Lebanese Christians - Current Political and Religious Issues

Current Political and Religious Issues

The Taif agreement helped establish a power sharing system between the Christian and Muslim Lebanese political parties . The political and economic situation in Lebanon had improved greatly. Lebanon had rebuilt its infrastructure. The past affairs between Hezbollah and Israel have threatened to deteriorate Lebanon's political and economic situation, growing tension between March 8 and March 14 alliances are threatening Lebanon with strife. The Christian community is currently divided with some aligned with The Kataeb party, Michel Aoun's Free Patriotic Movement, El Marada Party headed by Suleiman Frangieh, Jr. and the Leader of the Lebanese Forces Movement Samir Geagea, and others with the various March 14 Christian leaders. Although the taif has been considered by some that it would degrade the Christian role in Lebanon removing much of the president's role (which is given to the Maronites) and increasing the roles of the prime minister (a Sunni), but the Lebanese Christian President still plays a major role in the Lebanese Politics as he is still the Commander in Chief of the armed forces and no governments can be formed without his approval and the presidential seal. Many Lebanese leaders including world leaders are currently reviewing the reinstatement of some of the powers of the President of the Lebanese Republic that was removed at the Taif agreement.

Christians also holds the position of the head of the army which formes the role of the Head of all armed forces that reports directly to the Commander in Chief The President of the Republic, this position is given to the Maronites since the establishment of the Lebanese army. The president of the Lebanese Central bank is also a position held by Lebanese Christians as the majority of the banking systems and private banks in Lebanon which forms the strongest and biggest banks in the middle east these banks are largely owned by Christians.

Read more about this topic:  Lebanese Christians

Famous quotes containing the words current, political, religious and/or issues:

    It is a quite remarkable fact that the great religions of the most civilized peoples are more deeply fraught with sadness than the simpler beliefs of earlier societies. This certainly does not mean that the current of pessimism is eventually to submerge the other, but it proves that it does not lose ground and that it does not seem destined to disappear.
    Emile Durkheim (1858–1917)

    American thinking, when it concerns itself with beautiful letters as when it concerns itself with religious dogma or political theory, is extraordinarily timid and superficial ... [I]t evades the genuinely serious problems of art and life as if they were stringently taboo ... [T]he outward virtues it undoubtedly shows are always the virtues, not of profundity, not of courage, not of originality, but merely those of an emasculated and often very trashy dilettantism.
    —H.L. (Henry Lewis)

    ... these great improvements of modern times are blessings or curses on us, just in the same ratio as the mental, moral, and religious rule over the animal; or the animal propensities of our nature predominate over the intellectual and moral. The spider elaborates poison from the same flower, in which the bee finds materials out of which she manufactures honey.
    Harriot K. Hunt (1805–1875)

    Cynicism formulates issues clearly, but only to dismiss them.
    Mason Cooley (b. 1927)