It seems so appropriate to speak of diversity and
freedom of religion in Lebanon in this Holy Week, leading up to Easter Sunday.
There is nowhere else I have seen practices as it is during Passion week.
So it is with great interest that I read, and
want to share, the preliminary report by United Nations Special Rapporteur Heiner
Bielefeldt on freedom of religion or belief in Lebanon.
On Thursday (April 2) he praised the country’s unique tradition of religious diversity, in particular in
the Middle East region, and urged the Lebanese people to protect and preserve
it.
“Diversity as well as freedom of religion or
belief must be preserved and further developed in order to build resilience
against the spiraling religious extremism in the Middle East region,”
Bielefeldt said at the end of an official visit to the country.
“In face of the challenging time,
Lebanon could be the ray of hope in the region and beyond for as long as it
preserves and promotes its legacy of religious diversity,” he noted.
Bielefeldt (Germany) assumed his
mandate as Special Rapporteur on freedom of religion or belief in August 2010.
He is Professor of Human Rights and Human Rights Politics at the University of
Erlangen-Nürnberg. From 2003 to 2009, he was Director of Germany’s National
Human Rights Institution.
The human rights expert emphasized
that people in Lebanon have learned the importance of coexisting even under
precarious conditions. In his view, other enabling factors include active
interreligious dialogues or cooperation and Lebanese citizenship.
“Religious
diversity is a visible and audible reality, as Churches and Mosques often stand
in close vicinity and the ringing of bells at times blends with the Muslim
prayer call. Some Lebanese openly declare themselves as agnostics or atheists
and express critical views on religion in general, which is mostly appreciated
as something quite natural in an open society.
“Lebanon’s
pluralistic heritage represents a counter-point to aggressive agendas of
sectarian homogenization, which haunt some of its neighboring countries. Over
the centuries a culture of interreligious coexistence has emerged, which today
helps to build resilience against extremist interpretations of religious
traditions. Due to mixed marriages, many families comprise persons of different
religious orientations. Many people live, learn and work together across
confessional lines, a situation which quite naturally fosters the discovery of
common interests…” Bielefeldt
wrote in his preliminary statement.
“Overcoming the political
confessionalism is nonetheless important in order to live up to its aspiration
to become a civil state based on rule of law,” the Special Rapporteur said. “Disentangling
the tightly knit web of religious loyalties, political affiliations, social
positions and societal opportunities may then enhance the prospects of common
citizenship.”
The Special Rapporteurs are part of
what is known as the Special Procedures of the Human Rights Council. Special
Procedures, the largest body of independent experts in the UN Human Rights
system, is the general name of the Council’s independent fact-finding and
monitoring mechanisms that address either specific country situations or
thematic issues in all parts of the world. Special Procedures’ experts work on
a voluntary basis; they are not UN staff and do not receive a salary for their
work. They are independent from any government or organization and serve in
their individual capacity.
On “Why Lebanon?”
Bielefeldt wrote: “…Lebanon
has successfully managed to keep the society together, across religious
boundaries and to build resilience against the virus of religious extremism.
Indeed, the main purpose of my visit has been to better understand what
facilitated these surprising accomplishments and which measures can be taken to
further strengthen peaceful interreligious coexistence of people across the
broad range of confessions…”
“Even though equal power sharing on
one hand maintains stable relationship among religious denominations, it may on
the other hand weaken the civil structure and reinforce political fragmentation,”
Bielefeldt further explained.
He noted that allowing civil marriage
in Lebanon will be a test case in further strengthening diversity. “Mixed
marriages are a reality in Lebanon and the absence of a civil marriage law may
create problematic situations from the perspective of freedom of religion or
belief and exacerbate discrimination against women,” he said.
“It is furthermore inevitable for the
society, especially the younger generation to tackle complicated facts of
recent history in Lebanon,” he added. “Without proper history teaching and
memorialization process, a climate of mistrust against each other between
different religious communities may persist.”
Bielefeldt concludes: “In discussions on how to preserve
and further develop religious diversity in the face of external threats and
internal challenges I have experienced a surprising readiness for reforms… Disentangling
the tightly knit web of religious loyalties, political affiliations, social
positions and societal opportunities may thus enhance the prospects of common
citizenship while at the same time ensuring that the inner attractiveness and
persuasiveness of religious messages can unfold without getting mixed with
non-religious incentives. Similarly, I have sensed much willingness to
introduce optional civil marriage in Lebanon, in order to accommodate the
realities of modern life in a more honest and open manner. Also in discussions
with religious leaders and dignitaries I rarely came across a wholehearted and
clear defense of the status quo. Fears that the option of contracting civil
marriages in Lebanon would erode the existing religious diversity would indeed
betray a lack of confidence in the inner persuasiveness of religious
traditions.
“In order to
preserve and further develop the Lebanese legacy of religious diversity in an
increasingly complicated region, religious communities and civil society
organizations will have to cooperate more closely to build trust based on a
common commitment to human rights, including the right to freedom of religion
or belief. I am grateful for having seen promising initiatives pointing in this
direction.”
During this 11-day mission to
Lebanon, Bielefeldt met with various government officials, representatives of
religious or belief communities, including the refugees, civil society
organizations and the UN.
Bielefeldt’s full end-of-mission statement can be read here. The final official report will be presented to
the 31st session of the Human Rights Council in March 2016.
