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Islam in Americas
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Islam in Lebanon is divided between four Muslim sects; Shiites, Sunnis, Alawites, and Ismailis including the Druze. All but Ismailis enjoy proportional representation in parliament.
Muslims (including Druze) account for 59.7% of the total population of Lebanon, where 39% are Christians.[1] About 25% of the Lebanese population is Sunni, concentrated largely in coastal cities. Shi'is - about 35% [2] of the total population of Lebanon - live mostly in the northern area of the Beqaa Valley and southern Lebanon. A religious data in 1985 suggests that the number of Muslims has risen, with 75% compared with Christians at 25%.[3]. By the 1980s Shi'is became a large confessional group in Lebanon, leading to demands for better educational and employment opportunities and redistribution of power based on actual numbers. Druze constitute about 5 percent of the population. Alawis are numerically insignificant but have risen in importance since the Gulf War of 1990-1991 due to the growing influence of Syria, where Alawis dominate the government. Ismailis number only a few hundred and play no significant political role. Religious officials of each sect maintain jurisdiction over personal status law. The distribution of political power is based on religious affiliation: the president must be Maronite Catholic Christian, the speaker of the parliament must be Shiite Muslim and the prime minister must be Sunni Muslim.
Shiite community in Lebanon
External links
References
- ^ CIA Factbook - Lebanon
- ^ The New York Times > International > Interactive Feature > Interactive Graphic: Attacks, Day by Day
- ^ [1] Contemporary Religious distribution of Lebanon's main religions
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