Political Divisions Harming Lebanon
ACN’s Diana Khaddaj interviewed the former President of Lebanon Michael Suleiman about the difficulties facing the Middle Eastern country. The former president believes that division and foreign influence are preventing Lebanon from responding to the current crisis.
By ACN Staff
President Michael Suleiman. (Credit: Aid to the Church in Need)
Michael Suleiman was president of Lebanon between 2008 and 2014. President Suleiman is a Maronite Catholic. By tradition the President of Lebanon must be a Maronite Catholic, while the prime minister is a Sunni Muslim, and the head of the National Assembly is a Shia Muslim. President Suleiman tried to create unity between the Lebanese people but faced difficulty due to foreign interference, with Saudi Arabia supporting the Sunni Muslims and Iran supporting the Shia mostly through support given to Hezbollah.
Lebanon is without a doubt going through a crisis. The country has serious political divisions and is facing an economic disaster. These political and economic difficulties have been made even more difficult by the explosion in Beirut’s port in August 2020. An increasing number of Christians have been leaving Lebanon, causing many, including the Syriac Catholic Patriarch, to worry about the future of Christianity in Lebanon. President Michael Suleiman gave an interview with Aid to the Church to Need (ACN) to discuss Lebanon’s current political issues.
Beirut’s port after the explosion in August 2020. (Credit: Aid to the Church in Need)
President Suleiman is critical of the role that Hezbollah has played in causing division in Lebanon and preventing a unified effort to address the country’s problems:
“Christian politicians could not do justice to the role of Christians in Lebanon because they could not enter into alliances with Hezbollah. Overall, political leaders could not agree on the idea of building our nation. It seems that Hezbollah doesn’t want to make an agreement with any Lebanese party that wants Lebanon to be a free and independent country. Today, Lebanon is not an independent or free country anymore due to the Iranian interference in Lebanese affairs carried out by Hezbollah, which is supporting Iran and opposing Arabic countries and the US, as well as Europe.”
President Suleiman is also skeptical that having only Maronite presidents really empowers Lebanese Christians:
“No, because the President of Lebanon doesn’t have the power to govern. The prime minister, who, according to the same understanding, should be a Sunni Muslim, has more power than the President. I suggested to have a rotation of key offices among religions.”
President Suleiman is convinced that Lebanon needs to be free of outside intervention and focus on its own problems if the country’s current issues are going to dealt with:
“We have elections next May to choose members of the National Assembly. It is up to the Lebanese people to elect new representatives with good reputations, free from corruption, and loyal only to Lebanon…Nothing is possible if we don’t dream. People should keep dreaming of the best outcome. During my presidency, I was not able to achieve the Lebanese dream. My big achievement was the “Baabda Declaration” (2012), which stated that Lebanon should not be involved in the region’s problems and wars.”
Lebanon is a priority country for ACN. ACN pledged a €5 million package to help the Lebanese Church rebuild in Beirut after the August 2020 disaster. We also support the Lebanese Church’s pastoral programs, provide Mass stipends to priests, and support the Church’s effort to help Syrian refugees and the Lebanese poor.