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The Lebanese Diaspora
Apart from the three and a half million citizens of Lebanon proper, there is a sizeable Lebanese diaspora. No accurate numbers are available, so estimates on the total size of the diaspora vary wildly, from conservative estimates of 4-5 million to a maximum, and probably inflated, figure of 15 million. Most Lebanese emigrants and their descendants are Christian. Lebanese Christian families are economically and politically prominent in several Latin American countries (in 2007 Mexican Carlos Slim Helú, son of Lebanese immigrants, was determined to be the wealthiest man in the World by Fortune Magazine), and make up a substantial portion of the Arab American community in the United States. The largest Lebanese diaspora is located in Brazil, where about 10 million people have Lebanese descent (see Arab Brazilian). The large size of Lebanon's diaspora may be partly explained by the historical and cultural tradition of sea-faring and travelling, which stretches back to Lebanon's ancient Phoenician origins and its role as a "gateway" of relations between Europe and the Middle East. It has been commonplace for Lebanese citizens to emigrate in search of economic prosperity. Furthermore, on several occasions in the last two centuries the Lebanese population has endured periods of ethnic cleansing and displacement (for example, 1840-60 and 1975-90). These factors have contributed to the geographical mobility of the Lebanese people. While under Syrian occupation, Beirut passed legislation which prevented second-generation Lebanese of the diaspora from automatically obtaining Lebanese citizenship. This has reinforced the emigré status of many diaspora Lebanese. There is currently a campaign by those Lebanese of the diaspora who already have Lebanese citizenship to attain the vote from abroad. If suffrage was to be extended to these 1.2 million Lebanese emigré citizens, it would have a significant political effect, since as many as 80% of them are believed to be Christians. Civil war refugees and displaced persons With no official figures available, it is estimated that 600,000-900,000 persons fled the country during the civil war (1975-90). Although some have since returned, this permanently disturbed Lebanese population growth, and has greatly complicated demographic statistics. Another result of the war was a large number of internally displaced persons. This especially affected the southern Shi'a community, as Israeli invasion of southern Lebanon in 1978, 1982 and 1996 prompted waves of mass emigration, in addition to the continual strain of occupation and fighting between Israel and Hizbullah (mainly 1982 to 2000). Many Shi'a resettled in hastily constructed slum suburbs south of Beirut, the so-called "belt of misery". After the war, the pace of Christian emigration accelerated, as many Christians felt discriminated against in a Lebanon under increasingly oppressive Syrian occupation. |
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This intel was contributed by halfspy
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May, 2012
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