Beirut, December 7 – The latest influx of people fleeing the ongoing civil war in Syria has tipped the balance of Lebanon’s population, rendering Lebanese citizens a minority in their country and prompting the government to formally rename the country to reflect its new status as composed primarily of those who have fled other places.
A country of just over four million, Lebanon has been inundated with refugees from Syria since the conflict began there more than four years ago amid the Arab Spring. A brutal war has given way to a brutal stalemate, and the millions of refugees created by the conflict see no indication that they can return home – or that they would remain unmolested if they did so. While Lebanon has received fewer refugees than, for example, Jordan, its limited size, population, and resources translate into a larger demographic impact.
In addition to the Syrians, Lebanon hosts nearly half a million Palestinians, mostly descendants of refugees who fled the war over the creation of Israel in 1948. Like their brethren throughout most of the Arab world, the Palestinian refugees are denied citizenship and most civil rights. Instead of participating in the civic life of the host country, the Palestinians are cared for by a special UN agency that perpetuates their dependence and prevents them from starting over in the manner that all other refugees are encouraged and enabled to do. Some of the refugees entering from Syria are themselves Palestinians with UN refugee status, and are therefore provided services that other Syrian refugees must do without.
A smaller, but still influential, population of Iranian and Syrian nationals add to the mix. The Syrians are a holdover from when Lebanon was occupied by Syria and its economic and political life were dominated by Damascus. Iran sends military, spiritual, and political personnel to help the militant organization Hezbollah, which controls the south of the country and is also heavily involved in backing the Assad government in the Syrian war.
Together the three populations now outnumber the indigenous Lebanese. As a result, the Beirut government officially renamed itself Refugistan on Saturday. According to the official proclamation issued this morning (Sunday), the first half of the name refers to the primary population within the country while the final syllable is a nod to Iran, which is located in a region of Asia where the “-stan” ending for countries’ names is traditional.
Officials of Refugistan made a point of emphasizing that the formal renaming in no way implied that the refugees, especially the Palestinians, would be granted any say in running the country. “The issuance of the new name is a gesture to honor the new cultural mix and its most numerous contributors,” said Minister of the Interior Ayma Fatedd. “We dare not endorse the presence of these welcome guests in our midst by granting them rights that might invite them to stay, which might be construed as acceptance of the situation where they came from.”
“We’re far too hospitable to do that to anyone,” he said.
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