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The refugees, who mostly are of Syrian or Palestinian origin, are predominantly Sunni Muslim, but include Christians and Shia Muslims. [2] Under the National Pact, the president of Lebanon must be a Maronite Christian, [7] the prime minister a Sunni Muslim, [8] and the speaker of parliament a Shia Muslim. [9]
They were able to maintain an independent status in Mount Lebanon and its coastline after the Muslim conquest of the Levant, keeping their Christian religion, and even their distinct Lebanese Aramaic [37] as late as the 19th century. [32] While Maronites identify primarily as native Lebanese of Maronite origin, many identify as Arab Christians ...
Two important Maronite Christian symbols on Sassine Square, Achrafieh: a statue of Saint Charbel, the most important Maronite saint; and a billboard on a side of a building showing Bachir Gemayel, the Maronite militia leader during the Civil War A Christian church and Druze khalwa in Shuf Mountains: In the early 18th century the Maronites and the Druze set the foundation for what is now Lebanon.
A study conducted by Statistics Lebanon, a Beirut-based research firm, cited by the United States Department of State found that of Lebanon's population of approximately 4.3 million is estimated to be: [70] 54% Islam (Shia and Sunni, 27% each), 40.5% Christian (21% Maronite, 8% Greek Orthodox, 5% Melkite Catholics, 1% Protestant, 5.5% other ...
The Lebanese Druze constitute 5% [20] of the population and can be found primarily in Mount Lebanon and the Shouf District. Under the Lebanese political division (Parliament of Lebanon Seat Allocation) the Druze community is designated as one of the five Lebanese Muslim communities (Sunni, Shia, Druze, Alawi, and Ismaili).
Lebanese Christians constitute the majority of the Lebanese diaspora worldwide. According to a 2015 study, an estimated 2,500 Lebanese Christians have Arab Muslim ancestry, whereas the majority of Lebanese Christians are direct descendants of the original early Christians. [6]
The Constitution provides that Lebanese Christians and Lebanese Muslims be represented equally in Parliament, the Cabinet, and high-level civil service positions, which include the ministry ranks of Secretary General and Director General. It also provides that these posts be distributed proportionally among the recognized religious groups.
The earliest sense of a modern Lebanese identity is to be found in the writings of historians in the early nineteenth century, when, under the emirate of the Shihabs, a Lebanese identity emerged "separate and distinct from the rest of Syria, bringing the Maronites and Druzes, along with its other Christian and Muslim sects, under one government ...