers of Saint John Maron
moved from the upper valley of the Orontes River and settled in the
picturesque Qadisha Valley, located in the northern Lebanon
Mountains, about twenty-five kilometers southeast of Tripoli.
Lebanon also became the refuge for a small Christian group
called Melchites, living in northern and central Lebanon.
Influenced by the Greek Christian theology of Constantinople, they
accepted the controversial decrees of the Council of Chalcedon, the
fourth ecumenical council of the church held in 451. As a result of
missionary activity by the Roman Catholic Church, some were later
drawn away from this creed and became known as Greek Catholics
because Greek is the language of their liturgy. They lived mainly
in the central part of the Biqa Valley.
During the Arab era, still another religious faith found
sanctuary in Lebanon. After Al Hakim (996-1021), the Fatimid caliph
of Egypt, proclaimed himself an incarnation of God, two of his
followers, Hamza and Darazi, formulated the dogmas for his cult.
Darazi left Egypt and continued to preach these tenets after
settling in southern Lebanon. His followers became known as
Druzes (see Glossary);
along with Christians and Muslims, they constitute
major communities in modern Lebanon.
Under the Abbasids, philosophy, literature, and the sciences
received great attention, especially during the caliphate of Harun
ar Rashid and that of his son, Al Mamun. Lebanon made a notable
contribution to this intellectual renaissance. The physician Rashid
ad Din, the jurist Al Awazi, and the philosopher Qusta ibn Luqa
were leaders in their respective disciplines. The country also
enjoyed an economic boom in which the Lebanese harbors of Tyre and
Tripoli were busy with shipping as the textile, ceramic, and glass
industries prospered. Lebanese products were sought after not only
in Arab countries but also throughout the Mediterranean Basin.
In general, Arab rulers were tolerant of Christians and Jews,
both of whom were assessed special taxes and were exempted from
military service. Later, under the Ottoman Empire, the practice
developed of administering non-Muslim groups as separate
communities called millets. In the late-1980s, this system
continued; each religious community was organized under its own
head and observed its own laws pertaining to matters such as
divorce and inheritance
(see The Judiciary
, ch. 4).
Data as of December 1987
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