Lebanese Sunni Muslims () refers to

Lebanese people The Lebanese people ( / Romanization of Arabic, ALA-LC: ', ) are the people inhabiting or originating from Lebanon. The term may also include those who had inhabited Mount Lebanon and the Anti-Lebanon Mountains prior to the creation of the mod ...

who are adherents of the

Sunni Sunni Islam is the largest branch of Islam and the largest religious denomination in the world. It holds that Muhammad did not appoint any successor and that his closest companion Abu Bakr () rightfully succeeded him as the caliph of the Mu ...

branch of

Islam Islam is an Abrahamic religions, Abrahamic monotheistic religion based on the Quran, and the teachings of Muhammad. Adherents of Islam are called Muslims, who are estimated to number Islam by country, 2 billion worldwide and are the world ...

Lebanon Lebanon, officially the Republic of Lebanon, is a country in the Levant region of West Asia. Situated at the crossroads of the Mediterranean Basin and the Arabian Peninsula, it is bordered by Syria to the north and east, Israel to the south ...

, which is one of the largest denomination in Lebanon tied with

Shias Shia Islam is the second-largest branch of Islam. It holds that Muhammad designated Ali ibn Abi Talib () as both his political successor (caliph) and as the spiritual leader of the Muslim community (imam). However, his right is understood to ...

. Sunni Islam in Lebanon has a history of more than a millennium. According to a CIA 2018 study, Lebanese Sunni Muslims constitute an estimated 30.6% of

's population. The Lebanese Sunni Muslims are highly concentrated in Lebanon's capital city -

Beirut Beirut ( ; ) is the Capital city, capital and largest city of Lebanon. , Greater Beirut has a population of 2.5 million, just under half of Lebanon's population, which makes it the List of largest cities in the Levant region by populatio ...

(West Beirut /or Beirut II), as well as Tripoli,

Sidon Sidon ( ) or better known as Saida ( ; ) is the third-largest city in Lebanon. It is located on the Mediterranean Sea, Mediterranean coast in the South Governorate, Lebanon, South Governorate, of which it is the capital. Tyre, Lebanon, Tyre, t ...

, Western Beqaa, and in the countryside of the Akkar, Arsal. They also have a notable presence in

Zahlé Zahlé () is a city in eastern Lebanon, and the capital and largest city of Beqaa Governorate, Lebanon. With around 150,000 inhabitants, it is the third-largest city in Lebanon after Beirut and Tripoli, Lebanon, Tripoli and the fourth-largest ...

, Southern Lebanon, Marjaayoun and Chebaa. Under the terms of an unwritten agreement known as the

National Pact The National Pact () is an unwritten agreement that laid the foundation of Lebanon as a multiconfessional state following negotiations between the Shia, Sunni, Maronite, and Druze leaderships. Enacted in the summer of 1943, the National Pact wa ...

between the various political and religious leaders of Lebanon, Sunni notables traditionally held power in the Lebanese state together, and they are still the only ones eligible for the post of

Prime Minister A prime minister or chief of cabinet is the head of the cabinet and the leader of the ministers in the executive branch of government, often in a parliamentary or semi-presidential system. A prime minister is not the head of state, but r ...

History

Ottoman rule

Historically, Sunnis in Lebanon fared better under the rule of the

Ottoman Empire The Ottoman Empire (), also called the Turkish Empire, was an empire, imperial realm that controlled much of Southeast Europe, West Asia, and North Africa from the 14th to early 20th centuries; it also controlled parts of southeastern Centr ...

than did Lebanon's other religious groups. Although the Ottomans ruled loosely, the Sunnis in coastal cities were given a degree of privileged status. However, this ended with the French mandate.

French mandate

In 1920, France legally extended the borders of

Greater Lebanon The State of Greater Lebanon (; ), informally known as French Lebanon, was a state declared on 1 September 1920, which became the Lebanese Republic (; ) in May 1926, and is the predecessor of modern Lebanon. The state was declared on 1 Septembe ...

to include all the territories of what is now Lebanon. This enhanced the position of the

Maronites Maronites (; ) are a Syriac Christian ethnoreligious group native to the Eastern Mediterranean and the Levant (particularly Lebanon) whose members belong to the Maronite Church. The largest concentration has traditionally resided near Mount ...

, whose population exceeded that of the Sunni Muslims in the new districts. This changed Lebanon's demographics, as the territories added contained predominantly Muslim areas. This made Lebanese Christians constitute barely over 50% of the population, whereas the Sunni population increased eightfold. The Sunnis resented this, as they were formerly part of the majority within the

, but now became a minority in a Maronite-dominated French mandate. In the 1932 Lebanon census, 175,925 individuals, constituting 22% of the total population of 785,543, were Sunni Muslims. The Lebanese Sunni Muslims did not want to be separated from their Sunni Muslim brethren in

Syria Syria, officially the Syrian Arab Republic, is a country in West Asia located in the Eastern Mediterranean and the Levant. It borders the Mediterranean Sea to the west, Turkey to Syria–Turkey border, the north, Iraq to Iraq–Syria border, t ...

, whereas the Lebanese Christians wanted a French or European-oriented Lebanon to ensure economic viability that was separate from Syria. The Sunni community saw Greater Lebanon as an artificial entity, and repeatedly insisted on being reunited with

Greater Syria Syria, ( or ''Shaam'') also known as Greater Syria or Syria-Palestine, is a historical region located east of the Mediterranean Sea in West Asia, broadly synonymous with the Levant. The region boundaries have changed throughout history. Howe ...

and the rest of the Arab homeland.

Lebanese Civil War

In 1975, 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 ...

broke out between Maronite forces and the Lebanese Army on one side, and Sunni militias of the Lebanese National Movement (LNM) and

Palestine Liberation Organization The Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO; ) is a Palestinian nationalism, Palestinian nationalist coalition that is internationally recognized as the official representative of the Palestinians, Palestinian people in both the occupied Pale ...

(PLO) on the other.

Pan-Arabism Pan-Arabism () is a Pan-nationalism, pan-nationalist ideology that espouses the unification of all Arabs, Arab people in a single Nation state, nation-state, consisting of all Arab countries of West Asia and North Africa from the Atlantic O ...

and leftism attracted its largest following among the Sunni community of Lebanon. Following the Sabra and Shatila massacre in 1982, the Mourabitoun launched a series of attacks on the

Israel Defense Forces The Israel Defense Forces (IDF; , ), alternatively referred to by the Hebrew-language acronym (), is the national military of the State of Israel. It consists of three service branches: the Israeli Ground Forces, the Israeli Air Force, and ...

. The Taif Agreement in October 1989 ended the civil war. It provided equal representation for Christians and Muslims in the enlarged chamber of deputies, reduced the powers of the Maronite president, and increased powers for the Sunni prime minister. With

Saudi Arabia Saudi Arabia, officially the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA), is a country in West Asia. Located in the centre of the Middle East, it covers the bulk of the Arabian Peninsula and has a land area of about , making it the List of Asian countries ...

n support, the Sunnis achieved a position of power out of all proportion to their number or influence.

Relations

With Saudi Arabia

The Sunnis of Lebanon have close ties with

, who supports them financially. Moreover, Tripoli, the stronghold of the Lebanese Sunnis, is also the birthplace of Lebanon's

Salafi movement The Salafi movement or Salafism () is a fundamentalist revival movement within Sunni Islam, originating in the late 19th century and influential in the Islamic world to this day. The name "''Salafiyya''" is a self-designation, claiming a retu ...

. According to 2016 polling, 82% of Lebanese Sunnis have a favorable opinion of Saudi Arabia.

With Lebanese Alawites and Syria

The Lebanese Sunni Muslims initially opposed the creation of the Lebanese state separated from Syria, where the majority of the population was also Sunni Muslim, and wanted the territory of present-day Lebanon to be incorporated within the so-called

. Sunni Muslims and

Alawites Alawites () are an Arab ethnoreligious group who live primarily in the Levant region in West Asia and follow Alawism, a sect of Islam that splintered from early Shia as a ''ghulat'' branch during the ninth century. Alawites venerate Ali ...

have been in conflict with each other for centuries. The Alawites of the Levant were oppressed by the Sunni

, but gained power and influence when the French recruited Alawites as soldiers during the French mandate of Syria. After independence from France, their co-religionists, the Assad family, came to power in

in 1970. Over the years, there have been numerous clashes between the Sunni and Alawi communities in Tripoli since the breakout of the Syrian revolution, as part of the

Arab Spring The Arab Spring () was a series of Nonviolent resistance, anti-government protests, Rebellion, uprisings, and Insurgency, armed rebellions that spread across much of the Arab world in the early 2010s. It began Tunisian revolution, in Tunisia ...

that started in

Tunisia Tunisia, officially the Republic of Tunisia, is a country in the Maghreb region of North Africa. It is bordered by Algeria to the west and southwest, Libya to the southeast, and the Mediterranean Sea to the north and east. Tunisia also shares m ...

. At the best of times, the

are regarded by Sunnis as heretics; at times of tension, when thousands of Sunnis in Syria were being killed, they were regarded as the enemy. And when a popular Sunni figure is strangely abducted and arrested by Lebanon's General Security Service – the Alawites become the scapegoats. Throughout the Syrian civil war, most Lebanese Sunnis supported the

Syrian opposition Syrians () are the majority inhabitants of Syria, indigenous to the Levant, most of whom have Arabic, especially its Levantine and Mesopotamian dialects, as a mother tongue. The cultural and linguistic heritage of the Syrian people is a blend ...

, with some joining Syrian rebel forces and supplying the

Free Syrian Army The Free Syrian Army (FSA; ) is a Big tent, big-tent coalition of decentralized Syrian opposition (2011–2024), Syrian opposition rebel groups in the Syrian civil war founded on 29 July 2011 by Colonel Riad al-Asaad and six officers who defe ...

with arms and munitions. In December 2024, Lebanese Sunnis took to the streets to celebrate the

fall of the Assad regime On 8 December 2024, the Assad regime collapsed during a 2024 Syrian opposition offensives, major offensive by Syrian opposition, opposition forces. The offensive was spearheaded by Hay'at Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) and supported mainly by the Turk ...

following successful HTS-led Syrian opposition offensives, with major demonstrations especially in Tripoli and

. Lebanese Sunni share many views with the new Syrian government of

Ahmed al-Sharaa Ahmed Hussein al-Sharaa (born 29 October 1982) also known by his ''nom de guerre'' Abu Mohammad al-Julani, is a Syrian politician and former rebel commander serving as the president of Syria since January 2025. He previously served as the coun ...

, including opposition to

Hezbollah Hezbollah ( ; , , ) is a Lebanese Shia Islamist political party and paramilitary group. Hezbollah's paramilitary wing is the Jihad Council, and its political wing is the Loyalty to the Resistance Bloc party in the Lebanese Parliament. I ...

and the

Axis of Resistance The Axis of Resistance is an informal coalition of Iranian-supported militant and political organizations across the Middle East. Formed by Iran, it unites actors committed to countering the influence of the United States and Israel in the regio ...

. According to analysts, the events in Syria have empowered Lebanese Sunnis and emboldened Salafist groups in Lebanon, who may now deepen their ties with Salafist counterparts in Syria.

With Iran and Hezbollah

Lebanese Sunnis are largely hostile to

Iran Iran, officially the Islamic Republic of Iran (IRI) and also known as Persia, is a country in West Asia. It borders Iraq to the west, Turkey, Azerbaijan, and Armenia to the northwest, the Caspian Sea to the north, Turkmenistan to the nort ...

, viewing it as a destabilizing force due to its support for

and other Shia militias. According to polling data from 2012, 95% of Lebanese Sunnis hold a negative view of Iran, with 94% strongly opposing the

Iranian nuclear program The nuclear program of Iran is one of the most scrutinized nuclear programs in the world. The military capabilities of the program are possible through its mass enrichment activities in facilities such as Natanz and Arak. In June 2025, t ...

. Sunnis are also vehemently opposed to Hezbollah—viewing it as an untrustworthy

sectarian Sectarianism is a debated concept. Some scholars and journalists define it as pre-existing fixed communal categories in society, and use it to explain political, cultural, or religious conflicts between groups. Others conceive of sectarianism a ...

force—a stance that intensified following the

assassination Assassination is the willful killing, by a sudden, secret, or planned attack, of a personespecially if prominent or important. It may be prompted by political, ideological, religious, financial, or military motives. Assassinations are orde ...

of Sunni former Prime Minister

Rafic Hariri Rafic Bahaa El Deen al-Hariri (; 1 November 1944 – 14 February 2005) was a Lebanese businessman and politician who served as Prime Minister of Lebanon, prime minister of Lebanon from 1992 to 1998 and again from 2000 to 2004. Hariri headed fi ...

in 2005, which was blamed on Hezbollah. Their opposition deepened further following the 2008 Lebanon conflict and Hezbollah's involvement in the Syrian civil war in support of the Assad regime. In 2010, 84% of Lebanese Sunnis had a negative view of Hezbollah, compared to only 12% that had a positive view.

Geographic distribution within Lebanon

Lebanese Sunni Muslims are concentrated in cities of west

, Tripoli,

and in north Lebanon in the Akkar and Minnieh Dinnieh districts, middle and West Bekaa, Chouf district and Laqlouq in Mount Lebanon, Hasbaya district, and Northeastern Beqaa Valley mainly in and around the city of Arsal.

Demographics

Note that the following percentages are estimates only. However, in a country that had last census in 1932, it is difficult to have correct population estimates. The last census in Lebanon in 1932 put the numbers of Sunnis at 22% of the population (178,100 of 791,700). A study done by the

Central Intelligence Agency The Central Intelligence Agency (CIA; ) is a civilian foreign intelligence service of the federal government of the United States tasked with advancing national security through collecting and analyzing intelligence from around the world and ...

(CIA) in 1985 put the numbers of Sunnis at 27% of the population (595,000 of 2,228,000). Sunni Muslims constitute 27% of

's population, according to a 2012 estimate. And more recently, in 2023, the

CIA World Factbook ''The World Factbook'', also known as the ''CIA World Factbook'', is a reference resource produced by the United States' Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) with almanac-style information about the countries of the world. The official print ve ...

estimated that Sunni Muslims constitute 31.9% of Lebanon's population.

Genetics

Genealogical DNA test A genealogical DNA test is a DNA-based Genetic testing, genetic test used in genetic genealogy that looks at specific locations of a person's genome in order to find or verify ancestral genealogical relationships, or (with lower reliability) to ...

ing has shown that 27,7% of Lebanese Muslims (non-

Druze The Druze ( ; , ' or ', , '), who Endonym and exonym, call themselves al-Muwaḥḥidūn (), are an Arabs, Arab Eastern esotericism, esoteric Religious denomination, religious group from West Asia who adhere to the Druze faith, an Abrahamic ...

) belong to the Y-DNA haplogroup J1. Although there is common ancestral roots, these studies show some difference was found between Muslims and non-Muslims in Lebanon, of whom only 17.1% have this haplotype. As haplogroup J1 finds its putative origins in the

Arabian peninsula The Arabian Peninsula (, , or , , ) or Arabia, is a peninsula in West Asia, situated north-east of Africa on the Arabian plate. At , comparable in size to India, the Arabian Peninsula is the largest peninsula in the world. Geographically, the ...

, this likely means that the lineage was introduced by Arabs beginning at the time of the 7th century

Muslim conquest of the Levant The Muslim conquest of the Levant (; ), or Arab conquest of Syria, was a 634–638 CE invasion of Byzantine Syria by the Rashidun Caliphate. A part of the wider Arab–Byzantine wars, the Levant was brought under Arab Muslim rule and develope ...

and has persisted among the Muslim population ever since. On the other hand, only 4.7% of all Lebanese Muslims belong to haplogroup R1b, compared to 9.6% of Lebanese Christians. Modern Muslims in Lebanon thus do not seem to have a significant genetic influence from the

Crusaders The Crusades were a series of religious wars initiated, supported, and at times directed by the Papacy during the Middle Ages. The most prominent of these were the campaigns to the Holy Land aimed at reclaiming Jerusalem and its surrounding ...

, who probably introduced this common

Western Europe Western Europe is the western region of Europe. The region's extent varies depending on context. The concept of "the West" appeared in Europe in juxtaposition to "the East" and originally applied to the Western half of the ancient Mediterranean ...

an marker to the extant Christian populations of the

Levant The Levant ( ) is the subregion that borders the Eastern Mediterranean, Eastern Mediterranean sea to the west, and forms the core of West Asia and the political term, Middle East, ''Middle East''. In its narrowest sense, which is in use toda ...

when they were active in the region from

1096 Year 1096 (Roman numerals, MXCVI) was a leap year starting on Tuesday of the Julian calendar. Events By place First Crusade * Spring – Peter the Hermit begins his preaching of the First Crusade, traveling from Berry, France, B ...

until around the turn of the 14th century. Haplogroup J2 is also a significant marker in throughout Lebanon (27%). This marker is found in many inhabitants of Lebanon, regardless of religion, signals pre-Arab descendants, including the Phoenicians. These genetic studies show us there is no significant differences between the Muslims and non-Muslims of Lebanon.Zalloua, Pierre A.
Y-Chromosomal Diversity in Lebanon Is Structured by Recent Historical Events
''The American Journal of Human Genetics 82'', 873–882, April 2008

Notable Lebanese Sunni Muslims

Activists and journalists

* Anbara Salam Khalidi, a feminist, translator and author, who significantly contributed to the emancipation of Arab women * Nahla Chahal, writer, journalist, researcher, and activist

Artists

* Randa Chahal Sabag, film director, producer and screenwriter * Suzanne Tamim, the late singer * Fadl Shaker, singer * Walid Toufic, singer *

Wael Jassar Wael Jassar (; born 22 November 1976) is a Lebanese singer. Discography *''Kelmet Wada’a Beta’zebne'' *''Saat Baqoul'' *''Meshit kalass'' *''Eldonia Allimitny'' *''Metgarrinbin'' *''Zay Elaasal'' *''Fi Hadrat al Mahboub'' *2009 ''Tewaedini' ...

, singer

Politicians, diplomats, and public servants

* Salim Ali Salam, former deputy from Beirut to the Ottoman Parliament, former President of the Municipality of Beirut, and former President of the Muslim Society of Benevolent Intentions (al-Makassed) * Saeb Salam, politician, who served as Prime Minister six times between 1952 and 1973 * Riad Al Solh, the first

Prime Minister of Lebanon The prime minister of Lebanon, officially the president of the Council of Ministers, is the head of government and the head of the Council of Ministers of Lebanon. The prime minister is appointed by the president of Lebanon, with the consen ...

(1943–1945), after the country's independence * Emir Khaled Chehab, former

and Speaker of the

Parliament of Lebanon The Lebanese Parliament (, ) is the unicameral national parliament of the Lebanon, Republic of Lebanon. There are 128 members elected to a four-year term in Electoral district, multi-member constituencies, apportioned among Lebanon's divers ...

. *

Rafik Hariri Rafic Bahaa El Deen al-Hariri (; 1 November 1944 – 14 February 2005) was a Lebanese businessman and politician who served as prime minister of Lebanon from 1992 to 1998 and again from 2000 to 2004. Hariri headed five cabinets during his tenu ...

, assassinated former

Saad Hariri Saad El-Din Rafik Al-Hariri ( ; born 18 April 1970) is a Lebanese people, Lebanese businessman and politician who served as the Prime Minister of Lebanon, prime minister of Lebanon from 2009 to 2011 and 2016 to 2020. The son of Rafic Hariri, he ...

, former Prime Minister of Lebanon *

Fouad Siniora Fouad Siniora (; born 19 July 1943) is a Lebanese politician. He served as the 12th Prime Minister of Lebanon, prime minister of Lebanon from 2005 to 2009. He served as minister of Finance from 2000 to 2004. Early career In the 1970s, Sanioura ...

, former Prime Minister of Lebanon * Abdul Hamid Karami, former Prime Minister of Lebanon * Omar Karami, former Prime Minister of Lebanon * Rashid Karami, former Prime Minister of Lebanon *

Najib Mikati Najib Azmi Mikati (born 24 November 1955) is a Lebanese politician and businessman who served as the 52nd prime minister of Lebanon from 2021 to 2025. He previously served in this post as the 48th and 45th prime minister from 2011 to 2014 and i ...

, Prime Minister of Lebanon * Tammam Salam, politician and former Prime Minister of Lebanon * Mohamad Chatah, assassinated Lebanese economist and diplomat *

Ashraf Rifi Ashraf Rifi (; also spelled Achraf Rifi) (born 1 April 1954) is a Lebanese politician and former police chief. He was the general director of the Lebanese Internal Security Forces (ISF; the national police) from 2005 to 2013 and served as mini ...

, former major general and director of the Lebanese Internal Security Forces and current minister of justice *

Hassan Diab Hassan Diab (; born 1 June 1959) is a Lebanese academic, engineer and politician who served as the prime minister of Lebanon from 21 January 2020 to 10 September 2021. He was appointed by President Michel Aoun in 2019 to succeed Saad Hariri as ...

, former prime minister of Lebanon *

Nawaf Salam Nawaf Abdallah Salim Salam (; born 15 December 1953) is a Lebanese politician, diplomat, jurist and academic who has been serving as the 53rd prime minister of Lebanon since 8 February 2025. Salam previously sat on the International Court of Ju ...

, a diplomat, jurist, and academic. He acted as judge on the International Court of Justice for the 2018–2027 term * Wissam al-Hassan, assassinated brigadier general at the Lebanese Internal Security Forces (ISF) * Ali Al Hajj, former major general and director of the Lebanese Internal Security Forces

Religious figures

* Hassan Khaled, late former leader of Lebanon's Sunni Muslim community

Businessmen

* Al-Waleed bin Talal, Saudi-Lebanese businessman and grandson of Riad Al Solh, Lebanon's first Prime Minister

Sportsman

* Hazem El Masri, Lebanese-Australian professional rugby league player

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Sunni Islam in Lebanon