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WEEKLY NEWSLETTER
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Lebanon
Index
Figure 4. Palestinian Refugee Camps in Lebanon, 1986
In 1987 the dominant culture among the various communities was
an Arab culture influenced by Western themes. Lebanon's shared
language, heritage, history, and religion with its Arab neighbors,
however, tended to minimize the distinctiveness of the Lebanese
culture. Ethnically, most Lebanese are Arabs, many of whom can
trace their lineage to ancient tribes in Arabia. This ethnic
majority constitutes more than 90 percent of the population. Muslim
and Christian Lebanese speak Arabic, and many of their families
have lived in what is now Lebanon for centuries. Moreover, the
difference in dialects in Lebanon is a function of geographical
location and not of confessional affiliation. Minority non-Arab
ethnic groups include Armenians, Kurds, and Jews, although some
members of these groups have come to speak the language and
identify with the culture of the majority.
Despite the commonalities in Lebanese society, sectarianism (or
confessionalism) is the dominant social, economic, and political
reality. Divisiveness has come to define that which is Lebanon.
Sects should not be viewed as monolithic blocs, however, since
strife within confessional groups is as common as conflict with
other sects. Even so, the paramount schismatic tendency in modern
Lebanon is that between Christian and Muslim.
Sectarianism is not a new issue in Lebanon. The disintegrative
factors in society preceded the creation of modern Lebanon in 1920.
Before that date, historical Lebanon, or Mount Lebanon, was shared
primarily between the Druzes and the Maronites. The two
communities, distinguished by discrete religious beliefs and
separate cultural outlooks, did not coexist in peace and harmony.
Rather, the Druzes and Maronites often engaged in fierce battles
over issues ranging from land ownership, distribution of political
power, foreign allegiances, and petty family feuds. At least twice
in the last century, the conflicts between the two confessional
communities developed into full-scale civil wars, which were only
ended by the intervention of foreign powers. The Lebanese sectarian
problem became more acute in 1920, when the French authorities
annexed territories to Mount Lebanon to form Greater Lebanon.
Although the new state comprised diverse confessional communities,
a political system favoring the majority Christians was established
by the French
(see Mandate Period
, ch. 1).
Data as of December 1987
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