Lebanese people

TheLebanese people(Arabic:الشعب اللبناني/ALA-LC:ash-shaʻb al-Lubnānī,Lebanese Arabic pronunciation:[eʃˈʃæʕebellɪbˈneːne]) are the people inhabiting or originating fromLebanon. The term may also include those who had inhabitedMount Lebanonand theAnti-Lebanon Mountainsprior to the creation of the modern Lebanese state. The major religious groups among the Lebanese people within Lebanon areShia Muslims(27%),Sunni Muslims(27%),Maronite Christians(21%),Greek Orthodox Christians(8%),Melkite Christians(5%),Druze(5%),Protestant Christians(1%).The largest contingent of Lebanese, however, comprise adiasporain North America, South America, Europe, Australia and Africa, which is predominantly Maronite Christian.
As the relative proportion of the various sects is politically sensitive, Lebanon has not collected officialcensusdata on ethnic background since 1932 under theFrench Mandate. It is therefore difficult to have an exact demographic analysis of Lebanese society.The largest concentration of people withLebanese ancestrymay be inBrazil, having an estimated population of 5.8 to 7 million. However, it may be an exaggeration given that an official survey conducted by theBrazilian Institute of Geography and Statistics(IBGE) showed that less than 1 million Brazilians claimed any Middle-Eastern origin.The Lebanese have always traveled the world, many of them settling permanently within the last two centuries.
Estimated to have lost their status as the majority in Lebanon itself, with their reduction in numbers largely as a result of theiremigration, Christians still remain one of the principal religious groups in the country.Descendants of LebaneseChristiansmake up the majority of Lebanese people worldwide, appearing principally inthe diaspora.
The Lebanese identity is rooted in a shared history and culture. Their rich cultural heritage includesfood,music,literature, and art, which is also shaped by the country's location at the crossroads of the Eastern Mediterranean. This has allowed it to be a meeting point for different cultures and traditions.
Lebanon's religious diversity is also a significant component of the national identity. The country is home to a plurality of religious communities, includingMuslims,Christians, andDruze.Each community has its own distinct religious practices, traditions, and customs, which have been passed down through generations.
However, the identity has also been shaped by a long history of political and social conflict. The country has experienced a series ofcivil wars, foreigninvasions, and political crises, which has deepened divisions between different communities and eroded trust in the government and institutions.
Lebanon has managed to maintain a sense of national unity and identity. In the face of political and social challenges, the Lebanese people are known for their resilience and their ability to come together in times of crisis which has helped to strengthen their sense of national identity.
Among LebaneseMaronites, Aramaic still remains theliturgical languageof the Maronite Church, although in anEastern Aramaicform (theSyriac language,in which early Christianity was disseminated throughout the Middle East), is distinct from the spoken Aramaic of Lebanon, which was aWestern Aramaic language. Some Lebanese Christians identify themselves as Lebanese rather than Arab, seeking to draw on "thePhoenicianpast to try to forge an identity separate from the prevailingArab culture".
The conquest of Lebanon during the Arab and Islamic conquests was linked to the conquest ofBilād Al-Shāmas a whole, or what is known as the Levant, being an integral part of it, the Arab Muslims swiftly took it from theByzantine Empireduring the era ofCaliph Umar Ibn Al-Khattab, who ordered the division of the Levant when he conquered it, into fourAjnad, including theJundDimashqwhich includesMount Lebanonwith its corresponding western coastal plains and the eastern interior plains.ArabizationandIslamizationof the Levant began in the 7th century, and it took several centuries for Islam, the Arab identity, and language to spread; the Arabs of the caliphate did not attempt to spread their language or religion in the early periods of the conquest, and formed an isolated aristocracy. The Arabs of the caliphate accommodated many new tribes in isolated areas to avoid conflict with the locals; caliphUthmanordered his governor,Muawiyah I, to settle the new tribes away from the original population.Syrians who belonged toMonophysiticdenominations welcomed the peninsular Arabs as liberators.
TheAbbasidsin the eighth and ninth century sought to integrate the peoples under their authority, and the Arabization of the administration was one of the tools.Arabization gained momentum with the increasing numbers of Muslim converts; the ascendancy of Arabic as the formal language of the state prompted the cultural and linguistic assimilation of Syrian converts.Those who remainedChristianalso became Arabized; it was probably during the Abbasid period in the ninth century that Christians adopted Arabic as their first language; the first translation of the gospels into Arabic took place in this century. Many historians, such asClaude Cahenand Bernard Hamilton, proposed that the Arabization of Christians was completed before theFirst Crusade. By the thirteenth century, Arabic language achieved dominance in the region and its speakers became Arabs.
The total Lebanese population is estimated at 8 to 18 million. Of these, the vast majority, or 4- 14million, constitute part of theLebanese diaspora(residing outside of Lebanon), with approximately 4.7 million citizens residing in Lebanon itself.
There are approximately 4.7 million Lebanese citizens in Lebanon.
In addition to this figure, there are an additional 1 millionforeign workers(mainlySyrians), and about 470,000Palestinianrefugeesin the nation.
Lebanon is also a home to various ethnic minorities found refuge in the country over the centuries. Prominent ethnic minorities in the country include theArmenians, theKurds, theTurks, theAssyrians, theIraniansand some European ethnicities (Greeks,Italians,French).
There are also a small number of nomadic Dom Gypsies (part of the Roma people of South Asian, particularly, Indian descent)
TheLebanese diasporaconsists of approximately 4- 14million, both Lebanese-born living abroad and those born-abroad of Lebanese descent. The majority of the Lebanese in the diaspora are Christians,disproportionately so in theAmericaswhere the vast majority reside. An estimate figure show that they represent about 75% of the Lebanese in total. Lebanese abroad are considered "rich, educated and influential"and over the course of time immigration has yielded Lebanese "commercial networks" throughout the world.
The largest number of Lebanese is to be found inBrazil,where according to the Brazilian and Lebanese governments claim, there are 7 million Brazilians of Lebanese descent.These figures, however, may be an exaggeration given that, according to a 2008 survey conducted byIBGE, in 2008, covering only the states of Amazonas, Paraíba, São Paulo, Rio Grande do Sul, Mato Grosso and Distrito Federal, 0.9% of white Brazilian respondents said they had family origins in theMiddle East
Large numbers also reside elsewhere in North America, most notably in theUnited States(489,702)and inCanada, the people of full or partial Lebanese descent are between 190,275 (by ancestry,2011 Census)to 250,000 based on estimates.In the rest of the Americas, significant communities are found inArgentina,Mexico(400,000);Chile,ColombiaandVenezuela, with almost every otherLatin Americancountry having at least a small presence.
In Africa,Ghanaand theIvory Coastare home to over 100,000 Lebanese.There are significant Lebanese populations in other countries throughoutWesternandCentral Africa.Australiahosts over 180,000 andCanada250,000. In the Arab world, around 400,000 Lebanese live in theArab states of the Persian Gulf.More than 2,500 ex-SLAmembers remain in Israel.
Until recently, Lebanon provided no automatic right toLebanese citizenshipfor emigrants who lost their citizenship upon acquiring the citizenship of their host country, nor for the descendants ofemigrantsborn abroad. This situation disproportionately affected Christians. In 2008, the Maronite Institution of Emigrants called for the establishment of an avenue by which emigrants who lost their citizenship may regain it, or their overseas-born descendants (if they so wish) may acquire it.
On November 24, 2015, the Lebanese authorities enacted Law #41, “Reacquiring the Lebanese Citizenship”. Under this law, members of the Lebanese diaspora can apply to reacquire the Lebanese citizenship, it specifies that applications must be submitted before November 25, 2025.
In 2017, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs & Emigrants launched an initiative called "The Lebanese Nationality Program" or "Lebanity",for people of Lebanese heritage around the world to apply for Lebanese Nationality, allowing them to benefit from their business, financial, consular, personal, social and political rights as Lebanese, wherever they are. In particular, this initiative is relevant for the large Lebanese communities in different countries all over the world.
Applications are reviewed by a committee within the Ministry of Interior and Municipalities of Lebanon. If an application is denied, the applicant can appeal the decision within one month from the date they are officially notified, using the address specified in their application.
To be eligible, applicants must have their names, or the names of their paternal ancestors or male relatives on their father’s side, listed in the 1921–1924 census records (either residents or immigrants registers) and/or the 1932 immigrants registers, which are maintained by the Ministry of Interior and Municipalities.
Lebanese people are very diverse in faith. The country has the most religiously diverse society in the Middle East, encompassing 17 recognized religious sects.The main two religions among the Lebanese people areChristianity(theMaronite Church, theGreek Orthodox Church, theMelkite, theProtestant Church) andIslam(ShiaandSunni). The third-largest religion isDruze. There are othernon-Lebanese Christian minoritiessuch asArmenians(Armenian Apostolic ChurchandArmenian Catholic Church),French-Italians(Latin Catholic Lebanese),Assyrians(Assyrian Church of the East,Syriac Catholic Church,Syriac Orthodox Church,Chaldean Catholic Church) andCopts(Coptic Orthodox Church of Alexandria), who immigrated to Lebanon over the years.No official census has been taken since 1932, reflecting the political sensitivity in Lebanon over confessional (i.e. religious) balance.
A study conducted by Statistics Lebanon, a Beirut-based research firm, cited by theUnited States Department of Statefound that of Lebanon's population of approximately 4.3 million is estimated to be:54%Islam(ShiaandSunni, 27% each), 40.5%Christian(21%Maronite, 8%Greek Orthodox, 5%Melkite Catholics, 1%Protestant, 5.5%other minority Christian denominationslike Latin Catholics,Armenian Orthodox,Armenian Catholic,Syriac Catholic,Syriac Orthodox,Chaldean Catholic,Assyrian CatholicandCoptic Orthodox) and 5.5%Druze(a minority religion, descended from Shia Islam, who do not consider themselves to be Muslim,even though under the terms of the Lebanese Constitution the Druze community is designated as a part of the Lebanese Muslim community.)
There are also very small numbers of other religions such asJudaism,Mormons,Baháʼí Faith.While Jews have been present in Lebanon since ancient times,their numbers had dwindled during the Muslim era.By the 2000s the Jewish quarter of Beirut,Wadi Abu Jamil, was virtually abandoned, and there were only around 40 Jews left in Beirut.Many well-established Lebanese Jewish diaspora communities exists, such as inBrazil,France,Switzerland,Canadaand theUnited States.
With thediasporaincluded, the Christians are an absolute majority. Lebanon has a population ofMhallamisalso known asMardinli), most of whom migrated from northeastSyriaand southeastTurkeyare estimated to be between 75,000 and 100,000 and considered to be part of theSunnipopulation. These have in recent years been grantedLebanese citizenshipand, coupled with severalcivil warsbetween Islamic extremists and theLebanese militarythat have caused many Christians to flee the country, have re-tipped the demographic balance in favour of the Muslims and the Sunnis in particular.In addition, many thousands of ArabBedouinsin theBekaaand in theWadi Khaledregion, who are entirely Sunnis, were grantedLebanese citizenship. Lebanon also has aJewishpopulation, estimated at less than 100.
Most Lebanese peoplecommunicatein theLebanese varietyofLevantine Arabic, but Lebanon'sofficial languageisModern Standard Arabic(MSA).Frenchis recognized and used next to MSA on road signs andLebanese banknotes. Lebanon's nativesign languageis the Lebanese dialect ofLevantine Arabic Sign Language.Englishis the fourth language by number of users, after Levantine, MSA, and French. Lebanon's official language, Modern Standard Arabic (MSA),has no native speakers in or outside Lebanon.It is almost never used in conversationsand is learned through formal instruction rather thantransmission from parent to child.
The majority of Lebanese people speakLebanese Arabic, which is grouped in a larger category calledLevantine Arabic, whileModern Standard Arabicis mostly used in magazines, newspapers, and formal broadcast media.Code-switchingbetween Arabic and French is very common.
Frenchis a common non-nativelanguage in Lebanon, with about 50% of the population being Francophone. A law determines the cases in which the French language is to be used within government,and is often used as aprestigelanguage for business, diplomacy and education. Almost 40% of Lebanese are consideredfrancophone, and another 15% "partial francophone," and 70% of Lebanon's secondary schools use French as a second language of instruction.The use of Arabic by Lebanon's educated youth is declining, as they usually prefer to speak in French and, to a lesser extent, English.It is also a reaction to the negativity associated with Arabic since theSeptember 11 attacks.In 1997, the Lebanese government committed to a policy oftrilingualismin education, including French and English alongside the official Arabic language in the curriculum.L'Orient-Le Jouris a Lebanese French-language newspaper.
Syriac Aramaicis also spoken as a first language in some Lebanese communities such asSyriac Catholics,Syriac OrthodoxandAssyrianLebanese. Syriac remained both the sole vernacular language of the Maronites until the 14th century when the Mamluks conquered North Lebanon.It is It still used in liturgies by the Maronite church.
Lebanese cuisine has ancient roots and is part of theculinary tradition of the Eastern Mediterranean. Many dishes in Lebanese cuisine can be traced back thousands of years to eras ofPhoenician,Persian,Egyptian,Neo-Babylonian,Roman,Greek,Byzantine,ArabandOttomanrule.In the last 500 years, Lebanese cuisine has been influenced by the different foreign civilizations that held power. From 1516 to 1918, theOttoman Turkscontrolled Lebanon and introduced a variety of foods that have become staples in the Lebanese diet, such as cooking withlamb. After the Ottomans were defeated inWorld War I(1914–1918),Francetook control of Lebanon until 1943, when the country achieved its independence. TheFrenchintroduced foods such asflan,caramel custard,eclairs,french friesandcroissants.
TheLebanese diasporawho live worldwide has introduced new ingredients, spices and culinary practices into Lebanese cuisine, keeping the cuisine innovative and renowned both beyond and within its borders.Chef and writerTara Khattardescribes her style of cookery as 'progressive Lebanese cuisine'.
In literature,Kahlil Gibranis the third best-selling poet of all time, behindShakespeareandLaozi.He is particularly known for his bookThe Prophet(1923), which has been translated into over twenty different languages.Ameen Rihaniwas a major figure in the mahjar literary movement developed by Arab emigrants in North America, and an early theorist ofArab nationalism.Mikhail Naimyis widely recognized as among the most important figures in modern Arabic letters and among the most important spiritual writers of the 20th century. Several contemporary Lebanese writers have also achieved international success; includingElias Khoury,Amin Maalouf,Hanan al-Shaykh, andGeorges Schéhadé.
Familylife is very important in the Lebanese culture. Family functioning is associated with the values ofcollectivismin the Lebanese society. One person's family functioning is indicative of their individual status and identity.The average household size in Lebanon ranges between 3.9 and 4.9.Child-rearingpractices are characterized by abundant protection imposed on children by parents. Unlike Western societies, parental control does not stop at the age of 18; instead, it continues for as long as the child lives in the parents' residence or until the child marries.
Though Lebanon is a secular country, family matters such as marriage, divorce and inheritance are still handled by the religious authorities representing a person's faith. Calls for civil marriage are unanimously rejected by the religious authorities but civil marriages held in another country are recognized by Lebanese civil authorities.
Music is famous in Lebanese society.While traditional folk music remains popular in Lebanon, modern music reconciling traditional styles, pop, andfusionare rapidly advancing in popularity.Radio stations feature a variety of genres and languages, including traditional, classical Arabic and ArmenianProminent traditional musicians includeFairuz, an icon during thecivil war,SabahMelhem Barakat,Wadih El Safi,Majida El Roumi, andNajwa Karamwho built an international audience for the genre.Marcel Khalife, a musician who blends classical Arab music with modern sounds, boasts immensepopularity for his politically charged lyrics.Distinguished pop artists includeNancy Ajram,Haifa Wehbe,Fadl Shaker,Elissa, andMika.
According to theWorld Intellectual Property Organization, Lebanon's music industry is growing and could attain leading status in the region.Lebanese performers are celebrated throughout the Arab World,and with the notable exception ofEgyptenjoy increasing regional popularity.Rising demand for Arabic music outside Western Asia has provided Lebanese artists with a small but significant global audience. However, widespread piracy continues to inhibit the music industry's growth.
In a 2011 genetic study by Haber et al. which analyzed the male-line Y-chromosome genetics of the different religious groups of Lebanon, revealed no large genetic differentiation between theMaronites,Greek Orthodox Christians,Greek Catholic Christians,Sunni Muslims,Shia Muslims, andDruzeof the country in regards to the more frequent haplogroups. Major differences between Lebanese groups were found among the less frequent haplogroups.
In a 2017 study by Haber et al., the authors concluded that modern-day Lebanese individuals "derive most of their ancestry from aCanaanite-related population". This finding "implies substantial genetic continuity in the Levant since at least the Bronze Age." Additionally, the researchers identifiedEurasianancestry in modern Lebanese genomes that was absent in Bronze Age populations. They estimated Eurasian ancestry appeared in the Levant approximately 3,750–2,170 years ago.
In a 2020 study published in theAmerican Journal of Human Genetics, authors showed that there is substantial genetic continuity in Lebanon and theLevantsince theBronze Age(3300–1200 BC) interrupted by three significant admixture events during theIron Age,Hellenistic, andOttomanperiod, each contributing 3%–11% of non-local ancestry to the admixed population. The admixtures were tied to theSea Peoplesof theLate Bronze Age collapse,SouthorCentral Asians, andOttoman Turks, respectively.
One study by the International Institute of Anthropology inParis,France, confirmed similarities in the Y-haplotype frequencies in Lebanese,Palestinian, andSephardic Jewishmen, identifying them as "three Near-Eastern populations sharing a common geographic origin."The study surveyed one Y-specific DNApolymorphism(p49/Taq I) in 54 Lebanese and 69 Palestinian males, and compared with the results found in 693Jewsfrom three distinct Jewish ethnic groups; Mizrahim, Sephardim, and Ashkenazim.