According to the United States (US) Department of State's International Religious Freedom Report 2006, 25 to 39 percent of the Lebanese population is Christian, of which the largest community is the Maronite Church (15 Sept. 2006, Sec. 1; BBC 15 Dec. 2005). The Lebanese constitution guarantees freedom of religion, including complete freedom of belief and freedom of practice so long as public order is maintained (US 15 Sept. 2006; Freedom House 8 Sept. 2006).

In Lebanon, the political system is a "confessional" one whereby political posts are reserved specifically for members of Lebanon's various religious communities (US 15 Sept. 2006). For example, the president must be a Maronite Christian, the prime minister a Sunni Muslim, and the speaker of parliament, a Shi'a Muslim (ibid., Sec. 2; BBC 15 Dec. 2005). Cabinet seats are divided equally between Christians and Muslims (US 15 Sept. 2006; Professor, 10 Jan. 2007). Freedom House sounds a note of caution in its Freedom in the World 2006 report, saying that the political representation of Christian groups is diminished due to electoral regulations (8 Sept. 2006).

The US Religious Freedom Report 2006 notes that, because of their numbers, not all religious groups are officially recognized in Lebanon or eligible for certain government posts (15 Sept. 2006). Among these groups are unregistered Protestant Christians, although they are still free to practise their religion (ibid.).

In 10 January 2007 correspondence, a professor of history from the University of Balamand specializing in the Middle East stated that Christians in Lebanon, including Maronites, "are not in any way persecuted, politically or otherwise:"

Christians, who are at most 40 percent of the population and probably less, have 50 percent of the seats in parliament, half of the cabinet and ambassadorial posts, and the most important political office in the country, the Presidency (reserved for a Maronite). They are also economically far better off on average than Muslims, and enjoy complete freedom of religion, as do all of Lebanon's religious groups. (Professor 10 Jan. 2007)

However, the Religious Freedom Report does indicate that several bomb attacks occurred in Christian neighbourhoods in 2006 (15 Sept. 2006, Sec. 3). The Christian Science Monitor corroborates this information and adds that, in the last two years, assassination plots have chiefly targeted Christian politicians and journalists (28 Nov. 2006). On 21 November 2006, Pierre Gemayel, the Lebanese Minister of Industry and a Maronite Christian, was shot and killed in a Christian part of Beirut (UN 22 Nov. 2006; BBC 21 Nov. 2006). Gemayel was a member of the anti-Syrian Phalange political party, (ibid.; UN 22 Nov. 2006). His father, Amin, was a former president of Lebanon (BBC 21 Nov. 2006). Protests erupted in Christian neighbourhoods in Beirut as a result of the assassination (ibid.; UN 22 Nov. 2006). In December 2006, the Christian television network, SAT-7, cancelled certain operations and events due to fears of growing instability in Lebanon (The Christian Post 8 Dec. 2006; SAT-7 n.d.). A Christian member of parliament, Ghassan Moukheiber, stated that "[t]he Christians see themselves as an embattled community which is being targeted and whose leaders are being targeted" (The Christian Science Monitor 28 Nov. 2006).

The University of Balamand history professor did not comment specifically on the availability of state protection to Christians in Lebanon but relayed the following information:

[W]hile Christians are no more than 40 percent of Lebanon's total population, the majority live in a part of the country that is almost completely devoid of any non-Christians. The area from East Beirut to the southern suburbs of Tripoli -- 50 miles from south to north -- and from the Mediterranean coast to the top of the Mount Lebanon range (and in some cases over into the Biqa' Valley), roughly 15-20 miles from west to east (750-1000 sq. miles), or about one-quarter of the country, is entirely (95 percent plus) Christian, and mostly Maronite in population, apart from a handful a Shi'a Muslim villages in the foothills behind Byblos. Thus it is quite possible for a majority of Lebanon's Christians to live on a day-to-day basis without any personal contact with (or perceived threat from) any Lebanese Muslims or Druze.

The following information may also be of interest regarding the treatment of Christians and the availability of state protection in Lebanon. According to the United Nations (UN) Human Rights Council, which investigated the effects of Israeli military operations on Lebanon in July and August 2006, the southern part of the country suffered the worst damage; however, Christian areas also suffered damage to infrastructure and religious sites during the conflict (23 Nov. 2006, 3, 37, 47). The Human Rights Council also obtained information regarding a Christian Maronite who was "subjected to cruel, degrading and inhuman treatment" by Israel Defense Forces (IDF) (ibid., 48). Media sources report that the conflict resulted in thousands of Christians leaving Lebanon (AsiaNews.it 6 Sept. 2006; Houston Chronicle 24 Dec. 2006) because they feel "they have no future in Lebanon, where policy is increasingly set by the militant Islamic group Hezbollah" (ibid.).

This Response was prepared after researching publicly accessible information currently available to the Research Directorate within time constraints. This Response is not, and does not purport to be, conclusive as to the merit of any particular claim for refugee protection. Please find below the list of additional sources consulted in researching this Information Request.

References

AsiaNews.it [Rome]. 6 September 2006. Yousef Hourany. "The Christian Exodus and Lahoud's Fate Central to Maronite Bishops' Appeal." http://www.asianews.it/index.php?l=en&art=7140&size=# [Accessed 9 Jan. 2007]

British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC). 21 November 2006. "Lebanese Christian Leader Killed." http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/6169606.stm [Accessed 9 Jan. 2007]

_____. 15 December 2005. "Guide: Christians in the Middle East." http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/4499668.stm [Accessed 9 Jan. 2007]

The Christian Post [Washington]. 8 December 2006. Jennifer Riley. "Lebanon Violence Forces Christian TV Network to Cancel Events." (Coalition for Responsible Peace in the Middle East) http://c4rpme.org/bin/articles.cgi?Cat=christians&Subcat=cmr&ID=574 [Accessed 9 Jan. 2007]

The Christian Science Monitor [Boston]. 28 November 2006. Nicholas Blanford. "In Lebanon, a Crisis for Christians." (Coalition for Responsible Peace in the Middle East) http://c4rpme.org/bin/articles.cgi?Cat=christians&Subcat=cmr&ID=592 [Accessed 9 Jan. 2007]

Freedom House. 8 September 2006. "Lebanon." Freedom in the World (2006). http://www.freedomhouse.org/template.cfm?page=22&year=2006&country=6999 [Accessed 8 Jan. 2007]

Houston Chronicle. 24 December 2006. Gregory Katz. "Vanishing Christians of the Mideast." (Coalition for Responsible Peace in the Middle East) http://c4rpme.org/bin/articles.cgi?Cat=christians&Subcat=cmr&ID=596 [Accessed 9 Jan. 2007]

International Crisis Group (ICG). 21 December 2006. Lebanon at a Tripwire. (ICG Middle East Briefing No. 20) http://www.crisisgroup.org/library/documents/middle_east___north_africa/arab_israeli_conflict/lebanon/b20_lebanon_at_a_tripwire.pdf [Accessed 9 Jan. 2007]

Professor of History, University of Balamand, Lebanon. 10 January 2007. Correspondence.

SAT-7 [Beirut]. N.d. "Amid Growing Violence and Political Instability in Lebanon, SAT-7 Staff Cancel Events and Call for Urgent Prayer Support." (News Release) http://www.sat7.org/downloads/LebanonInstabilityFinal.pdf [Accessed 10 Jan. 2007]

United Nations (UN). 23 November 2006. Human Rights Council. Report of the Commission of Inquiry on Lebanon Pursuant to Human Rights Council Resolution S-2/1. http://www.ohchr.org/english/bodies/hrcouncil/docs/CoI-Lebanon.pdf [Accessed 9 Jan. 2007]

_____. 22 November 2006. Integrated Regional Information Networks (IRIN). "Lebanon: Crisis Looms After Assassination of Minister." http://www.irinnews.org/report.asp?ReportID=56470&SelectRegion=Middle_East [Accessed 9 Jan. 2007]

United States (US). 15 September 2006. Department of State. "Lebanon." International Religious Freedom Report 2006. http://www.state.gov/g/drl/rls/irf/2006/71426.htm [Accessed 9 Jan. 2007]

Additional Sources Consulted

Internet sites, including: Amnesty International (AI), Carnegie Endowment for International Peace - Middle East, Center for Arab and Middle Eastern Studies, Centre for Lebanese Studies, European Country of Origin Information Network (ecoi.net), Human Rights Watch (HRW), Institute for Human Rights Lebanon, Lebanese Center for Policy Studies, Lebanese Foundation for Peace, Middle East Institute (MEI), Middle East Policy Council (MEPC), Middle East Forum, Middle East Research and Information Project, Middle East Quarterly, Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), United Kingdom Country of Origin Information Service, United States (US) Department of State, Washington Institute for Near East Policy.