What are the religious reasons why the Lebanese Civil War happened?
One reason was that the social mechanism for power sharing had gotten out of whack. I happened to be in the Netherlands when Kamal Jumblatt was shot. I was running around banging my head against Dutch in the newspapers trying to find out exactly what happened. And I’m sure some people were sure I had gone out of my nut, because I was telling everyone, now there is going to be a civil war in Lebanon. I am so sorry I was right.In the first few weeks, the American University Hospital, the finest hospital between Europe and Japan was taking in wounded from all sides. One group came into the hospital and killed a top leader right in his bed. The University hospital call in leaders of all the factions and convinced them all to respect the neutrality of the hospital. Wait until any wounded person is out before you kill him. It actually made sense, as it served everyone’s interest to have an excellent hospital in which to recover. And it remained neutral territory throughout the war, patching up all sides without discrimination.It did seriously damage the ability of the University to attract top scholars as it had before. I understand the university has largely recovered it’s academic position, although I doubt it will ever quite have the status it had before. I saw Sound of Music, with French and Arabic subtitles, before my parents here in the states. We used to watch the early Italian Westerns. And walking down Hamra street (Main commercial street in Ras Beirut, out on the peninsula (Ras) where the university was located, in the matter of 2 blocks I head 5 different languages. And I still remember a upper end dress shop, that announced on the Window that this was the the Beirut Store, with stores on 5th Avenue, New York, Carnaby Street, London, Champs d’elesays, Paris, and some street I’ve forgotten in Rome. We could visit Johnny’s and change money. All around the window of his small shop were about 50 different example bills of all the currencies he could change. He gave you the daily exchange rate, and warned you if it was illegal to change certain foreign moneys. But he would do it anyway as a strong discount. Only the currencies of the US, Britain, Canada, Switzerland, and Lebanon were freely exchanged. All other currencies were either pegged to one of the big two or had other restrictions on the free exchange. One could even buy Rubles or Yen or Rupees.
What were the causes of the Lebanon Civil War?
Long term causes:Lebanese society had too many different religious factions which did not agree on how political influence was administered since the time of the French mandate in 1920.Each faction desired something that antagonized with the other.Lebanon as a country had been created by providing ports such as Beirut, Saida and Sour to the montaneous region of Lebanon. The borders were drawn without much consultation to its owners.Christians wanted more ties with the west and thought it was necessary to elude pan arabism.Some other factions wanted to align with Syria and other Arab nations while moving Lebanon away from Western influence.Short Term Causes:After the 1948 Palestine war, Lebanon received almost half a million of Palestine refugees. Following the Black September terrorist attack, the PLO established itself in Lebanon to use it as base of operation to attack Israel.These Palestines behaved as if they ruled Lebanon and thus the Christian population began defending themselves from what they considered abuses.The country divided itself taking (and switching) sides pro and against the PLO.You can trace the beggining of the war to the event known as “Black Saturday” in December 1975 when the PLO ambushed Christian members of a militia called Kataeb killing them.These events inflammed a situation that was growing inside the country for decades.Disclaimer: This is my opinion based upon my own research. Many other can strongly disagree with me.
Why should I visit Lebanon?
Looming large over the neighbourhood of Hamra:Sabah, a legendary singer that passed away not so long ago.Paradise for street photographersThe streets of Lebanon are a free-of-charge art gallery, one that has some of the most thought-provoking pieces. Lebanese people tend to make the most out of everything, and that is inclusive to a city scarred by civil war.TabboulehLebanese cuisineNothing speaks louder about Lebanese identity than tabbouleh. It’s a staple dish of the national diet and locals probably eat it once a week, or so do I. Our food is rich with taste, to each ingredient its dominance. Get ready to have your taste buds on a trip of extreme stimulation from the squeeze of lemon in Tabbouleh to the ater in Knefeh, our ‘national cheesecake’.Knefeh, is it just me or does it look like a dessert burger?JouniehTalk about great views.Jounieh, a pleasure playground hemmed in by the sea on one side and the mountains on the other. Famous as the home of the venerable Casino du Liban, noisy bars, crowded restaurants, lurid nightclubs and one of the oldest historical landmarks in the country (Jeita Grotto).A fundamental in all Lebanese celebrationsAll about having fun and making memoriesAs the tide of gentrification pushes inexorably eastward, the vanguard of trendy lounges and hipster cafés has reached the formerly shabby district of Mar Mikhael. Bars such as Lock Stock are a wonderfully chilled meeting spot for local flâneurs: its open front and exposed stone brickwork make for a pleasantly airy environment. Later on, the place fills up with hipsters keen to capitalise on the decent range of cocktails and international beers.