Islam in Lebanon is followed by 59.5% of the country's total population: Shia's make up 27%: Twelvers are the predominant Shia group, followed by Alawites and Ismailis. Sunnis make up also 27%: Sunnis are mainly of the Shafi'imadhhab with pockets of Hanafi and Hanbali. Several large Sufi orders are active in the country, including the Naqshbanditariqa, and Qadiriyya.
Although not traditionally considered as Muslims, the Druze make up 5.6% of the total population, which 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).
Demographics
The number of Muslims in Lebanon has been disputed for many years. There has been no official census in Lebanon since 1932. According to the CIA World Factbook, the Muslim population is estimated at around 59.5% within the Lebanese territory and of the 8.6–14 million Lebanese diaspora is believed by some to be about 20% of the total population.
Sunni Islam (/ˈsuːni/ or /ˈsʊni/) is a denomination of Islam which holds that the Islamic prophet Muhammad's first Caliph was his father-in-law Abu Bakr. Sunni Islam primarily contrasts with Shi'a Islam, which holds that Muhammad's son-in-law and cousin Ali ibn Abi Talib, not Abu Bakr, was his first caliph. Sunni Islam is by far the largest denomination of Islam. As of 2009, Sunni Muslims constituted 87–90% of the world's Muslim population. Its adherents are referred to in Arabic as ahl as-sunnah wa l-jamāʻah (Arabic:أهل السنة والجماعة), "people of the tradition of Muhammad and the consensus of the Ummah" or ahl as-sunnah (Arabic أهل السنة) for short. In English, its theological study or doctrine is called Sunnism, while adherents are known as Sunni Muslims, Sunnis, Sunnites and Ahlus Sunnah. Sunni Islam is the world's largest religious denomination, followed by Roman Catholicism. Sunni Islam is sometimes referred to as "orthodox Islam". The word "Sunni" comes from the term Sunnah (Arabic سنة), which refers to the sayings and actions of the Islamic prophet Muhammad as recorded in the hadith.
The earliest evidence of civilization in Lebanon dates back more than seven thousand years, predating recorded history. Lebanon was the home of the Canaanites/Phoenicians and their kingdom, a maritime culture that flourished for over a thousand years (c. 1550–539 BC). In 64 BC, the region came under the rule of the Roman Empire, and eventually became one of the Empire's leading centers of Christianity. In the Mount Lebanon range a monastic tradition known as the Maronite Church was established. As the ArabMuslims conquered the region, the Maronites held onto their religion and identity. However, a new religious group, the Druze, established themselves in Mount Lebanon as well, generating a religious divide that has lasted for centuries. During the Crusades, the Maronites re-established contact with the Roman Catholic Church and asserted their communion with Rome. The ties they established with the Latins have influenced the region into the modern era.
Lebanon is a mural size painting by Nabil Kanso depicting the Lebanese Civil War in a scene invoking the spirit and character of the people in the midst of horror and violence gripping the country. Amid the scene of chaos and devastation, two central figures reach across toward each other symbolically to represent the appeal for unity in defiance of the forces of division, destruction, and terror.
Description
Painted in oil on linen and completed in 1983, the painting Lebanon measures 28 feet (8.5 meters) long by 10 feet (3meters) tall. Its composition delineates three sections. At the center, two leaping female figures reach toward each other, almost touching. They are within grasp of a tiny pearl of white green light at the center of the canvas. In the foreground plane forming the base of the two converging figures, an appealing mother carrying a child appears bursting out from a torched pyramidal structure serving to balance and heighten the overall impact of the central scene.
Amanda Jo Abizaid is an American Lebanese singer/songwriter best known for her vocal performance on the theme song of the US TV series The 4400.
Early years
Abizaid was born in Beirut, Lebanon, to an American mother and a Mexican/Lebanese father. She traveled the Middle East and Europe with her family before the age of ten, when she moved with her mother and brother to the United States. Along with her four sisters, she formed a band and developed a talent for harmonies. Her first exposure to music was Middle Eastern music combined with the late 1970s American influences of Alice Cooper, Elton John, Crosby, Stills and Nash, and The Beatles.
After moving to the US, she lived in Poughkeepsie, NY until moving to Great Falls, Virginia for high school. She later attended the Corcoran School of Art in Georgetown and then transferred to The Catholic University of America to study drama and music, while pursuing a career in hairstyling. She dropped out of college to work as a runway model with designers such as Jacques Fath, Nina Ricci, Oscar de la Renta, Alberta Ferretti, Badgley Mischka, Chloe and Bill Blass. She traveled to Paris and Germany and modeled for London designer Zandra Rhodes in the UK. Afterward, she returned to the US to live in Miami, Florida. In Miami, she met musician/songwriter Shane Soloski in the late 90's and decided to move to Los Angeles to form a band with him.
Lebanon sentences Muslim cleric to death over deadly attack
Ahmed al-Assir was tried along with 38 others accused of killing Lebanese soldiers in the southern city of Sidon in 2013 in one of the bloodiest spillovers of the civil war in Syria.
After a two-year trial and hours of deliberation, judges presiding over the case sentenced him and seven others to death.
Al Jazeera’s Imtiaz Tyab reports from Beirut.
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published: 29 Sep 2017
In Lebanon, Sunni Provocations Against Hezbollah
Stratfor Vice President of Global Analysis Reva Bhalla explains how Lebanon has entered a new phase of sectarian fighting that threatens to detract Hezbollah's focus away from Syria.
About Stratfor:
Stratfor brings global events into valuable perspective, empowering businesses, governments and individuals to more confidently navigate their way through an increasingly complex international environment. For individual and enterprise subscriptions to Stratfor Worldview, our online publication, visit us at: https://worldview.stratfor.com/
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Learn more about Stra...
published: 23 Aug 2013
Lebanon's Sunnis protest against new PM
Violent protests erupted in Lebanon on Tuesday by supporters of the outgoing Lebanese premier Saad Hariri angry at the appointment of a Hezbollah-backed candidate to head the new government. Demonstrators in Sunni Muslim stronghold Tripoli attacked and burned a car owned by Al-Jazeera television and ransacked the office of a rival MP.Duration: 01:12
published: 25 Jan 2011
Fugitive Sunni cleric slams Lebanese army in video message
A radical Sunni cleric wanted by Lebanese authorities since deadly clashes last year between his supporters and security forces has accused the army of being a "tool" of Shiite movement Hezbollah.
published: 24 Mar 2014
The Great Divide: Sunni vs. Shi'a - Full Episode
From the conflicts in Iraq and Syria to the tension between Iran and Saudi Arabia, the struggle between Sunni and Shi‘a groups for hegemony is tearing apart the region and shows no signs of abating. But for all the religious discourse permeating the conflict, much of its roots are political, not religious.
How does sectarianism fit into a larger narrative of the Middle East? How have governments manipulated sectarian differences? And finally, what is the U.S. doing about it?
Full episode from the Great Decisions PBS series:
http://www.greatdecisionsonpbs.com/
Visit our website for more information: http://www.fpa.org/
Narrated by Academy Award nominated actor David Strathairn and produced by the Foreign Policy Association, each half-hour episode of the Great Decisions documentary seri...
published: 29 Feb 2016
4,000 Pakistani Shiites, Sunni Muslims stage rallies to condemn US, Israel
1. Various of Sunni protesters waving flags
2. Protester holding banner reading: 'We are all Hamas, we are all Hizbullah' (as spelt on banner)
3. Banner reading: 'Death to Israel, Death to America, MMA'
4. Various of banners and protesters
5. SOUNDBITE (English) Mairaj ul Huda, MMA leader:
"Israel is a great danger for the peace of the world and the problem cannot be solved without eradicating Israel from the map of the Middle East."
6. Various of protesters Shiite Muslim protest
7. Burning US flag
STORYLINE:
About four thousand Sunni and Shiite Muslims staged separate rallies in the southern Pakistan port city of Karachi on Sunday to condemn Israel for "spilling the blood of oppressed" of Muslims in Lebanon.
Participants at the two rallies, held amid tight security in two down...
Ahmed al-Assir was tried along with 38 others accused of killing Lebanese soldiers in the southern city of Sidon in 2013 in one of the bloodiest spillovers of t...
Ahmed al-Assir was tried along with 38 others accused of killing Lebanese soldiers in the southern city of Sidon in 2013 in one of the bloodiest spillovers of the civil war in Syria.
After a two-year trial and hours of deliberation, judges presiding over the case sentenced him and seven others to death.
Al Jazeera’s Imtiaz Tyab reports from Beirut.
- Subscribe to our channel: http://aje.io/AJSubscribe
- Follow us on Twitter: https://twitter.com/AJEnglish
- Find us on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/aljazeera
- Check our website: http://www.aljazeera.com/
Ahmed al-Assir was tried along with 38 others accused of killing Lebanese soldiers in the southern city of Sidon in 2013 in one of the bloodiest spillovers of the civil war in Syria.
After a two-year trial and hours of deliberation, judges presiding over the case sentenced him and seven others to death.
Al Jazeera’s Imtiaz Tyab reports from Beirut.
- Subscribe to our channel: http://aje.io/AJSubscribe
- Follow us on Twitter: https://twitter.com/AJEnglish
- Find us on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/aljazeera
- Check our website: http://www.aljazeera.com/
Stratfor Vice President of Global Analysis Reva Bhalla explains how Lebanon has entered a new phase of sectarian fighting that threatens to detract Hezbollah's ...
Stratfor Vice President of Global Analysis Reva Bhalla explains how Lebanon has entered a new phase of sectarian fighting that threatens to detract Hezbollah's focus away from Syria.
About Stratfor:
Stratfor brings global events into valuable perspective, empowering businesses, governments and individuals to more confidently navigate their way through an increasingly complex international environment. For individual and enterprise subscriptions to Stratfor Worldview, our online publication, visit us at: https://worldview.stratfor.com/
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Stratfor Vice President of Global Analysis Reva Bhalla explains how Lebanon has entered a new phase of sectarian fighting that threatens to detract Hezbollah's focus away from Syria.
About Stratfor:
Stratfor brings global events into valuable perspective, empowering businesses, governments and individuals to more confidently navigate their way through an increasingly complex international environment. For individual and enterprise subscriptions to Stratfor Worldview, our online publication, visit us at: https://worldview.stratfor.com/
And make sure to connect with Stratfor on social media:
Twitter: https://twitter.com/stratfor
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LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/stratfor
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Learn more about Stratfor here: https://www.Stratfor.com
Get the latest company news here: https://marcom.stratfor.com/horizons
Or review and purchase our longform reports on geopolitics here: https://marcom.stratfor.com/horizons
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Download the All New Mobile App for Stratfor. You can also download Stratfor Worldview Content in the App for offline viewing.
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To subscribe to Stratfor Worldview, click here: https://worldview.stratfor.com/subscribe
Join Stratfor Worldview to cut through the noise and make sense of an increasingly complicated world.
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Violent protests erupted in Lebanon on Tuesday by supporters of the outgoing Lebanese premier Saad Hariri angry at the appointment of a Hezbollah-backed candida...
Violent protests erupted in Lebanon on Tuesday by supporters of the outgoing Lebanese premier Saad Hariri angry at the appointment of a Hezbollah-backed candidate to head the new government. Demonstrators in Sunni Muslim stronghold Tripoli attacked and burned a car owned by Al-Jazeera television and ransacked the office of a rival MP.Duration: 01:12
Violent protests erupted in Lebanon on Tuesday by supporters of the outgoing Lebanese premier Saad Hariri angry at the appointment of a Hezbollah-backed candidate to head the new government. Demonstrators in Sunni Muslim stronghold Tripoli attacked and burned a car owned by Al-Jazeera television and ransacked the office of a rival MP.Duration: 01:12
A radical Sunni cleric wanted by Lebanese authorities since deadly clashes last year between his supporters and security forces has accused the army of being a ...
A radical Sunni cleric wanted by Lebanese authorities since deadly clashes last year between his supporters and security forces has accused the army of being a "tool" of Shiite movement Hezbollah.
A radical Sunni cleric wanted by Lebanese authorities since deadly clashes last year between his supporters and security forces has accused the army of being a "tool" of Shiite movement Hezbollah.
From the conflicts in Iraq and Syria to the tension between Iran and Saudi Arabia, the struggle between Sunni and Shi‘a groups for hegemony is tearing apart the...
From the conflicts in Iraq and Syria to the tension between Iran and Saudi Arabia, the struggle between Sunni and Shi‘a groups for hegemony is tearing apart the region and shows no signs of abating. But for all the religious discourse permeating the conflict, much of its roots are political, not religious.
How does sectarianism fit into a larger narrative of the Middle East? How have governments manipulated sectarian differences? And finally, what is the U.S. doing about it?
Full episode from the Great Decisions PBS series:
http://www.greatdecisionsonpbs.com/
Visit our website for more information: http://www.fpa.org/
Narrated by Academy Award nominated actor David Strathairn and produced by the Foreign Policy Association, each half-hour episode of the Great Decisions documentary series tackles a different challenge facing America today.
This episode first aired in January 2015.
Executive Producer: MacDara King
Lead Editor: David Heidelberger
[email protected]
From the conflicts in Iraq and Syria to the tension between Iran and Saudi Arabia, the struggle between Sunni and Shi‘a groups for hegemony is tearing apart the region and shows no signs of abating. But for all the religious discourse permeating the conflict, much of its roots are political, not religious.
How does sectarianism fit into a larger narrative of the Middle East? How have governments manipulated sectarian differences? And finally, what is the U.S. doing about it?
Full episode from the Great Decisions PBS series:
http://www.greatdecisionsonpbs.com/
Visit our website for more information: http://www.fpa.org/
Narrated by Academy Award nominated actor David Strathairn and produced by the Foreign Policy Association, each half-hour episode of the Great Decisions documentary series tackles a different challenge facing America today.
This episode first aired in January 2015.
Executive Producer: MacDara King
Lead Editor: David Heidelberger
[email protected]
1. Various of Sunni protesters waving flags
2. Protester holding banner reading: 'We are all Hamas, we are all Hizbullah' (as spelt on banner)
3. Banner read...
1. Various of Sunni protesters waving flags
2. Protester holding banner reading: 'We are all Hamas, we are all Hizbullah' (as spelt on banner)
3. Banner reading: 'Death to Israel, Death to America, MMA'
4. Various of banners and protesters
5. SOUNDBITE (English) Mairaj ul Huda, MMA leader:
"Israel is a great danger for the peace of the world and the problem cannot be solved without eradicating Israel from the map of the Middle East."
6. Various of protesters Shiite Muslim protest
7. Burning US flag
STORYLINE:
About four thousand Sunni and Shiite Muslims staged separate rallies in the southern Pakistan port city of Karachi on Sunday to condemn Israel for "spilling the blood of oppressed" of Muslims in Lebanon.
Participants at the two rallies, held amid tight security in two downtown Karachi streets, also chanted "Death to America," in condemnation of Washington's alliance with the Jewish state.
Chanting "Jihad is only remedy for America," and "Hamas and Hezbollah! we are with you," about 3,000 supporters of a coalition of mainly Sunni Muslim radical groups rallied through Karachi's M.A. Jinnah road, despite a heavy monsoon rain.
In the capital Islamabad, Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz condemned Sunday's Israeli strike in Qana where at least 56 people, more than half children, were killed.
Aziz also spoke with Lebanese Prime Minister Fuad Saniora and offered condolences over the killings in Qana, state-run Associated Press of Pakistan news agency reported.
He said the international community should help find a peaceful solution to the conflict in the Middle East.
You can license this story through AP Archive: http://www.aparchive.com/metadata/youtube/7fb5b77dff5b4fd99a0791801b71ed0e
Find out more about AP Archive: http://www.aparchive.com/HowWeWork
1. Various of Sunni protesters waving flags
2. Protester holding banner reading: 'We are all Hamas, we are all Hizbullah' (as spelt on banner)
3. Banner reading: 'Death to Israel, Death to America, MMA'
4. Various of banners and protesters
5. SOUNDBITE (English) Mairaj ul Huda, MMA leader:
"Israel is a great danger for the peace of the world and the problem cannot be solved without eradicating Israel from the map of the Middle East."
6. Various of protesters Shiite Muslim protest
7. Burning US flag
STORYLINE:
About four thousand Sunni and Shiite Muslims staged separate rallies in the southern Pakistan port city of Karachi on Sunday to condemn Israel for "spilling the blood of oppressed" of Muslims in Lebanon.
Participants at the two rallies, held amid tight security in two downtown Karachi streets, also chanted "Death to America," in condemnation of Washington's alliance with the Jewish state.
Chanting "Jihad is only remedy for America," and "Hamas and Hezbollah! we are with you," about 3,000 supporters of a coalition of mainly Sunni Muslim radical groups rallied through Karachi's M.A. Jinnah road, despite a heavy monsoon rain.
In the capital Islamabad, Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz condemned Sunday's Israeli strike in Qana where at least 56 people, more than half children, were killed.
Aziz also spoke with Lebanese Prime Minister Fuad Saniora and offered condolences over the killings in Qana, state-run Associated Press of Pakistan news agency reported.
He said the international community should help find a peaceful solution to the conflict in the Middle East.
You can license this story through AP Archive: http://www.aparchive.com/metadata/youtube/7fb5b77dff5b4fd99a0791801b71ed0e
Find out more about AP Archive: http://www.aparchive.com/HowWeWork
Ahmed al-Assir was tried along with 38 others accused of killing Lebanese soldiers in the southern city of Sidon in 2013 in one of the bloodiest spillovers of the civil war in Syria.
After a two-year trial and hours of deliberation, judges presiding over the case sentenced him and seven others to death.
Al Jazeera’s Imtiaz Tyab reports from Beirut.
- Subscribe to our channel: http://aje.io/AJSubscribe
- Follow us on Twitter: https://twitter.com/AJEnglish
- Find us on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/aljazeera
- Check our website: http://www.aljazeera.com/
Stratfor Vice President of Global Analysis Reva Bhalla explains how Lebanon has entered a new phase of sectarian fighting that threatens to detract Hezbollah's focus away from Syria.
About Stratfor:
Stratfor brings global events into valuable perspective, empowering businesses, governments and individuals to more confidently navigate their way through an increasingly complex international environment. For individual and enterprise subscriptions to Stratfor Worldview, our online publication, visit us at: https://worldview.stratfor.com/
And make sure to connect with Stratfor on social media:
Twitter: https://twitter.com/stratfor
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/stratfor/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/stratfor
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/stratfor
Learn more about Stratfor here: https://www.Stratfor.com
Get the latest company news here: https://marcom.stratfor.com/horizons
Or review and purchase our longform reports on geopolitics here: https://marcom.stratfor.com/horizons
And listen to the Stratfor podcast for free here:
iTunes - http://bit.ly/Stratfor_Podcast_iTunes
Stitcher - http://www.stitcher.com/podcast/stratfor-talks
Soundcloud - https://soundcloud.com/stratfortalks
Libsyn - http://stratfor.libsyn.com/
Download the All New Mobile App for Stratfor. You can also download Stratfor Worldview Content in the App for offline viewing.
Free Download for iOS (from Apple App Store): http://bit.ly/Statfor_Mobile_App_for_Apple_Devices
Free Download for Android (from Google Play Store): http://bit.ly/Stratfor_Mobile_App_for_Android_Devices
To subscribe to Stratfor Worldview, click here: https://worldview.stratfor.com/subscribe
Join Stratfor Worldview to cut through the noise and make sense of an increasingly complicated world.
Membership to Stratfor Worldview includes:
Unrestricted access to Stratfor Worldview's latest insights, podcasts, videos, and more.
Members-only community forums.
My Collections - your personal library of Stratfor insights saved for later reading.
Discounts to our long-form reports on the Stratfor Store.
Violent protests erupted in Lebanon on Tuesday by supporters of the outgoing Lebanese premier Saad Hariri angry at the appointment of a Hezbollah-backed candidate to head the new government. Demonstrators in Sunni Muslim stronghold Tripoli attacked and burned a car owned by Al-Jazeera television and ransacked the office of a rival MP.Duration: 01:12
A radical Sunni cleric wanted by Lebanese authorities since deadly clashes last year between his supporters and security forces has accused the army of being a "tool" of Shiite movement Hezbollah.
From the conflicts in Iraq and Syria to the tension between Iran and Saudi Arabia, the struggle between Sunni and Shi‘a groups for hegemony is tearing apart the region and shows no signs of abating. But for all the religious discourse permeating the conflict, much of its roots are political, not religious.
How does sectarianism fit into a larger narrative of the Middle East? How have governments manipulated sectarian differences? And finally, what is the U.S. doing about it?
Full episode from the Great Decisions PBS series:
http://www.greatdecisionsonpbs.com/
Visit our website for more information: http://www.fpa.org/
Narrated by Academy Award nominated actor David Strathairn and produced by the Foreign Policy Association, each half-hour episode of the Great Decisions documentary series tackles a different challenge facing America today.
This episode first aired in January 2015.
Executive Producer: MacDara King
Lead Editor: David Heidelberger
[email protected]
1. Various of Sunni protesters waving flags
2. Protester holding banner reading: 'We are all Hamas, we are all Hizbullah' (as spelt on banner)
3. Banner reading: 'Death to Israel, Death to America, MMA'
4. Various of banners and protesters
5. SOUNDBITE (English) Mairaj ul Huda, MMA leader:
"Israel is a great danger for the peace of the world and the problem cannot be solved without eradicating Israel from the map of the Middle East."
6. Various of protesters Shiite Muslim protest
7. Burning US flag
STORYLINE:
About four thousand Sunni and Shiite Muslims staged separate rallies in the southern Pakistan port city of Karachi on Sunday to condemn Israel for "spilling the blood of oppressed" of Muslims in Lebanon.
Participants at the two rallies, held amid tight security in two downtown Karachi streets, also chanted "Death to America," in condemnation of Washington's alliance with the Jewish state.
Chanting "Jihad is only remedy for America," and "Hamas and Hezbollah! we are with you," about 3,000 supporters of a coalition of mainly Sunni Muslim radical groups rallied through Karachi's M.A. Jinnah road, despite a heavy monsoon rain.
In the capital Islamabad, Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz condemned Sunday's Israeli strike in Qana where at least 56 people, more than half children, were killed.
Aziz also spoke with Lebanese Prime Minister Fuad Saniora and offered condolences over the killings in Qana, state-run Associated Press of Pakistan news agency reported.
He said the international community should help find a peaceful solution to the conflict in the Middle East.
You can license this story through AP Archive: http://www.aparchive.com/metadata/youtube/7fb5b77dff5b4fd99a0791801b71ed0e
Find out more about AP Archive: http://www.aparchive.com/HowWeWork
Islam in Lebanon is followed by 59.5% of the country's total population: Shia's make up 27%: Twelvers are the predominant Shia group, followed by Alawites and Ismailis. Sunnis make up also 27%: Sunnis are mainly of the Shafi'imadhhab with pockets of Hanafi and Hanbali. Several large Sufi orders are active in the country, including the Naqshbanditariqa, and Qadiriyya.
Although not traditionally considered as Muslims, the Druze make up 5.6% of the total population, which 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).
Demographics
The number of Muslims in Lebanon has been disputed for many years. There has been no official census in Lebanon since 1932. According to the CIA World Factbook, the Muslim population is estimated at around 59.5% within the Lebanese territory and of the 8.6–14 million Lebanese diaspora is believed by some to be about 20% of the total population.