Religion in Lebanon

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Saint George Maronite Cathedral and the Mohammad Al-Amin Mosque, Beirut. Saint George Maronite Cathedral and Mohammad Al-Amin Mosque by Lebnen18.jpg
Saint George Maronite Cathedral and the Mohammad Al-Amin Mosque, Beirut.
A Christian Church and a Druze Khalwa in the Shuf Mountains: Historically, the Druzes and the Christians in the Shuf Mountains lived in complete harmony. Christian Church and Druze khalwa in Maaser el Chouf.jpg
A Christian Church and a Druze Khalwa in the Shuf Mountains: Historically, the Druzes and the Christians in the Shuf Mountains lived in complete harmony.

Lebanon is an eastern Mediterranean country that has the most religiously diverse society within the Middle East, recognizing 18 religious sects. [2] [3] The recognized religions are Islam (Sunni, Shia, Alawites, Isma'ili and Druze), Christianity (the Maronite Church, the Greek Orthodox Church, the Melkite Greek Catholic Church, evangelical Protestantism, the Armenian Apostolic Church, the Armenian Catholic Church, the Latin Church, the Syriac Catholic Church, the Syriac Orthodox Church, the Assyrian Church of the East, the Chaldean Catholic Church and the Coptic Orthodox Church), and Judaism.

Contents

Registered religion of registered voters (2011) [4]

   Sunni Islam (27.65%)
   Shia Islam (27.35%)
   Maronite Christian (21.71%)
   Greek Orthodox (7.34%)
  Other Christian Denominations (3.79%)
   Druze (5.74%)
  Other (2.34%)

Lebanon differs from other Middle East countries where Muslims have become the majority after the civil war, and somewhat resembles Bosnia-Herzegovina and Albania, both are in Southeast Europe, and have a diverse mix of Muslims and Christians that each make up a large proportion of the country's population. Christians were once a majority inside Lebanon and are still an overwhelming majority in the diaspora, which consists of nearly 14 million people. [5] [6]

Besides Lebanese citizens in Lebanon, a large proportion of people in the country are refugees, accounting for approximately 2 million people out of a bit over 6 million in 2017, which affects statistics. [2] The refugees, who mostly are of Syrian or Palestinian origin, are predominantly Sunni Muslim, but include Christians and Shia Muslims. [2]

The most recent president of the country is a Maronite Christian, [7] the prime minister a Sunni Muslim, [8] and the speaker of parliament a Shia Muslim. [9]

Population by religious affiliation

No official census has been taken since 1932, reflecting the political sensitivity in Lebanon over confessional (i.e., religious) balance. [10] As a result, the religious affiliation of the Lebanese population is very difficult to establish with certainty and various sources are used to get the possible estimate of the population by religious affiliation. The following are different sources that do not pretend to be fully representative of the religious affiliation of the people of Lebanon.[ citation needed ]

A 2012 study conducted by Statistics Lebanon, a Beirut-based research firm, estimated Lebanon's population to be 54% Muslim (27% Shia; 27% Sunni), 46% Christian (31.5% Maronite, 8% Greek Orthodox, 6.5% other Christian groups) [11]

The CIA World Factbook estimates (2020) the following, though this data does not include Lebanon's sizable Syrian and Palestinian refugee populations: Muslim 67.8% (Sunni, Shia and smaller percentages of Alawites and Ismailis), Christian 32.4% (mainly Maronite Catholics are the largest Christian group), Druze 4.5%, and very small numbers of Jews, Baha'is, Buddhists, and Hindus. [12]

According to a 2022 analysis by the Pew Research Center, the demographic landscape of Lebanon reveals a Christian population estimated at 43.4%, with Muslims constituting the majority at 57.6%. This data underscores the religious diversity within Lebanon, reflecting a dynamic interplay of different faith communities within the country. [13]

Lebanon has a community of around 13,000 Hindus. [14] There is a very small and ancient community of Zoroastrians, numbering between 100–500 individuals. [15] [16] Lebanon also has a Jewish population estimated at less than 100. [2]


Year Christians Muslims Druze
Total Maronite s Orthodox Catholics Armenian Apostolics Other Christians Armenians Catholics Protestants Total Shias Sunnis Alawites
2011 [17]
39.1%
21.71%
7.34%
4.8%
2.64%
1.46%
0.62%
0.53%
55.88%
27.35%
27.65%
0.88%
5.74%
2018 [18] [19]
40%
21.11%
8.1%
5.2%
2.88%
1.51%
0.65%
0.55%
54.58%
28.2%
25.49%
0.89%
5.42%
Growth
0.9%
−0.6%
0.76%
0.4%
0.24%
0.05%
0.03%
0.02%
−1.3%
0.85%
−2.16%
0.01%
−0.32%
Year Christians Muslims Druze
Total Maronites Orthodox Catholics Armenians Apostolics Other Christians Armenian Catholics Protestants Total Shias Sunnis Alawites
2011 [20] 1 280 221702 291244 627158 72388 00548 42820 51417 6331 863 534912 095922 12529 314191 321
2018 [18] [19] 1 474 241778 032298 534191 651106 14555 65223 95620 2712 011 6041 039 341939 46132 802199 760
Growth+194 020+75 741+53 907+32 928+18 140+7 224+3 442+2 618+148 070+127 246+17 336+3 488+8 439

Geographical distribution of sects in Lebanon

Lebanese Christians

Lebanese Christians form a large proportion of the total population, and they are divided into many sects, including Maronite, Eastern Orthodox, Melkite, and other communities.

Lebanese Maronites are concentrated in the northern parts of Greater Beirut, the northern part of Mount Lebanon Governorate, the southern part of North Governorate, parts of Beqaa Governorate and South Governorate. [21]

Lebanese Greek Orthodox are concentrated in north Beirut, as well as Lebanese North areas including Zgharta, Bsharri, Koura, and Batroun.

Lebanese Greek Catholics are found across the country but in particular in districts on the eastern slopes of the Lebanese mountain range and in Zahlé where they are a majority.

Lebanese Protestants are concentrated mainly within the area of Beirut and Greater Beirut.

The other Lebanese Christians and non-native Christian communities are concentrated in similar areas like in east Beirut (northern parts of Greater Beirut), Mount Lebanon, Zahlé, and Jezzine.

Lebanese Muslims

Lebanese Muslims form a large number of the total population, and they are divided into many sects, which include Sunnis, Shias, Alawites, and Ismailis.[ citation needed ]

Lebanese Sunnis are mainly residents of the major cities: west Beirut, Tripoli, and Sidon. Sunnis are also present in rural areas, which include Akkar, Ikleem al Kharoub, and the western Beqaa Valley.[ citation needed ]

Lebanese Shias are concentrated in Southern Lebanon, Baalbek District, Hermel District and the south Beirut (southern parts of Greater Beirut).

Lebanese Druze

Religious map of Lebanon by municipality according to municipal elections data Lebanon religion map by municipality.png
Religious map of Lebanon by municipality according to municipal elections data

The Druze are located in the areas known as the Matn, Gharb, Chouf, Wadi-al Taym, Beirut and its suburbs, and the Druze make up the majority in cities like Aley, Choueifat, Rashaya, Ras el-Matn and Baakleen.

Lebanese Jews

1988 distribution of Lebanon's main religious groups.tif
Estimated distribution of main religious groups, 1985, by the CIA [ citation needed ]
Lebanon religious groups distribution.jpg
Lebanon religious groups distribution[ citation needed ]
Maps of religion distribution in Lebanon

Today, fewer than 50 Jews remain in Lebanon. [22] The majority of the remaining Jewish population is concentrated in Beirut. The Jewish community was traditionally located in Wadi Abu Jamil and Ras Beirut, with other communities in Chouf, Deir al-Qamar, Aley, Bhamdoun, and Hasbaya. [23]

Religion and society

Religion and politics

The Maronite Catholics and the Druze founded modern Lebanon in the early eighteenth century, through a governing and social system known as the "Maronite-Druze dualism" in the Mount Lebanon Mutasarrifate. [24]

Religion plays a major role in politics. Some researchers describe the political system in Lebanon as "coming out of the womb of religion and politics". [25] After the independence from France in 1943, the leaders of Lebanon agreed on the distribution of the political positions in the country according to religious affiliation, known as the National Pact. Since then, the President is always a Maronite Christian, the Prime Minister is at all times a Sunni Muslim and the Speaker of the Parliament must be a Shia Muslim.

Most political parties are based on sectarian belongingness and represent their religion's interests. It is not rare to find the clergy involved in political activities, either as members or as leaders. [26]

Current political and religious issues

Under the terms of an agreement known as the National Pact between the various political and religious leaders of Lebanon, the president of the country must be a Maronite, the prime minister must be a Sunni, and the speaker of Parliament must be a Shia. [27] [28] This has further sustained a power balance which has been founded on religious-sectarian values.

Since Lebanon is a country that is ruled by a sectarian system, family matters such as marriage, divorce and inheritance are handled by the religious authorities representing a person's faith. The modern Lebanese state regulates the intersection between rights, sex, and kinship through the simultaneous application of civil and personal status law and through civil institutions that provide oversight over the legal system as a whole. [29] Calls for civil marriage are unanimously rejected by the religious authorities but civil marriages conducted in another country are recognized by Lebanese civil authorities. In the case of Lebanon, many Lebanese couples therefore conducted their civil marriage in Cyprus, which became a well-known destination for such instances. [30]

Overall, societal norms and family dynamics create significant obstacles for mixed-sect couples in Lebanon, impacting their relationships and the acceptance of their unions within their communities and families. [31]

Non-religion is not recognized by the state. However, following intense pressure and lobbying by the Civil Center for National Initiative, the Minister of the Interior Ziyad Baroud made it possible to have a citizen's religious sect removed from his identity card in 2009. [32] [33]

In April 2010, Laïque Pride, a secular group co-founded by feminist Yalda Younes, called for "an end to the country's deep-rooted sectarian system" and for a "secular Lebanon". Laïque Pride supports the enacting of a unified Civil Code for the Personal Status Law. [34]

On April 26, 2010, in response to Hizb ut-Tahrir's growing appeal in Beirut and demands to re-establish an Islamic caliphate, a Laïque Pride march was held in Beirut. Three days later, 70,000 gathered in Martyrs' Square, Beirut for a march organized by Laïque Pride.

In 2011, hundreds of protesters rallied in Beirut on 27 February in a Laïque Pride march, calling for reform of the country's confessional political system. At the same time, a peaceful sit-in took place in Sidon. [35]

At a march in May 2012 in which 600 participated, Laïque Pride issued six demands, four concerning women's rights and two concerning media freedom. Secular student clubs from Saint Joseph University (USJ), the Lebanese Academy of Fine Arts (ALBA), as the American University of Beirut (AUB) also participated in the march.

In October 2019, and until August 2020, a series of civil protests ensued in Lebanon, now known as the 17 October Revolution condemning sectarian rule amongst a myriad of other issues plaguing their country. [36] Lina Khatib, a journalist for Al Jazeera, has labelled these protests as "cross-sectarian". She notes: "They are taking place across Lebanon, rather than only in Beirut. And they are demanding the fall of the government from the outset, while criticizing political leaders from every sect." [37]

Freedom of religion

In 2023 and 2024, Freedom House gave Lebanon a score of 3 out of 4 for freedom of religious expression. [38] [39]

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Demographics of Lebanon</span> Ethnic group

This is a demography of the population of Lebanon including population density, education level, health of the populace, economic status, religious affiliations and other aspects of the population.

Sectarianism is a debated concept. Some scholars and journalists define it as pre-existing fixed communal categories in society, and use it to explain political, cultural, or religious conflicts between groups. Others conceive of sectarianism as a set of social practices where daily life is organised on the basis of communal norms and rules that individuals strategically use and transcend. This definition highlights the co-constitutive aspect of sectarianism and people's agency, as opposed to understanding sectarianism as being fixed and incompatible communal boundaries.

The National Pact is an unwritten agreement that laid the foundation of Lebanon as a multiconfessional state following negotiations between the Shia, Sunni, and Maronite leaderships. Erected in the summer of 1943, the National Pact was formed by the then-president Bechara El Khoury and the prime minister Riad Al Solh. Mainly centered around the interests of political elites, the Maronite elite served as a voice for the Christian population of Lebanon while the Sunni elite represented the voice of the Muslim population. The pact also established Lebanon's independence from France.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Catholic Church in Lebanon</span>

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Christianity in Lebanon</span>

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Islam is divided into two major sects, Sunni and Shia Islam, each with its own sub-sects. Large numbers of Shia Arab Muslims live in some Arab countries including Lebanon, Yemen, Bahrain, Iraq, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Oman, the UAE, and Qatar.

For approximately a millennium, the Abrahamic religions have been predominant throughout all of the Middle East. The Abrahamic tradition itself and the three best-known Abrahamic religions originate from the Middle East: Judaism and Christianity emerged in the Levant in the 6th century BCE and the 1st century CE, respectively, while Islam emerged in Arabia in the 7th century CE.

Islam is the official religion in Kuwait, and the majority of the citizen population is Muslim.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Religion in Syria</span>

Religion in Syria refers to the range of religions practiced by the citizens of Syria. Historically, the region has been a mosaic of diverse faiths with a range of different sects within each of these religious communities.

According to Article 9 of the Lebanese Constitution, all religions and creeds are to be protected and the exercise of freedom of religion is to be guaranteed providing that the public order is not disturbed. The Constitution declares equality of rights and duties for all citizens without discrimination or preference. Nevertheless, power is distributed among different religious and sectarian groups. The position of president is reserved for a Maronite Christian; the role of Presidency of Parliament for a Shiite Muslim; and the role of Prime Minister for a Sunni Muslim. The government has generally respected these rights; however, the National Pact agreement in 1943 restricted the constitutional provision for apportioning political offices according to religious affiliation. There have been periodic reports of tension between religious groups, attributable to competition for political power, and citizens continue to struggle with the legacy of the civil war that was fought along sectarian lines. Despite sectarian tensions caused by the competition for political power, the Lebanese continue to coexist.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lebanese Druze</span> Ethnoreligious group in Lebanon

The Lebanese Druze are an ethnoreligious group constituting about 5.2 percent of the population of Lebanon. They follow the Druze faith, which is an esoteric Abrahamic religion originating from the Near East, and self identify as unitarians.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lebanese Shia Muslims</span> Lebanese adherents of Shia Islam

Lebanese Shia Muslims, communally and historically known as matāwila, are Lebanese people who are adherents of Shia Islam in Lebanon, which plays a major role alongside Lebanon's main Sunni, Maronite and Druze sects. The vast majority of Shia Muslims in Lebanon adhere to Twelver Shi'ism, making them the only major Twelver Shia community extant in the Levant.

Sectarianism can be defined as a practice that is created over a period of time through consistent social, cultural and political habits leading to the formation of group solidarity that is dependent upon practices of inclusion and exclusion. Sectarian discrimination focuses on the exclusion aspect of sectarianism and can be defined as 'hatred arising from attaching importance to perceived differences between subdivisions within a group', for example the different denominations of a religion or the factions of a political belief.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lebanese Sunni Muslims</span> Sunni Muslims in Lebanon

Lebanese Sunni Muslims refers to Lebanese people who are adherents of the Sunni branch of Islam in Lebanon, which is one of the largest denomination in Lebanon tied with Shias. Sunni Islam in Lebanon has a history of more than a millennium. According to a CIA 2018 study, Lebanese Sunni Muslims constitute an estimated 30.6% of Lebanon's population.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Secularist movement in Lebanon</span>

The Secularist Movement in Lebanon has emerged as a response to the country's confessionalist system, deeply rooted in a consociationalism framework where top offices are allocated based on religious affiliations. This movement, driven by a growing number of Lebanese citizens, advocates for a shift towards secularism within the national government.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Islam in Lebanon</span>

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lebanese Maronite Christians</span> Religious group in Lebanon associated with the Catholic Church

Lebanese Maronite Christians refers to Lebanese people who are members of the Maronite Church in Lebanon, the largest Christian denomination in the country. The Lebanese Maronite population is concentrated mainly in Mount Lebanon and East Beirut. They are believed to constitute about 30% of the total population of Lebanon.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Irreligion in Lebanon</span>

Irreligion is very uncommon in Lebanon, as Islam and Christianity are the predominant faiths. It is difficult to quantify the number of atheists or agnostics in Lebanon as they are not officially counted in the census of the country. The Lebanese Constitution guarantees the freedom of belief. There is a great stigma attached to being an atheist in Lebanon, thus many Lebanese atheists communicate via the internet. It is difficult not to have your religion stated at birth, although a baby made history in doing so in 2014.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lebanese Melkite Christians</span> Adherents of the Melkite Greek Catholic Church in Lebanon

Lebanese Melkite Christians refers to Lebanese people who are members of the Melkite Greek Catholic Church in Lebanon, which is the third largest Christian group in the country after the Maronite Church and the Greek Orthodox Church of Antioch.

Sectarianism in Lebanon refers to the formal and informal organization of Lebanese politics and society along religious lines. It has been formalized and legalized within state and non-state institutions and is inscribed in its constitution. Lebanon recognizes 18 different sects: 67.6% of the population is Muslim, 32.4% is Christian, the majority being Maronites Catholics and Greek Orthodox, while 4.52% is Druze. The foundations of sectarianism in Lebanon date back to the mid-19th century during Ottoman rule. It was subsequently reinforced with the creation of the Republic of Lebanon in 1920 and its 1926 constitution, and in the National Pact of 1943. In 1990, with the Taif Agreement, the constitution was revised but did not structurally change aspects relating to political sectarianism. The dynamic nature of sectarianism in Lebanon has prompted some historians and authors to refer to it as "the sectarian state par excellence" because it is a mixture of religious communities and their myriad sub-divisions, with a constitutional and political order to match.

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