Lebanon

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Official name: Lebanese Republic Area: Government: Official languages: Monetary unit: Cities:

DEMOGRAPHY Population: 4 millions Population density: ECONOMY GDP (PPP): per person: </small>

LIFE & LIBERTY HDI

Contents 1 Geography 1.1 Location 1.2 Climate 1.3 Natural Resources 2 Demographics 2.1 Peoples 2.2 Provinces 3 Life 4 Economy 5 Government 5.1 Terrorism 6 Religion 6.1 Islam 6.2 Buddhism 6.3 Christianity 6.3.1 Challenges for Christians: 6.3.2 History 6.3.3 Churches 6.3.4 Church and State Relations 6.3.5 Mission & Evangelisation 6.3.6 Broadcasting 6.3.7 Councils and Networks 7 Future Trends 8 For More Reading

[edit] Geography

[edit] Location

• Lebanon is a small, largely mountainous country in the Middle East, located at the eastern edge of the Mediterranean Sea. It is bordered by Syria to the north and east, and Israel to the south.

[edit] Climate

[edit] Natural Resources

[edit] Demographics

[edit] Peoples

[edit] Provinces

• The Provinces of Lebanon

• The Cities of Lebanon

Beirut

[edit] Life

• Between 1975 and 1991, Lebanon had a civil war. Yet since peace resumed, Lebanon has made good progress on reconciliation and rebuilding political institutions. Thank God for the eventual ending of the civil war. May again peace would resume.

[edit] Economy

[edit] Government

• Although Syria withdrew its military forces from Lebanon in April 2005, it still maintained a covert intelligence presence. The Lebanese government accused Syria of continuing to support and facilitate arms smuggling to Hizballah and Palestinian terrorist groups.
• The political strife between the government and the opposition is at its peak because the parliament is deadlocked and is unable to elect the new president. If the two parties do not come to an agreement by November 24th, 2007, political and possible military unrest will be unleashed. Civil war, this time mainly between Sunnis and Shi'ites, will wreck the country. Christians will pay a heavy price the same way Iraqi Christians are paying in Iraq. LEBANON is now at a CROSSROADS: PEACE or CIVIL WAR.
• Cross border fire between Hizballah and Israel has been ongoing. The sudden escalation of conflict in July 2006 led to bombing raids on Beirut, civilian casualties and a mass exodus of foreigners and refugees. Pray for a miracle of peace in the Israeli-Lebanese conflict.
• After the 2006 war between Israel and the Lebanese militant group Hizbollah, the international community poured funds into clearing millions of cluster bombs that the Israeli army had dropped on the region but now funds are drying up. It's more and more difficult for us to get the funds, says Claus Nelson, the head of the Lebanon operations for Danish Church Aid - one of the many demining organisations that work in Lebanon. Pray for the safety of Claus Nelson and his team and for the international community to honour their promises for funding.
• Parliamentary elections are held every five years in Lebanon. The approaching June 7, 2009 event will pit multiple parties against each other. The elections have the potential to either strengthen and unify or further divide the nation. “Religion and politics run deep in Lebanon. They determine who people are, who they associate with, and how they live.”
• Pray for God to release the Spirit of Reconciliation throughout these elections. Pray for this to be a time for healing and restoration for the people and the land. Pray that the politicians God desires to be elected. (June 2009)

[edit] Terrorism

• The Lebanese government’s Internal Security Forces has created a special unit to combat terrorism, and established branches of this unit to preempt terrorist activity in northern and central Lebanon. Even with these steps, there are many concerns about Lebanon’s ability to combat terrorism. Hizballah still remains the most prominent terrorist group in Lebanon. It has strong influence among Lebanon’s Shia community, which comprises about one-third of Lebanon’s population. The Lebanese government still recognizes Hizballah as a legitimate “resistance group” and political party. Hizballah maintains offices in Beirut and elsewhere in the country, has official liaison officers to the security services, is represented by elected deputies in parliament, and until recently had one minister in the cabinet. The unstable political situation in Lebanon also contributed to enabling suspected foreign terrorist organizations such as Al Qaeda and Fatah-Islam to infiltrate Lebanon and set up operational cells within the Palestinian refugee camps. Some of these groups, such as Al Qaeda affiliate Asbat al-Ansar, have been able to find safe haven within the camps to support their actions.

[edit] Religion

• Muslims comprise 59.8% of Lebanon’s population, while Christians make up 31.9%, Druze 7%, Other 1.3%. The constitution provides for freedom of religion and the freedom to practice all religious rites provided that the public order is not disturbed.

• Lebanon is still the only land in the Middle East where anyone is legally free to decide to change their religious affiliation. May this incredible freedom would be maintained. This freedom exists only partly in the every day life. Believers from most other Arab countries can more freely come to Lebanon for training.

[edit] Islam

• 59.8%

[edit] Buddhism

[edit] Christianity

[edit] Challenges for Christians:

• On February 13, 2007, there was a bomb attack on two buses in the town of Ain Alaq, a Christian area north of Beirut. The attack killed three and injured 20. Leaders of all religious denominations condemned the bombing. It was presumed that the act of violence was intended to provoke sectarian tensions. A permanent search warrant remained in effect for the 2002 killing of an American citizen missionary affiliated with the Christian and Missionary Evangelical Alliance in Sidon, although the case was officially closed in April 2004. Investigations at the time of the killing suggested that Sunni extremists, possibly operating from the nearby Ain al-Hilweh Palestinian refugee camp, were responsible.

[edit] History

[edit] Churches

[edit] Church and State Relations

• Lebanon is still the only land in the Middle East where people are free to decide to change their religion. Pray that this incredible freedom would be maintained.

[edit] Mission & Evangelisation

• Because there is more religious freedom, Lebanon is an important center for Christian ministries across the Middle East. Pray for Christians who are working in Christian schools and orphanages. Pray that the lives of the children there would be changed by Jesus.
• There is a small but growing Christian fellowship among the Druze, less than 200 believers.
• A student ministry has started in in Beirut, a major center for higher education in the Arab world.

[edit] Broadcasting

[edit] Councils and Networks

[edit] Future Trends

[edit] For More Reading

• Wikipedia
• Joshua Project
• GRN