The Daily Star
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| Demonstrators marching for secularism carry signs reading "Down with the Sectarian System." (Azakir) |
BEIRUT: More than 500 demonstrators marched from the social security building near the Cola intersection to Parliament Sunday, demanding an end to Lebanon’s “sectarian regime.”
While the turn-out was not as large as some previous anti-sectarian demonstrations, with the biggest drawing over 20,000 in March, leaders of the demonstration say they were pleased with the crowd, which is finally picking up again after several months of a lull in which activists say they had to reorganize themselves in order to keep their message on track.
“We’d had problems recently with members of the sectarian system, March 8 and March 14, wanting to take part in our movement,” said Maher Abou Shackra, one of the rally organizers. “That didn’t make sense. We wanted to clear in our objectives.”
That objective is to abolish Lebanon’s sectarian system, which has been in place since the founding of the modern state in 1943. Activists say that Lebanon’s confessional government prevents the country from achieving a true democracy by having political parties based on sect, appointing politicians to posts based on their religious affiliation rather than their merit, and by forcing citizens to comply with laws based on their religious backgrounds.
Lebanon’s first major secular demonstration took place on April 15 of last year, when 5,000 people marched from Ain Mreisseh to parliament. The event, which was largely promoted on Facebook, inspired more such protests, the largest to date drawing more than 20,000 people to the streets in March.
Today, there are at least five anti-sectarian groups on Facebook, with a combined total of at least 33,000 members. They include Secular march toward citizenship; Civil Society Movement; Laique Pride; All for secularism; No sectarianism; Say No to Sectarianism and For the overthrow of Lebanon's sectarian system – toward a secular system.
Although there are some slight differences between the groups, most agree on the basic principles of a secular system.
With the recent pause in activity, some organizers say the campaign has lost its momentum, causing a drop in participation. With the new government, sworn in two weeks ago after a five-month delay, they are now hoping to revive the public’s interest in the anti-sectarian issue.
“We’re not just protesting this government, but all the governments since the beginning of the state,” said Ali Noureddine, who founded the Secular Club at the American University of Beirut in 2008.
“When you have a system where the president is Maronite and the prime minister is Sunni, [and the Speaker is Shiite] that’s unfair. We have 18 religious sects in Lebanon, and they all discriminate against each other.”
Although the exclusion of Lebanon’s two political coalitions might limit the size of the campaign, Shackra says that in the end it will be worth it.
“It’s a small step in a big journey,” he said on the phone from the demonstration. “It’s difficult to create awareness. Sometimes we’re a hundred, sometimes we’re a thousand. Today, we didn’t expect a big crowd because of our recent difficulties.”
He added, “When we become hundreds of thousands, it will reveal Lebanon’s political contradictions.”
While the turn-out was not as large as some previous anti-sectarian demonstrations, with the biggest drawing over 20,000 in March, leaders of the demonstration say they were pleased with the crowd, which is finally picking up again after several months of a lull in which activists say they had to reorganize themselves in order to keep their message on track.
“We’d had problems recently with members of the sectarian system, March 8 and March 14, wanting to take part in our movement,” said Maher Abou Shackra, one of the rally organizers. “That didn’t make sense. We wanted to clear in our objectives.”
That objective is to abolish Lebanon’s sectarian system, which has been in place since the founding of the modern state in 1943. Activists say that Lebanon’s confessional government prevents the country from achieving a true democracy by having political parties based on sect, appointing politicians to posts based on their religious affiliation rather than their merit, and by forcing citizens to comply with laws based on their religious backgrounds.
Lebanon’s first major secular demonstration took place on April 15 of last year, when 5,000 people marched from Ain Mreisseh to parliament. The event, which was largely promoted on Facebook, inspired more such protests, the largest to date drawing more than 20,000 people to the streets in March.
Today, there are at least five anti-sectarian groups on Facebook, with a combined total of at least 33,000 members. They include Secular march toward citizenship; Civil Society Movement; Laique Pride; All for secularism; No sectarianism; Say No to Sectarianism and For the overthrow of Lebanon's sectarian system – toward a secular system.
Although there are some slight differences between the groups, most agree on the basic principles of a secular system.
With the recent pause in activity, some organizers say the campaign has lost its momentum, causing a drop in participation. With the new government, sworn in two weeks ago after a five-month delay, they are now hoping to revive the public’s interest in the anti-sectarian issue.
“We’re not just protesting this government, but all the governments since the beginning of the state,” said Ali Noureddine, who founded the Secular Club at the American University of Beirut in 2008.
“When you have a system where the president is Maronite and the prime minister is Sunni, [and the Speaker is Shiite] that’s unfair. We have 18 religious sects in Lebanon, and they all discriminate against each other.”
Although the exclusion of Lebanon’s two political coalitions might limit the size of the campaign, Shackra says that in the end it will be worth it.
“It’s a small step in a big journey,” he said on the phone from the demonstration. “It’s difficult to create awareness. Sometimes we’re a hundred, sometimes we’re a thousand. Today, we didn’t expect a big crowd because of our recent difficulties.”
He added, “When we become hundreds of thousands, it will reveal Lebanon’s political contradictions.”
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