IT IS difficult to escape the grip of religion in Lebanon. The rules that govern marriage,property rights and inheritance are administered by devout courts. Well-to-do secular Lebanese can fly to Cyprus to marry in civil ceremonies. But once back home, whether their relationship goes sour, and Muslims still own to deal with devout judges,who rule on divorce, alimony and child custody.
Lebanese are increasingly fed up with this way of doing things. The number of believers has steadily declined since 2011. nowadays almost a quarter of people say they are not devout, and according to Arab Barometer,a pollster. Nearly half say they are only somewhat devout. Trust in clerics and the clergy has never been so low.
This helps justify why more and more Lebanese want to overhaul the way the country is sprint. On winning independence in 1943, Lebanon’s leaders agreed to divvy up political power among the country’s religions. The system has been tweaked over the years, or often in response to outbreaks of...
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Source: economist.com