The Lebanese Sectarian System Reduced Citizens to a Big Zero.

posted 18/11/07

Few minutes ago, I received an email from Al-Hewar Center in Washington enclosing an article written by professor Clovis Maqsoud titled (not correct) 72 hours separate salvations from chaos. 72 hours separate success or failure of having a new president.

Professor Clovis , no doubt on of the very few imminent Arab intellectuals committed to Arab liberations and causes, and one of the very few Arab intellectuals who were not on the payroll of Arab governments, who dared to challenge Arab governments and people toward liberation and democracy.


The article as I read it is an indictment of the sectarian political system in Lebanon and a clear indictment of the Lebanese political and sectarian system of war and sectarian lords.

At a time when both the majority and minority calls for freedom and independence for Lebanon, we can see a number of international politicians and statements and every who’s who, except Arabs, come to Lebanon to help in the selection of a new president. If any thing, this shows that decisions and decision making in Lebanon is not a Lebanese prerogative but an international one without the Lebanese people having a say so.

The sectarian and war lord and family lords system in Lebanon takes away much of the sovereignty of Lebanon and reduces the Lebanese people to a big “ZERO” when it comes to the fait of the nation and taking charge of the future of the nation.

The Lebanese with much sadness allowed their politicians to hold the nation and the citizen’s hostage to the different sectarian and family leadership. It is difficult to believe that the Lebanese people do not take the bull by the horn and bring to an end once and for all this sectarian politics that cancelled the sovereignty and independence of Lebanon since its “independence”.

It is so difficult to believe that in this day and age, that the “Church” makes the decision for the entire nation at a time when there is a move world wide to separate “church and state” so that the citizens and not the clergymen make the political decisions and subsequently all economic and social decisions and set the nation forward. There are no reasons for the Lebanese to go to exiles rather than change they very system that brought them nothing but war, conflict and exile.

It is also so surprising that so far there has been no popular movement calling for the cancellations and eliminations of the sectrarian/ta’efia in a country with such a sophisticated and much politicizes citizenship.

Hundreds of thousands went the streets to reclaim Lebanon from the Syrian military and political occupation and hundreds of thousands took to and occupied downtown to force a change in government. Yet both the majority and the opposition never dared to take on the issue of sectarian politics demanding an end to such an outdated system.

One thing for sure, the Lebanese sectarian system is hostage to the clergymen and the heads of religious parties ( Christians, Sunnis and Shiites) must come to an end and it is time for the citizens and not the politicians or the heads of church or mosques to makes the decisions for the nation. The Lebanese have no one to blame but themselves. I do not think that a new president no matter who he is will make much difference in a country divided along sectarian lines and paralyzed by a very corrupt and outdated political system that reduced people power to ZERO.