How religious conflict lead to the weakness of government in Lebanon - Essay Example

? How Religious Conflict Lead to the Weakness of Government in Lebanon Alanoud Alowjan 11/20 Introduction: Ethnic Conflict in Lebanon Racism didnot come naturally from time or from life itself, but it came from the human mind and it causes a lot of divisions and conflict around the world. Racism often happens from the idea that groups of people think that they are, or they believe they are better than other people or groups. Racism often stems from differences in religions, color, language, or some time division within cultures. A lot of people think that ethnic conflict is something natural and occurs everywhere; however once it turns into violence and without understanding, which is not natural. Lebanon Lebanon is an Arab country located in the Middle East and it shares borders with Syria, Israel, and Jordan. Lebanon was known as the Paris of Middle East because it was so multi-cultural. Its population used to be half Muslim and half Christian and they generally lived peacefully with each other for hundreds of years, sharing everything and even marrying between each other. Lebanon was considered as a secular country. When the civil war started in Lebanon in the year 1975, many people believed that the major reason for this ethnic war in Lebanon was the weakness of their regime, since it was set up based on sectarianism and not based on the interest of the state and the people as a whole. This weakness caused a lot of problems in Lebanon, in which the government could not control the religious organizations such as Hezb Allah (Hezbollah), which is the biggest Islamic Shi’a political organization in Lebanon. They took control of everything there, from education, health, economy, etc., because the government was too weak and divided to provide those services for everyone. They also worked hard on changing Shi’a thought about other religious groups in Lebanon with a strong belief that they alone should rule. They started having children more and more just to raise the number of Muslims in Lebanon, to become the majority of the population over the Christians and Sunni minority. In doing this they could argue that they are the majority and it would be unfair for them to have a leader that is Christian or Sunni. On the other hand, they also succeed in some good things such as forcing the Israeli Army to withdraw from southern Lebanon in year 2000, which was considered a HUGE victory for them. They also funded schools and public projects, fed the poor, and many other social services that the government had been unable to provide in order to gain support of the growing Shi’a Muslim population in Lebanon. Lebanese Regime They have a form of parliamentary democracy system that is based on sectarianism, that is to say leadership positions are ditched out according to the percentage of population per group or sect. Their constitution gives them the right to choose their representatives every 4 years through elections, and then the parliament chooses the president. The president has a six-year term. The current religious divisions are as follows; a. A president must be a Maronite (Christian) b. Prime Minister must be a Sunni c. Speaker of Parliament must be Shia d. The confessional composition of parliament is pre-determined These divisions between the parties and groups continually lead to conflicts between them and rivalries for power. Hezbollah continues to battle for power and legitimacy within the state in order to impose its beliefs in Sharia law, while Christians retain more favorable standing with the West that backs them. According to Khashanm, the Hezbollah said that "We are incapable at the present time of installing the rule of Islam, but this does not mean postponing our ideology and project” (81-82). Conflicts are long standing and both sides have committed atrocities. Political assassinations by both sides are not uncommon. It seems very unlikely that Lebanon will find a stable peace any time soon that will restore its former reputation as the Paris of the Middle East. WHY it is Religions? Lebanese youth are dealing with the civil war’s effects, even to this day. These young people are partly divided on the basis of their religion, with their loyalties lying with their religions and families more than with their country. Religious conflict has been the most fundamental cause of political upsets and weak performance of the government in Lebanon throughout the country’s history and continues to be so even today. The people of Lebanon are suffering because they are living confused between their loyalty to their religions and that of their country, which continues to lead to the weakness of nationalism on the part of the people of Lebanon. For almost 16 years the people in this country tried to deal with the effects of civil war. With the escalation of the civil war in Lebanon, the Islamic militia became strong enough to surpass the army. The government’s ability to maintain peace was sapped by the Lebanese army’s divided nature. Trust among the Muslims in the army and other central institutions were low because of the domination by the Christians of the government. They could not trust each other just because of their different religious beliefs. Muslims eventually deserted the Lebanese Army, declaring their decision of not following the commands of the Maronite generals any more. 1990 was a period when the war in Lebanon was coming to an end and its side effects can still be observed to this day, as the Lebanese National Army evidences it and the Shi’a Muslim supported the Hezbollah group. Khashan asserts that the Hezbollah said, “We must work hard to achieve our goal, and the most important means of doing so is to transform Lebanon into a society of war” (81). A military division within the state of Lebanon is made even worse by outside lateral pressure by the neighboring Syria regime that often backs the illegitimate forces of Hezbollah. This too is an example of religious differences that are being promoted by outside foreign powers. One goal of the Syrian government is to create a more powerful military force within Lebanon that is run by Shi’a Muslim ideology (Hezbollah) in hopes of someday controlling the country and would be a strong ally of Syria. Conflict of religions has served as the most important factor in hindering the effectiveness and sapping the power of the government to control the situation of law and order in Lebanon. Starting from the civil war through to the Arab-Israel conflict to the outbreak of conflict in Syria recently, the government has not been able to control effectively because of the conflict of religions. The conflict between the Christians and Muslims cannot be assumed. It does not seem to end anytime soon and the fact that there is calmness does not mean that there is peace. According to Hajjar, “the status of Christian–Muslim relations (CMR), which are difficult to assess, has been ambiguous in contemporary Lebanon” (n.p). Why it is not the Economy or the Politics? The instability created by religious differences in Lebanon continues to create economic instability, which will cause the deterioration of the situation in Lebanon and the Lebanese people, who will not be able to unify enough to use the huge amount of resources that could be very essential for the stability of the country. It is well known that in every country where the lack of economic stability contributes to the conflicts because the people are dis-satisfied with the government. The people or groups within the country believe that the government is not doing a good job. However, Lebanon is a different case than the other countries since the religious conflicts are responsible for the weakness of government and the economy, because it is like an equation; if you have many religions conflicts that create an unstable government and weak army, then of course, you will have a broken economy with little ability to fix it. There are still contradicting comments from experts regarding the Christian-Muslims relations showing that there is no peace even in the contemporary Lebanon. According to Hajjar, “analysts, as well as individuals within Lebanese communities in Lebanon and within the diaspora have made conflicting claims” (n.p). The ethnic and religious conflicts are the cause of what Lebanon went through and continue to be a growing crisis within the state. This caused an economic crisis, which hurt the ordinary citizens most particularly, and because the country is politically unstable, there is little or no chance that the regime will find a solution to fix this and bring peace between the religious groups. In every unstable country you rarely find corporations that are willing to risk themselves and their investment because the dangers are too high. Without foreign investments economies remain weak. So again it is back to religious differences. Any society that is not stable cannot perform or meet the set targets because of the constant misunderstandings that occur. For instance, the conflicts between the Christians and the Muslims make it difficult in Lebanon for people to do business because of the ever-increasing fear. Investors would not love to go into a region characterized by conflicts. In this sense, the problem in Lebanon cannot be entirely blamed on politics or the economy. At one point, the Lebanese economy was said to be one that could easily rival the Dubai one. Nevertheless none of that has come to happen because the economy in this context has not been able to thrive because of religious differences. Politics can neither be blamed for the conflicts in Lebanon. Case in point is that then religious differences play out even in the government. For instance, those of the Christian faith have some ideas and issues they feel would work well if incorporated in the system. The Islamic politicians always think otherwise. The Islamic population in the country has several traditions that in effect make them want to do something according to their own orientation. It is these kinds of conflicts that largely contribute to the weakness in Lebanon. In the past there were misunderstandings on what an independent Lebanon state would look like. The mainstream Muslims and Christians differed on a desired kind of independence. They differed on who would be the future leaders and what the general identity of the state would look like (Zufle, 98). While the Muslims wanted a system that would embody their culture and aspirations, the Christians thought otherwise about this agenda. Each of the group wanted a tailor made system that worked for them according to their ideals. Things thus became worse when the two outfits turned into political wings. Every political wing thus developed an armed unit to have them use force to perpetuate their agenda. While an element of politics can be traced from this, more of it has to do with religion. For if it was not for religion, it would not be possible for people to disagree so fundamentally. Lebanon also has a lot of religions that play a part in this conflict. The state of Lebanon suffers from multi-religious misunderstanding that occurs as a result of their differences. While every group would naturally seek to have a voice or otherwise be the dominant force, the other groups always think otherwise. The religious issues that make up the society in the state of Lebanon thus become the biggest impediment to a cohesive society. This in effect contributes to the animosity and the weak system in Lebanon. Religious divisions are not a healthy affair for any state that is coming from a background of civil war (Zufle, 122). While Lebanon has a background of civil wars both from within and spillage from the neighbors, the religious conflicts contribute to the mishaps and as a result endless conflicts contribute immensely to the already weak system. Annotated Bibliographies Khashan, H. “Hezbollah's Plans for Lebanon.” Middle East Quarterly 20.2 (2013): 81-86. Print. This article addresses Hezbollah’s intention of converting Lebanon into an Islamic state by controlling the political system with a military component. However, the author indicates that the Hezbollah, which has premiered military force in Lebanon, cannot transform itself into the genuine local political system because it does not want to be equated to the ordinary political groups that conform to the rules of the accommodation (Khashan, 81-86). Hezbollah from the outset believed in being revolutionary and for sometimes had a diminishing influence in the Middle East. The main agenda fro this outfit has always been to transform Lebanon into an Islamic state without regard for Lebanon status. In fact in their documents they have noted Lebanon as their homeland thus making them strive to have Lebanon into their nest. Hezbollah has gone further in undermining the state of Lebanon as a nation. Initially the group started as an outfit that was out to promote education and religious issues (Khashan, 84). Nevertheless, the group turned away from those commitments and started to be religious extremists ready to fight the regime for what it termed as discrimination of the Muslims in Lebanon. This is a clear indication that religion has been a major factor contributing to the weakness of Lebanon. Hezbollah has actually made great steps and goal of controlling Lebanon since its initiation in 1985 such as dominating both the domestic and foreign policies as well as having a more superior army compared to the national army. Even though the group controls major arms of the government such as instituting government and making judicial appointments, it does not intend to integrate with the Lebanese political practices. The author indicates that there is a need of eliminating the Hezbollah to build a viable state. This article relates to other articles because it addresses Lebanon concerns. It gives significant details on the topic of research, which is based on Lebanon political systems. The article explains some of the atrocities done in Lebanon since the beginning of the Hezbollah. Hajjar, G. Voices and Visions of Christian-Muslim Relations in Post-Civil War Lebanon: An Overview of Causes, Effects and the Question of Identity 2000-2008. 2012: Print. Christian Muslim status in Lebanon has been very shaky and ambiguous of late due to the religious conflicts between the Christians and the Muslims (Hajjar, 40). According to the author Hajjar, various analysts and voices both internationally and within the Lebanon community have voiced their concern, which appear to be conflicting regarding the Christian-Muslim relations. Some of the assertions according to Hajjar are that the relations between the two religions have largely improved after the 1991 Lebanese Civil War. The proponents believe that if there would be any tension then there would perhaps be another civil war amongst the two groups. They claim that Lebanon has been better than before the war because of the possible good relationship between the Muslims and the Christians. The proponent’s further claim that the Taif agreement played a huge role in bringing peace between the two groups particularly after the post-civil war. Major communities were involved in signing the document in 1991 thus prompting unity in Lebanon. Nevertheless, Hajjar has explored legitimacy of this proposal through the comprehensive quantitative and qualitative research. The author has exposed the tension and poor state of the Christian Muslim relations in the modern Lebanon through exhaustive research. He highlighted through the interviews he conducted with various stakeholders, some of the weaker parts of the relations as well as giving detailed reasons that support the weaknesses. He conducted the research with the university students who were asked about their feelings and attitude regarding the relations’ challenges and factors affecting the problems. He further researched on the role that identity played in the Christian Muslim relation and finally compared his results with an understanding of the relations. The author finally gave recommendations concerning further and better study as well as the future relations between the Christian Muslims (Hajjar, 78). This paper is very relevant to the research as it addresses some of the challenges facing Lebanon. Christians being part of the larger population in Lebanon have faced opposition from the Muslims including the Hezbollah group who wanted to turn Lebanon into a Muslim country. The rise of conflict during the Civil War remains integral in the history of Lebanon. It is also worth noting that the tension between the Christians and Muslims in Lebanon is very significant has it affects several issues such as political decisions. The article relates to the other article in that it considers some important aspects of Lebanon. Khater, Akram F. Sources in the History of the Modern Middle East. Boston, MA: Wadsworth/Cengage Learning, 2011. Print. (235-240) This is another piece work that points to the conflicts in Lebanon. The book talks about the issues in history about Christians and Muslims. Each group has a burning desire to influence the society in Lebanon and in their desire to do so; they have ended up into conflicts. Christians and Muslims in this context have been accused of being the real reason for the conflicts because of their perceived differences in the kind of teachings and the obedience to a God (Khater, 235-240). The two religious outfits have been condemned to be engaged in a tussle about the worship of God while failing to realize that their misunderstandings only lead into a conflict. Christians accuse the Palestinians who are largely Muslim, to be influencing the decisions of the land without regarding others in the system. The Muslims have however insisted that the Palestinians must continue to give its opinion on the governance system that is basically politics. None of the groups have an agreement on how they would want the system to be run. Every one of them has a different way in which they look at the issues. The articles in the book thus appeal to the two dominant religious groups to be sensitive and stop their differences for the sake of Lebanon (Khater, 235-240). This piece of work is very important to the study as it speaks directly to the issue being addressed. Religion plays a major factor in the weakness of Lebanon. While the Muslims and the Christians allow their issues spill over internally and externally, the larger society suffers immensely because of the negative effects of the differences (Khater, 235-240). It is against this backdrop that the two dominant groups are encouraged to iron out their differences to solve the ever increasing religious tensions that make the society lame. Conclusion From the discussion, it is evident that religion is the single most phenomenons that bring about conflicts in Lebanon. Many a number of misunderstandings point out to the religious differences of the two religious groups. As it were, religion plays into every single area of the society in Lebanon. When a system is characterized by chaos, the economic system is not set to thrive. Religious differences also play into the politics of the land. Therefore politics and economy cannot be blames wholesale on the weakness of the society in Lebanon. Nevertheless an objective look into Lebanon may point out to a lot more different issues contributing to the weakness of Lebanon though religion still is the dominant one. Vices such as corruption infiltrate the system making it weak. Also contributing to this is petty politics which play a major role in weakening the system in Lebanon. A corrupt system is not a viable society. When a government chooses to divert attention to fighting political wars instead of focusing the energy on building a more stable and vibrant society the system is bound to be weak. However religion still is the dominant reason for the weakness of Lebanon. Works Cited: Hajjar, G. Voices and Visions of Christian-Muslim Relations in Post-Civil War Lebanon: An Overview of Causes, Effects and The Question Of Identity 2000-2008 2012: Print. Khashan, H. “Hezbollah's Plans for Lebanon.” Middle East Quarterly 20.2 (2013): 81-86. Print. Khater, Akram F. Sources in the History of the Modern Middle East. Boston, MA: Wadsworth/Cengage Learning, 2011. Print. Zufle, Natalie. Lebanon - a State Trapped in Conflict: Do a Conflict Mapping, Analyzing Conflict Sources and Dynamics. Also Analyze What Conflict Management Approaches (if Any) Were Employed and How They Impacted the Conflict Process. Munich: GRIN Verlag GmbH, 2011. Internet resource. Read More