A specter is
haunting Lebanon… the specter of secularism. And all the powers of previous
Lebanon have entered a holly alliance to exorcise this specter, Hezbollah and
Lebanese forces, Christians and Druze, right wing conservatives and left wing
socialists, but why the persistent resistance of secularization so desperately
needed in a country torn apart by religious conflicts and corruption?
The issue of sectarianism in Lebanon is rooted
in its history. There seems to be a constant tension between the religious
sects which every now and then reaches threshold and begets an outbreak of
violence. This reoccurring cycle begs the question of whether or not Lebanon is
truly destined to be a country of minorities built on a delicate balance
between each cult. I have been blessed (or perhaps cursed) by having lived in
the society of each sect aside from my own starting from childhood and had
therefore acquired a quasi-comprehensive understanding of the undermining
dynamics that govern the seemingly static, at times antagonistic, relation
between the cults.
“Lebanon is a country that is too big to be underestimated, too small to
be segregated” those were the words of Moussa Al Sader founder of the
predominantly Shia party Harakat Amal (hope movement) at the start of the
grotesque civil war (1975-1989) words that still bare testimony today with
bells of unity and tolerance between religious leaders tolling at the gathering
held on Saturday April eleven in memory of the Lebanese civil war.
But in spite
of the compassionate atmosphere the shadow of strife still lurks behind each
haphazard college fight, each occasional security breach… a reminiscence of the
capabilities of this dormant volcano to once again erupt. Several theories have
been composed to explain the eccentric situation in Lebanon, it is true
sectarian tension are well known to erode the middle east where a myriad of
religious beliefs and ethnic minorities dwell, but what makes the situation in
Lebanon unique is the meticulous distribution of the political cake between
each player in what resembles the 17th century European guild system. The three
largest cults in Lebanon, Christians (mainly maronites), Sunna, and Shia
monopolize the largest three political positions accordingly the president of
the republic, the prime minister, and the Speaker of the Parliament, with
Christians and Muslims equally sharing seats at the parliament. Every public
job in the country is governed either implicitly or explicitly by sectarian
interests that seldom allow the qualified to reach his or her lawful position
but instead breeds endless layers of bureaucratic red tape and corruption
protected by the veil of fear.
In a system of tit for tat any attempt to change
and improve is stymied by the need to maintain the artificially erected balance
to preserve peaceful coexistence, yet a closer look at what justifies this
system proves erroneous and equally contradicting. The very norms and
regulations passed on to dampen the sectarian sentiments are in truth the fuel
that perpetuates the fire. Every action by the government that distributes
rights according to religious standards prevents any possibility of unity and
integration; it poses the other person, the “brother in ruling the country” as
an extrinsic alienated being competing over the bounty with public jobs becomes
a battle field for sectarian interests. In attempting to maintain this never
existing balance, the result is erecting a wall that ostracizes each religion
and reconstructs begot emotions of hegemony and tension between the citizens.
When my education, my job, my very prospects of social progression all require
the assistance of my cult leaders I am further estranged from the fellow
citizens, symbiotic relationships die, and interdependence fades into oblivion.
In the twilight of 2014, it is becoming increasingly
obvious that the “guild system” has failed and continues to fail in securing
harmony and coexistence, the only plausible reason for it remaining, the only
rational explanation for the vigorous rejection of secular reforms by the
leaders is that this system, aside from perpetuating sectarianism, acts as a
mechanism by which economic gain is distributed to the elite in charge of
governing. It provides both the means to rob the country’s riches and the method
of keeping the people silent by blaming the other “partner” of distorted
conduct. They steal your bread, give you a tiny fraction of it, and then
reprimand you for lack of gratitude….the audacity of some!
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