The Lebanese Question
The Lebanese traditions:
The Lebanese identity can be traced back to the end of the 16th century, with the Shehab
family, the Druze, the Maronites, along with other Muslim and Christian sects, forming an
independent government during the Ottoman occupation. This Lebanese entity emerged under
the rule of the Shehabs, who were converted to Maronites, hence choosing a Christian Maronite
for the leader position has become one of the main traditions in the Lebanese history, and has
been preserved to our day.
The second tradition of the Lebanese people is the feudal system, which divided the
people into two categories, the chiefs, who owned the land, and the peasants, who served the
