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19.09.2013

ON THE MODERN CHALLENGES THE ARMENIAN COMMUNITY IN LEBANON FACES

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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 (http://www.aztagdaily.com/archives/125077); 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” (http://www.aztagdaily.com/archives/125701).

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 http://www.aztagdaily.com/archives/127006

5 After completion of works of the General National Assembly of the Armenian Catholicosate of Cilicia Patriarch Aram I stated: (http://www.aztagdaily.com/archives/125701).

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 http://www.aztagdaily.com/archives/127006; Statement: (http://www.aztagdaily.com/archives/127589).

“Globus” analytical journal, #7, 2013

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