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What Is the Confessional System in Lebanon That “People Want to Overthrow”?

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What Is the Confessional System in Lebanon That “People Want to Overthrow”? BANKS’ REVENUES FROM LEBANESE TREASURY BONDS MUNICIPAL ELECTIONS IN THE SOUTH May 2011 | 106 WHO ELECTS THE PRESIDENT OF THE REPUBLIC IN LEBANON? THE MONTHLY INTERVIEWS ARTIST issue number www.iimonthly.com • Published by Information International sal OUSSAMA BAALBAKI WHAT IS THE CONFESSIONAL SYSTEM IN LEBANON THAT “PEOPLE WANT TO OVERTHROW”? Lebanon 5,000LL | Saudi Arabia 15SR | UAE 15DHR | Jordan 2JD| Syria 75SYP | Iraq 3,500IQD | Kuwait 1.5KD | Qatar 15QR | Bahrain 2BD | Oman 2OR | Yemen 15YRI | Egypt 10EP | Europe 5Euros INDEX 4 LEADER:THE CONFESSIONAL SYSTEM IN LEBANON THAT “PEOPLE WANT TO OVERTHROW” 9 WHO ELECTS THE PRESIDENT OF THE REPUBLIC? 14 BANKS’ REVENUES FROM LEBANESE TREASURY BONDS 19 MUNICIPAL ELECTIONS IN THE SOUTH 21 MAINTENANCE OF THE LEBANESE UNIVERSITY IN HADATH Page 27 22 THE MINISTRY OF AGRICULTURE Page 34 25 SO CALLED “ILLEGITIMATE CHILDREN” IN CHRISTIANITY AND ISLAM 26 PHYSICIANS’ IMMUNITY 27 SYNDICATE OF MARITIME AGENTS 29 BEIRUT MODERN SCHOOL 31 VITAMIN D (THE SUN VITAMIN) BY DR. HANNA SAADAH Page 22 32 BBMING, TEXTING AND CELLING WHILE DRIVING BY DR. SAMAR ZEBIAN 42 BETWEEN RABIEH AND MUKHTARAH 33 THE NATURAL WAYS OF STORING INFORMATION BY ANTOINE BOUTROS 43 MARCH 2011 TIMELINE IN LEBANON 34 THE MONTHLY INTERVIEWS ARTIST 46 FOREIGN LABOR IN IRAQ OUSSAMA BAALBAKI 47 REAL ESTATE INDEX IN LEBANON- 36 POPULAR CULTURE MARCH 2011 37 MYTH #45: THE BALFOUR DECLARATION: A 48 FOOD PRICE INDEX - MARCH 2011 FINAL STATEMENT? 38 MUST-READ BOOKS: ADMINISTRATIVE 50 COSMETIC PROCEDURES IN USA DECENTRALIZATION IN 100 QUESTIONS (2009) 39 MUST-READ CHILDREN’S BOOK: GOLDILOCKS 50 BEIRUT RAFIC HARIRI INTERNATIONAL AND THE THREE BEARS AIRPORT - MARCH 2011 40 LEBANON FAMILIES: BUSTROS FAMILIES 51 LEBANON STATS 41 DISCOVER LEBANON: BOLONIA * COVER CONCEPT BY HAIDAR SAFFAR 3 | EDITORIAL THE TRUE STORY OF AIN AL-ROUMMANEH BUS here are those who believe that the Lebanese have “ignorantly” decided not to discuss the causes Tof the civil war, which started in 1975 and supposedly ended in 1989. And they are bewildered how a society can move so swiftly from a Hanoi to a Hong Kong. Crimes were committed with impunity and no reconciliation process took place. Yet, we read about national unity everyday and about Lebanon being a unique multi-confessional model of peaceful co-existence. Discussions about how Britain, Germany or Japan re-built their societies after World War II and about conservation of cultural heritage and national memory and how austerity measures were adopted, are not welcomed. This happens for a reason. And the reason is: the war has not really ended. It has just taken a different form and a lower level of intensity. We have simply chosen to jump from the game of blood tinted with money during times of “war” to the game of money tinted with blood in times of “peace”. Considering that we are still in a state of war, denial is convenient and so is the continuous worthless talk about a fictional “national debate”.It would therefore be a good idea to write a new convenient “history” of the civil war that we can teach to new generations, which will also be a novelty to historians. And here is the introduction to the book: Youth of Lebanon, you have been told that there was Example 1 a civil war from 1975 until 1989, and that the sparkle was Japan: “They” survived with a handful of rice for a family “in April 1975 because of the Ain Al-Roumaneh bus when of 4 for 24 hours quietly standing in a queue and bowing. allegedly tens of Palestinians were killed by the armed militia Lebanon: “We” accept handouts without needing them, of the Phalanges. This story is simply not true. The truth is no queueing no bowing but we pay back by our votes in that Lebanon is situated on an earthquake fault line extended elections. from Nahr Al-Kabeer to Naqoura and from the Mediterranean to Eastern Mountains and on that day we had an earthquake Example 2 rated 9/9 on the Richter scale, which caused the bus accident. Japan: “They” accept calamities in silence. Perhaps you Later on, Lebanon witnessed many after shocks and in 1982, have heard about this Japanese lady who was dug out of coinciding with Israel’s occupation of South Lebanon and the rubble apologizing to the rescuers for not being able Beirut, another earthquake reaching 8 on the Richter scale to help them. took place. The intensity of the earthquake caused a perpetual Lebanon: “We” don’t ... we don’t ... and we don’t ... * split between Eastern and Western Beirut. Youth of Lebanon, do not believe that the Lebanese Example 3 have killed each other. Nor have they committed any Japan: “They” do not raise photographs of their prime atrocities. As for our Zua’ama, they were working hard as minister and do not extend their appreciation for his help. rescuers and volunteers in the Red Crescent, Red Cross and Lebanon: “We” raise the photographs of our Zua’ama proudly Civil Defense. Druze and Maronites did not fight. Muslims and always thank them while cursing them in our hearts. and Christians did not fight. Sunni and Shia’a never had a problem. Nor did a Sunni have a problem with a Sunni, a Example 4 Shia’a with a Shia’a, a Druze with a Druze, a Maronite with Japan: “They”, the Buddhists, don’t know God and His a Maronite. We were all one, working to rescue the victims Prophets of the earthquake. Lebanon: “We”, the Lebanese, are the cradle of civilization Youth of Lebanon, do not believe that anyone capitalized and the example of co-existence and do not pray for idols during the earthquake era, stole, killed or embezzled. unless they are Zu’ama. Afterwards, when things became quiet in 1989, Lebanon’s Zua’ama embarked on a campaign of reconstruction, The Japanese stood for one minute in silence for their using their own money and connections to support these victims and carried on working. We are in constant efforts. Public land and public money were protected. Most mourning for our earthquake victims while at the same of all, remember that the banking sector worked for the time rejoicing being Lebanese at White and Sky Bar and unity of Lebanon and its reconstruction tirelessly after the on Facebook, Twitter and satellites. earthquake with exemplary altruism. Please do not believe those who tell us to learn from Japan. Japan has nothing to Youth of Lebanon, we have never forgotten the victims teach us. They have been subjected to two nuclear bombs, of the 1975 earthquake including the children of Qana. many earthquakes and tsunamis and damaged nuclear Japan has a lot to learn from us. reactors and look how they behaved. * Please fill in the blanks ” issue 106 - May 2011 4 | LEADER THE CONFESSIONAL SYSTEM IN LEBANON WHAT IS THE CONFESSIONAL SYSTEM IN LEBANON THAT “PEOPLE WANT TO OVERTHROW”? number of Lebanese people, estimated by some at a few thousand and by others, with a glimpse of hope, at tens of thousands demonstrated last March chanting “the people want the fall of the A confessional system.” This coincided with an open-ended sit-in of a number of A The southern administrative district for the Druze young men and women in front of the Sanayeh Garden ruled by a Druze with a population of 63,590 and in Beirut Central District. Other demonstrations individuals distributed as follows: 25,450 Druze, and sit-ins may occur and the protesters may succeed 17,350 Maronites, 15,590 Catholics and 5,200 or fail, but the goal of the demonstrators is difficult Orthodox. to achieve because it does not merely entail the This partition was not the solution but the cause of war annulment or amendment of a law, the implementation and conflict, especially in light of the diversity of the of a decision or a particular measure. Rather, it means confessional structure in each administrative district abolishing Lebanon as we have known it since 1920 and foreign interventions. These conflicts reached their and reconstructing it because the confessional system peak in 1860, and in order to put an end to them, the and Lebanon are twins. In this article, we will discuss two administrative districts were abolished and another the emergence of the confessional system, the various system – the Mutasarrifiyya or governorate system – confessions and the core of the confessional system. was established, reducing the area to 3,500 km2. It turned Lebanon into one state to be ruled by a Christian Emergence of the confessional system governor appointed by the Ottoman Sultan and assisted History of confessionalism in Lebanon: from “Nizam by an administrative council of 12 members representing Al Qa’im Maqamatein” or the two administrative the confessions forming the Mutasarrifiyya (4 Maronites, districts to the “Mutasarrifiyya” or governorate 3 Druze, 3 Roman Catholics, 1 Sunni and 1 Shia’a). Confessionalism was the cornerstone of Mount Moreover, this system introduced confessionalism into Lebanon in the sixteenth century. In 1516, the Ma’an the judiciary, the courts and elections. family (Druze) started its Za’ama through a relative independence from the Ottoman Empire, which at the The French mandate and the establishment time dominated the East and many other parts of the of the State of Greater Lebanon world. In 1697, the rule moved to the Chehabs who At the end of World War I in 1918 when the Ottomans remained in power until 1842. During this period, the were defeated, Mount Lebanon came under the French major powers especially the Ottomans, the British mandate. and the French, used the two major confessions, i.e.
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