Religion in Lebanon Information & Religion in Lebanon Links at HealthHaven.com

Lebanon has several different main religions. The main two religions are Islam (Sunni and Shia) and Christianity (the Maronite Church, the Eastern Orthodox Church, the Armenian Apostolic Church, and the Assyrian Church of the East) There is also the Druze minority religion. No official census has been taken since 1932, reflecting the political sensitivity in Lebanon over confessional (i.e. religious) balance.^[1] The CIA World Factbook shows that now about 59.7% are Muslims (Sunni, Shia, Druze, and Alawites) and 39.0% are Christians (mostly Maronites, Greek Orthodox, Armenian Apostolic, Melkite Greek Catholics, Assyrian Church of the East, Syriac Orthodox, Chaldean Catholic) and 1.3% "Other".^[2] Lebanon has a population of Kurds (also known as Mhallami or Mardinli), most of whom migrated from northeast Syria and southeast Turkey are estimated to be between 75,000 and 100,000 and considered to be part of the Sunni population. These have in recent years been granted Lebanese citizenship and hence re-tipped the demographic balance in favour of the Muslims and the Sunnis in particular. ^[3] In addition, many thousands of Arab Bedouins in the Bekaa and in the Wadi Khaled region, who are entirely Sunnis, were granted Lebanese citizenship.

Even though Lebanon is a secular country, family matters such as marriage, divorce and inheritance are still handled by the religious authorities representing a person's faith. Calls for civil marriage are unanimously rejected by the religious authorities but civil marriages held in another country are recognized by Lebanese civil authorities.

[edit] See also

Freedom of religion in Lebanon

[edit] References

^ Country Studies. "Lebanon Population". Retrieved November 25, 2006.
^ CIA, the World Factbook (2006). "Lebanon". Retrieved March 8, 2009.
^ International Journal of Kurdish Studies, Jan, 2002 by Lokman I. Meho "The Kurds in Lebanon: a social and historical overview"

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[0] Country Studies. "Lebanon Population". Retrieved November 25, 2006.

[cia-1] CIA, the World Factbook (2006). "Lebanon". Retrieved March 8, 2009.

[2] International Journal of Kurdish Studies, Jan, 2002 by Lokman I. Meho "The Kurds in Lebanon: a social and historical overview"

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