Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
I recently spent 100 dollars on a "Our Land of Lebanon" rosary. For those of you unfamiliar with Catholicism, it's essentially just prayer beads with my name engraved on a silver medal which is on the back part of a Virgin Mary medal. And it got me thinking, is Lebanon a safe country? I've read that it was called the "Switzerland of the Middle East" and Beirut the "Paris of the Middle East". A lot of things are going on over there now. Lebanon has 1.5 million Syrian refugees as of 2017. Lebanon is the smallest country on the Asian mainland. Their are smaller island countries, but other than that, it is one of the smallest countries in the world. I've seen pictures online and it looks quite beautiful from what I've seen, but a lot has happened in the region since 2011. Is tourism to Lebanon effectively dead? Is Lebanon as dangerous as its portrayed in western media? I think it is myself. Lebanon has a lot of sectarian tension, just like its neighbor Syria. I almost feel guilty buying this rosary knowing Lebanon might fall into civil war again. Southern Lebanon is considered part of the Holy Land and tensions with Lebanon's southern neighbor, Israel are also very high due to Hezbollah. I know that Lebanese politics, military, and economy are dominated by the Maronite Catholics.
Tensions between Shiites and Sunnis are at their highest since the 1980's. I know Armenians form a large part of Lebanese society, and that they are highly respected by the kind Arab Muslim majority citizens. I've known many Lebanese people in the Chicagoland area. And I can tell you, Lebanese women are the most beautiful on the planet. It amazes me how beautiful Lebanese women are. I know that about 30% of Lebanon is Catholic, and that the landscape is dominated by Catholic Christians. I think this may change very soon. As the predominantly Syrian Sunni refugees might unite with the local Sunni Muslims of Lebanon and rebel against the Catholic Maronite-Shiite Hezbollah alliance, created by Christian President Michel Aoun and Hezbollah Leader Hassan Nasrallah. It seems very likely that Shiites and Christians are now small minorities compared to the Sunni Muslims now.
I know Chaos is supposed to happen before the end of the world if you're Christian or Muslim. But, is Lebanon doomed until the end times, or will Lebanon rebuild before the end of the world? It seems so sad to me that a nation with so many beautiful women, that truly know how to make the Muslim hijab look so gorgeous, are in such a dire situation. Lebanese women are so beautiful, I almost wish I was Muslim so I could marry four of them. God bless America and Lebanon. I truly hope I have a Lebanese girlfriend someday.
If this were 2015, I'd say yes. But as of early 2016 it has too many issues that have arisen that has made Lebanon an unsafe destination currently. Nearly all Gulf Arab countries have banned it's citizens from entering Lebanon, Saudi Arabia has cut off all of it's Aid funding due to it's current leadership leaning towards Iran and Hezbollah being heavily intertwined now in it's political system.
Watch Anthony Bordan's Parts unknown episode on Lebanon. Sadly due to problems in Syria Lebanon is small county being saturated by refugees. I have family stuck there that ran from the conflict in Syria. The situation there seems tense. Hopefully Lebanon can maintain stability. Amazing food. Beautiful country that I also would love to visit one day. At this moment..... not so sure that it is a good time to go.
We went a few weeks ago and we found the natural setting of Beirut to be beautiful. However the buildings and city itself seemed rather worn and dirty. Lots of Syrian refugees waiting on the roadsides for work. Plenty of security. That being said, the food is great, it's fairly open for the middle east, and byblos , the grotto, and harissa (christian shrine) are fantastic to see.
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
.......
