ON THE MODERN CHALLENGES THE ARMENIAN COMMUNITY IN LEBANON FACES
19.09.2013
Vahram Hovyan
Expert, Center for the Armenian Studies, `Noravank’ Foundation
The Armenian community in Lebanon traditionally takes plays key role
among the Armenian communities in the Middle East. Today it is even
more obvious taking into consideration difficult situation in other
Armenian communities in the Middle East region (Syria, Iraq, Egypt,
etc.).
Special role of the Armenian community in Lebanon among other Armenian
communities in the Middle East is conditioned by human and
organizational factors. As for the human factor, though the Armenian
community in Lebanon also could not avoid a wave of the Armenian
migration from the Middle East and Near Asia countries started in
middle of the 20th century reaching its heights during the Civil war
in 1975-1990, nevertheless, in general it preserves its considerable
size. Today the number of the Armenian population in Lebanon is 70-80
thousand people1. The fact that the territory of Lebanon is much
smaller as compared to other Armenian populated countries in the
Middle East (total area – about 10 thousand square miles), gives local
Armenian community a status of comparatively compact community.
Organizational factor is connected with the organizations of the
Armenian communities which are not only abundant in quantity and
diverse in types (church, educational, cultural, information, etc.)
but they also differ in the aspect of their activity. There are
organizations among them the activity of which goes far beyond the
scope of community and acquires regional (their activity is also
spread on other Armenian communities in the Middle and Near East) and
nationwide character.
In this aspect church institutions are worth mentioning:
– Armenian Catholicosate of Cilicia (Antilias) – Nationwide
institution which, being one of the four main Sees of the Armenian
Apostolic Church is a spiritual center of a big segment of the AAC
adherents;
– Armenian Catholic Patriarchate (Bzoummar) – It is also one of the
nationwide institutions which is a center of the Armenian Catholic
Church;
– Union of the Armenian Evangelical Churches in the Near East (Beirut)
– It includes six countries of the region – Turkey, Iran, Iraq, Syria,
Lebanon, Egypt as well as Armenian Evangelical communities in Greece
and Australia.
Due to the fact that the Armenian communities in the Middle and Near
East are mostly featured as religious entities and are administered by
the churches, one can state that the central administrative bodies of
the Armenian communities in this region (represented by the
aforementioned institutions) are in the Lebanon. Here we mean all the
confessional strata of the Armenians in the Middle and Near East –
adherents of the AAC, Catholics and Evangelicals.
At current stage the Armenian community in Lebanon also faces the
challenges which are characteristic of the Armenian Diaspora. Besides
opposition to threats jeopardizing national identity, the Armenian
community in Lebanon also must face the threats caused by this
volatile Middle East region. In other words, in case with the Lebanese
Armenians, the issue of preserving of the Armenian identity has
expanded and (like in other Armenian communities in the Middle East)
it has turned into an issue of security or even survival of the
Armenian community. The issues of the national identity (language,
culture, national self-consciousness) preservation were supplemented
by the issues of ensuring of physical security and emigration of the
community. Generally, the main issues faced by the Armenian community
in Lebanon can be divided into two groups – issues of security and
preserving of the identity.
Despite the unfavorable conditions and shrinkage of the potential of
the community, nevertheless, the Armenian institutions in Lebanon
still continue exerting efforts to oppose the challenges the Armenian
community faces. The traditional ways in this issues are supplemented
by new ones, because changing of the situation, emerging of new
challenges assumes new approaches.
Preserving of the Armenia identity
In the aspect of preserving of the Armenian identity the challenges
the Armenian community in Lebanon faces are connected with the
attributes of the national identity, in particular, loss of the
language. The problem of mixed marriages is no less acute.
Though the predominating Islamic environment in the Middle East
countries somehow puts the local Armenian communities aside from local
societies, thus contributing to preserving identity, nevertheless,
according to some specialists dealing with this problem, the shrinkage
of the number of the people speaking Armenian, and growth of the
number of the mixed marriages in the Armenian communities in the
Middle East is observed.
Struggling with the assimilation, the Armenian community in Lebanon
continues to emphasize the eagerness of the public life by means of
the regular activity of its organizational structures (church,
educational and cultural institutions, etc.).
As for new ways of preserving of the Armenian identity, in this aspect
the Lebanese Armenian community singles out two circumstances:
– Active involvement of the youth in solving of the national problems.
This is important not only in the aspect of introducing youth to the
national mentality but also in the aspect of rising of the efficiency
of the national organizations’ activity.
– Comparison of the national values with the universal values. It is
impossible to impose restrictions to the youth, thus depriving it from
a possibility of enjoying the achievements of other civilizations.
Such efforts may also contain threats of confrontation between the
community organizations and youth. Correspondingly, the best way of
preserving national identity today is not a confrontation but a
comparison of the national and universal2.
Security issues
The Armenian community in the Lebanon, just like in other countries of
the Middle East, faces the problems of physical security and
emigration which are conditioned by domestic and external
disturbances.
Lebanon stands out for its ethnic and religious-confessional diversity
of the population. In particular, strained relations developed between
the Shiite and Sunnite Muslims which form the main religious and
confessional groups in the country3. Worsening of those relations drew
the country into 15-years civil war (1975-1990). After the end of the
war the relations between Sunnites and Shiites periodically escalate
which is accompanied by violence.
At current stage the risk of the domestic crisis has increased owing
to the domestic Syrian crisis, because expansion of such moods to the
neighboring countries is one of the main features of the `Arab spring’
which burst out in 2011. According to the specialists, the collisions,
which took place in Lebanon lately, are influenced by the events in
Syria and it proves that the revolutionary wave can be `exported’ from
Syria to Lebanon.
And external shocks are connected with the Arab-Israeli conflict, in
which Lebanon is also involved and which manifests itself by
periodical escalations.
Domestic and external shocks affect both Lebanese society and Armenian
community. The community suffers not only human (victims and wounded),
but also material losses: here we mean both personal (flats, cars,
stores, etc.) and community (churches, schools, monuments, etc.)
property.
The absence of the security guarantees induces emigration of the
Armenians from Lebanon. Besides the security threats, emigration of
the Armenians from Lebanon is also determined by social and economic
conditions.
Weakening of the Armenian community in Syria, conditioned by domestic
conflict in this country, is also a challenge to the Armenian
community in Lebanon. The point is that the `Syrian Armenians are not
only a historic and organized community, but it also takes its
important place in the cultural, educational, sport and economic life
of the Armenian Diaspora’4. Proximity, interconnection and similarity
of the Armenian communities in Syria and Lebanon are so profound that
they can be considered as two segments of one big community. Weakening
and disappearance of the Syrian community will considerably weaken the
Armenian community in Lebanon. Under such conditions it is more than
obvious that the Lebanese Armenians cannot stay indifferent to the
fate of their compatriots in Syria.
It is obvious that the Armenian community in Lebanon cannot
considerably influence events of the restless Middle East region.
Moreover, interference into these events can even more endanger life
of the Armenian communities.
Correspondingly, the Lebanese Armenians tend to make efforts though
restricted to ensure their own security as well as the security of
other Armenian communities in the region. In this aspect the
importance of the cooperation with the Christian churches as well as
dialogue between religions and relations between Christians and
Muslims, `which are directed rather to the mutual understanding and
exchange of the experience necessary for the peaceful coexistence in
one and the same society, than the discussion of the theological
issues’5 are underlined.
As for the issue of preserving of the Armenian community in Syria, in
which the Armenians from Lebanon are interested, they do their best to
further it, mainly by means of the financial support6.
All the aforementioned can be summarized in the following theses:
– The Armenian community in Lebanon, as a managing center of the
Armenians in the Middle and Near East, plays a key role in the life of
the Armenian communities of the region;
– Just like other Armenian communities it faces the problems in the
spheres of security and preserving of the Armenian identity;
– Concerning the issue of preserving of the Armenian identity the
Armenian community in Lebanon at current stage, alongside with the
traditional means, also underlines importance of the active
involvement of the youth into the activity of the national structures
as well as combination of the national and universal values;
– In the aspect of the security, the Armenians in Lebanon underline
the importance of cooperation with the Christian churches and
interreligious dialogue with the Muslim world;
-The support rendered by the Armenians from Lebanon to the Armenians
from Syria, besides sincere aspiration to give a helping hand to the
compatriots who appeared in danger, is also based on the concern over
their own security.
1 Encyclopedia of the Armenian Diaspora, – Yerevan, 2003, p. 290.
2 See: General National Assembly of the Armenian Catholicosate of
Cilicia (); After completion
of works of the General National Assembly of the Armenian
Catholicosate of Cilicia Patriarch Aram I stated: `Reputation of the
Great House of the Armenian Catholicosate of Cilicia is in serving’
().
3 Conflict between Sunnites and Shiites is one of the main
inter-Muslim conflicts.
4 Statements of the General National Assembly of the Armenian
Catholicosate of Cilicia (June 12-15, 2013): Support of the Armenians
in Syria is nationwide priority
5 After completion of works of the General National Assembly of the
Armenian Catholicosate of Cilicia Patriarch Aram I stated:
().
6 Statements of the General National Assembly of the Armenian
Catholicosate of Cilicia (June 12-15, 2013): Support of the Armenians
in Syria is nationwide priority
; Statement:
().
`Globus’ analytical journal, #7, 2013
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