The case for a Christian Lebanon

The author is right that Christian sentiment about independence in Lebanon is unclear. However, if the country detonates with the next Sunni Shia war, they may have no other option left

The case for a Christian Lebanon () {

Secularism in the Middle East has failed. Maybe it's time to consider independent states in Lebanon.

By = HUSSAIN ABDUL-HUSSAIN
Date = 10/11/2014

After the Scottish referendum for independence and the unofficial survey in Catalonia, there should be no shame if Christians in Lebanon hold a plebiscite over possible separation from Lebanon and the creation of a “small Lebanon” that many Christians have long craved.

On paper Christians are the majority in 11 districts, nine of them geographically contiguous and connected to Beirut’s predominantly Christian north and northeast. The creation of a contiguous Christian state might force Christians to retrench to the “small Lebanon” and agree to land and population swaps with non-Christian districts, just as Greece and Turkey did a century ago.

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Christians should not settle for second best. They should not live in countries with “Allahu Akbar” on their flags, as in Iraq. They should not be forced to fight for the creation of a state whose emblem is a mosque, like Palestine. Christians of Egypt should not settle for a constitution that mandates a Muslim president. Alawites of Syria should not obtain edicts certifying they are Muslims to become presidents.

If the Sunnis, the Shiites, the Kurds and others can openly assert their identity in territories where they are a majority and can turn religio-cultural symbols into national ones, Christians should be given a similar opportunity to make their own country in whatever image they like.

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Source = http://mme.cm/1J8U00 }