Assyrians in Lebanon (; ; ), or Assyrian Lebanese, are people of Assyrian descent living in Lebanon. It is estimated that there are approximately 30,000 Assyrians currently residing in Lebanon, primarily in Beirut and Zahlé. This number includes the descendants of Assyrian genocide survivors who fled Iraq, Turkey, and Iran between 1915 and 1934.

History

Assyrians are one of several minority groups in Lebanon. A Syriac Orthodox (Jacobite) community settled in Lebanon among the Maronites after Mongol invasions in the Late Middle Ages, however, this community was either dispersed or absorbed by the Maronites. Assemani (1687–1768) noted that many Maronite families were of Jacobite origin. A Jacobite community was present in Tripoli in the 17th century. The 1915 Assyrian genocide forced Western Assyrians from

Tur Abdin Tur Abdin (; ; ; or ) is a hilly region situated in southeast Turkey, including the eastern half of the Mardin Province, and Şırnak Province west of the Tigris, on the Syria–Turkey border, border with Syria and famed since Late Antiquity for ...

to flee to Lebanon, where they formed communities in the Beirut districts of Zahlè and Musaytbeh. Assyrian refugees from French Cilicia arrived in 1921 to bolster their numbers. In 1944 it was estimated that 3,753 Syriac Orthodox Assyrians lived in Lebanon. Prior to the

Lebanese Civil War The Lebanese Civil War ( ) was a multifaceted armed conflict that took place from 1975 to 1990. It resulted in an estimated 150,000 fatalities and led to the exodus of almost one million people from Lebanon. The religious diversity of the ...

(1975–1990), there were 65,000 Syriac Orthodox Assyrians in the country. Half of the community emigrated as a result of violence, with many going to

Sweden Sweden, formally the Kingdom of Sweden, is a Nordic countries, Nordic country located on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. It borders Norway to the west and north, and Finland to the east. At , Sweden is the largest Nordic count ...

, which protected "stateless people". As of 1987 there were only a few thousand Syriac Orthodox Assyrians in Lebanon. Assyrians remained neutral during the events of the

; however, individuals joined several armed forces, mainly working closely together with the founder and leader of the

Lebanese Forces The Lebanese Forces ( ') is a Lebanon, Lebanese Christianity in Lebanon, Christian-based political party and Lebanese Forces (militia), former militia during the Lebanese Civil War. It currently holds 19 of the 128 seats in Lebanon's Parliamen ...

militia Bachir Gemayel and Christian groups such as the Tyous Team of Commandos and the Shuraya Party. An influx of Assyrian refugees occurred due to the 2003 Invasion of Iraq and the War in Iraq (2013-2017), with Assyrians from Iraq fleeing to Lebanon as refugees in order to immigrate to

Europe Europe is a continent located entirely in the Northern Hemisphere and mostly in the Eastern Hemisphere. It is bordered by the Arctic Ocean to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the west, the Mediterranean Sea to the south, and Asia to the east ...

, the

United States The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...

, and

Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country comprising mainland Australia, the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania and list of islands of Australia, numerous smaller isl ...

. A third exodus has begun since 2011 as droves of Assyrians have fled Syria due to the Syrian Civil War, mainly settling in Sed El Baouchrieh. The number of Assyrians who fled IS violence in Iraq and Syria was at peek 20,000. The majority of Assyrians from Qamishli and the Khabour Region in Syria have taken refuge in Lebanon most of whom are living in the neighborhoods of Baucherieh, Achrafieh, Hadath, and Zahlé. While many Assyrians from Iraq have either returned home, or moved to Europe. A 2020 report by ''The Assyrian Journal'' has stated that Assyrian refugees in Lebanon face unique problems in the era of economic-downturn, anti-corruption protests, and the

COVID-19 pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic (also known as the coronavirus pandemic and COVID pandemic), caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), began with an disease outbreak, outbreak of COVID-19 in Wuhan, China, in December ...

. This was said to be due to their distinct ethnic and religious background. The report stated that many Assyrian refugees ruled out the idea settling refugee camps due to fear of discrimination targeting Christians in these camps. This has led them to seek other forms of private shelter, which often have costs of rental, food, water, utilities, and healthcare, which many Assyrian refugees are unable to pay themselves. Previous reliance on

remittances A remittance is a non-commercial transfer of money by a foreign worker, a member of a diaspora community, or a citizen with familial ties abroad, for household income in their home country or homeland. Money sent home by migrants competes ...

from abroad to pay these costs is also not a possibility, due to the global economic crisis caused by the pandemic. Assyrians who wish to leave these conditions for another country are unable to do so due to travel restrictions as a result of the pandemic. In 2022 the

Syriac Catholic Church The Syriac Catholic Church is an Eastern Catholic '' sui iuris'' (self-governing) particular church that is in full communion with the Holy See and with the entirety of the Catholic Church. Originating in the Levant, it uses the West Syriac ...

elected Isaac Jules Peter Georges Boutros as bishop, making him the youngest Catholic bishop in the world at the time. In an interview with Aid to the Church in Need, Bishop Jules spoke about the Syriac community in Lebanon, saying that there were approximately 4000 Syriac Catholic families in the country, mostly in Beirut. He added that the Syriac Catholic community does not feel represented in the Lebanese confessional system. "We are not represented in the Parliament, and there are no opportunities for Syriac men or women to reach top places in ministries, Government or Parliament. When our grandparents arrived in Lebanon our patriarchs suggested that they get involved in economy and trade, rather than politics. As a result, our presence in politics was always very shy."

Education

The St George Assyrian School () is an Assyrian school in Lebanon that is run by the

Assyrian Church of the East The Assyrian Church of the East (ACOE), sometimes called the Church of the East and officially known as the Holy Apostolic Catholic Assyrian Church of the East, is an Eastern Christianity, Eastern Syriac Christianity, Syriac Christian denomin ...

. It is located in Sed El Baouchrieh. The school provides classes up to the third grade and has 150 students, of which 100 are Assyrians. One hour of

Syriac language The Syriac language ( ; ), also known natively in its spoken form in early Syriac literature as Edessan (), the Mesopotamian language () and Aramaic (), is an Aramaic#Eastern Middle Aramaic, Eastern Middle Aramaic dialect. Classical Syriac is ...

lessons per week is compulsory for Assyrian students, with language courses available in the summer as well.

Politics

There are a number of Assyrian political parties that represent the local population in Lebanon. Majority of the Assyrian political parties in Lebanon are part of the March 14 Alliance and include the following parties: * Syriac Union Party * Shuraya Party

Religion

The majority of Assyrians in Lebanon are

Christians A Christian () is a person who follows or adheres to Christianity, a monotheistic Abrahamic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus Christ. Christians form the largest religious community in the world. The words '' Christ'' and ''C ...

who adhere to the East and West Syriac Rite. These include the following churches:

Catholic Assyrians

Chaldean Catholic Church

There is an estimated 20,000

Chaldean Catholic The Chaldean Catholic Church is an Eastern Catholic particular church ('' sui iuris'') in full communion with the Holy See and the rest of the Catholic Church, and is headed by the Chaldean Patriarchate. Employing in its liturgy the East Syri ...

adherents in Lebanon, the majority being refugees from Iraq. The Chaldean Catholic Eparchy of Beirut was established on the 3rd of July 1957 and the main parish in the country is ''St Raphael Chaldean Catholic Cathedral''.

Syriac Catholic Church

The

Patriarch The highest-ranking bishops in Eastern Orthodoxy, Oriental Orthodoxy, the Roman Catholic Church (above major archbishop and primate), the Hussite Church, Church of the East, and some Independent Catholic Churches are termed patriarchs (and ...

Ignatius Joseph III Yonan Ignatius Joseph III Yonan (or ''Younan'', , born 15 November 1944) is the Syriac Catholic Patriarch of Antioch and all the East of the Syriacs for the Syriac Catholic Church since his election on 20 January 2009. Life Ephrem Joseph Yonan wa ...

of the

currently resides in Beirut, where the church is based. The church owns a summer residence in Deir El Sherfet on top of Mount Lebanon. In 1817, a Syriac Catholic diocese was established in Beirut, but has remained vacant since 1898. The diocese of Beirut is currently under the jurisdiction of a patriarchal vicar or apostolic administrator since its vacancy. According to Catholic statistics from 1962, the Syriac Catholic Church had 6 parishes in Lebanon, accounting for 6 churches, 14 priests and 14,500 adherents. In 1964, this grew to 8 churches and 15,000 adherents.

Orthodox Assyrians

Syriac Orthodox Church

The

Syriac Orthodox Church of Antioch The Syriac Orthodox Church (), also informally known as the Jacobite Church, is an Oriental Orthodox Christian denomination, denomination that originates from the Church of Antioch. The church currently has around 4-5 million followers. The ch ...

is represented in Lebanon under the following clergymen: * Archbishopric of

Mount Lebanon Mount Lebanon (, ; , ; ) is a mountain range in Lebanon. It is about long and averages above in elevation, with its peak at . The range provides a typical alpine climate year-round. Mount Lebanon is well-known for its snow-covered mountains, ...

under Mor Theophilos George Saliba * Patriarchal Vicate of Zahle under Mor Justinos Boulos Safar * Archbishopric of Beirut & Benevolent institutions in Lebanon under Mor Clemis Daniel Malak Kourieh * Patriarchal Institutions in Lebanon under Mor Chrysostoms Michael Shamoun.

Church of the East

The

(ACOE) in Lebanon is part of the ''Archdiocese of Australia, New Zealand and Lebanon'', under the leadership of Mar Meelis Zaia. The ACOE churches in Lebanon include: * Mar Gewargis (Sed El Baouchrieh), built in 1953 * Mar Zaya (Ksara, Zahlé) * Rabban Pethyoun (Hadath) * Mar Khnanya (Achrafieh)

Notable people

* FairuzFatmaAydemir, Sami Rustom:
Libanesische Sängerin Fairouz: Die fremde Stimme
'' taz.de, 20. November 2014 (German) * Abeer Nehme * Elias Zazi * Philippe de Tarrazi * Isaac Armalet * Alexander Michel Melki * Felix Michel Melki

References

Sources

*1932 Census; British Journal of Middle Eastern Studies, Vol. 26, No. 2, (Nov., 1999), pp. 219–241 *1956 Estimates; International Journal of Middle East Studies, Vol. 11, No. 2, (Apr., 1980), pp. 175–187 * * {{Demographics of Lebanon Assyrian diaspora in Asia West Asian diaspora in Lebanon Ethnic groups in Lebanon