Religious Groups In Lebanon

A Descriptive Investigation

Bibliographic Data

ID8965010
AuthorsJoseph Chamie (corresponding author)
Year1980
Volume11
Issue2
Pages175-187
Publication date1980-04-01
Peer ReviewedYes
Open AccessYes
TypeARTICLE
VenueInternational Journal Middle East Studies (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 0020-7438 • E-ISSN: 1471-6380
PublisherCambridge University Press (CUP) (PUBLISHER)
DOI10.1017/s0020743800054374
OpenAlexW2066837766
LanguageEN
Citations received5
References cited10

Although a great deal has been said and written about the religious groups in Lebanon, little reliable factual information exists about them. No doubt this is due to the nature of the Lebanese political system: Since obtaining independence Lebanon has preferred not to conduct a population census, owing to the fear that the results might strain the political formula by which it is governed. The last census of the Lebanese population, conducted in 1932 under the French Mandate, showed a total population of 793,246 with a Christian majority in the ratio of 6 to 5. This has been the basis of the political formula for assigning political and administrative offices for nearly four decades (Salem, 1973, p. 20). The recent events in Lebanon have made it clear that non-observance or denial of religious similarities and differences by no means guarantees political stability. On the contrary, it is the author's belief that the recognition of differences as well as similarities among the religious groups is an essential ingredient to future political stability. The purpose of this paper, then, is to provide a descriptive comparison of the major Lebanese religious groups along various demographic, social, and economic dimensions

Census · Denial · Mandate · Political science · Politics · Population · Religious belief · Sociology · Demography · Islamic Studies and History · Law · Middle East Politics and Society · Multiculturalism, Politics, Migration, Gender · Philosophy · Psychology

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