Posted on 07/30/2006 3:02:32 PM PDT by A. Pole
the ethnic map of Lebanon:
Here is the map
The map
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As I look at the map it appears that most of Lebanon is by area Christian.
What am I missing?
That since the early 1980's, the PLO, Syria, and Iran have commited genocide to shift the majority makeup of Lebannon to Shiite and Arab. The PLO was especially vicious raping and killing many of the christian villages of southern Lebannon. In later years, Iran has been sending 100's of million of dollars a year to Hezbollah which allowed them to bankroll the takeover. Syria allowed many shiites from Iran and Syria to immigrate to Lebannon, especially southern Lebannon, while it was in control.
I'll check out the NY Times to review their in-depth analysis of these atrocities. Most likely this was front page coverage.
You mean as the Muslims moved in. Most people in Lebanon are Arab.
I am old enough to remember Danny Thomas who for you middle-aged people is Marlo Thomas' father and for everyone else he was a very successful comedian in the 1950' and 1960's.
I was raised Roman Catholic and I had a lot of contact with the Lebanese Christians throughout my life. And the state of Beirut is one of the worst tragedies ever.
Plus, the Christians (and Jews) hardly even make replacement birth rate, while Muslims have large families. This population shift isn't unique to Lebanon but is starting to be seen in Europe as well.
I don't think the incoming bombs know any difference. In the end all they will have accomplished is to make more enemies for Israel and the United States in Lebanon and throughout the world. If the combined US/Israel policy since Bush I has been to make more enemies, it has succeeded beyond their wildest dreams.
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Keep in mind this map is about 25 years old, and doesn't take into account any shifts caused by the 1982 Israeli invasion or the Lebanese Civil War. Also, the data is somewhat dubious to begin with because the country has never held a census (due to its volatile ethnic mix).
In general, it's accurate to say that there is a majority of Muslims in the south and north of the country, and a majority of Christians in the center arount Mount Lebanon. The Christians are also more heavily represented in the western half of the country. Beirut has a mix of everyone.
Beirut had a fairly good comeback before this latest round of fighting, largely thanks to Hariri (the guy who was assassinated by Syria, inspiring the Cedar Revolution). The country as a whole has pretty good economic policies and a big tourism industry and was somewhat booming in recent years. I think the fear of investors and tourists (not to mention the lost output from displace people) will be more of an economic problem now than actual destruction caused by the Israelis.
Druze are essentially muslim alligned with the sunnis but believe in reincarnation so up until recently were not considered Muslims.
They (Islamic scum) were our enemies before the bombing and they are our enemies now.
The bombing has not made any difference.
Lately, they have been allied with the Maronites are haven't posed any problem in the region. There are also Druze in Israel, and they've assimilated quite well. They serve in the IDF.
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