Now Lebanon - Thousands of Lebanese march against confessionalism - Aprill 11, 2011

Thousands of Lebanese on Sunday rallied in Beirut calling for an end to the system of power-sharing along religious lines which they blame for the majority of problems afflicting the nation.
Some 2,500 Lebanese, according to an AFP photographer at the scene, marched for three hours from the national museum to the center of the capital, chanting "revolution against the regime, against corruption."
"People want the fall of the regime," and "We do not want confessionalism or civil war," cried others.
Security forces prevented them from entering Place de l'Etoile, the square where parliament is located.
"No to quotas, no to political dynasties" and "one civil status for all" read the banners deployed in the demonstration which was organized by young activists demanding an end to the confessional system in Lebanon.
The rally's organizers said they were free of any political affiliation after the Amal Movement and other parties organized along sectarian lines expressed support for the youth movement.
The organizers have set up a tent in front of the Interior Ministry.
Inspired by the success of popular uprisings in Tunisia and Egypt, several groups demanding an end to Lebanon's confessional system have sprung up on the social networking site Facebook.
The first demonstration against confessionalism took place on February 27 and several others have followed in the capital and across the country.
Lebanon's system of government is rooted in a 1943 power-sharing agreement along confessional lines adopted after the country won its independence from France.
Aimed at maintaining a balance between Lebanon's 18 religious sects, the agreement calls for the president to be a Maronite, the prime minister to be Sunni and parliament speaker a Shia.
Other government jobs are also allocated according to religious affiliation.
Protesters have blamed the power-sharing arrangement for most of Lebanon's problems, including corruption, cronyism and the civil war.
-AFP/NOW Lebanon