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Lebanese Children Learn Abbreviated¹ National History

Syrian forces withdrew from Lebanon in 2005 after a 29-year occupation. 

A series of popular uprisings preceded the withdrawal², culminating in one demonstration³ which brought an estimated one million Lebanese into the streets. The event, dubbed⁴ the “Cedar Revolution,” was seen as a main factor in the Syrian departure.

But Lebanese schoolchildren may never read about it because a ministerial committee recently decided⁵ to eliminate the phrase “Cedar Revolution” from a national middle school history curriculum being developed.

Since 1989, the committee dedicated⁶ to agreeing on a national history textbook has repeatedly failed to do so.

Maha Kassem is the principal of the Green Space School, an elementary school in Beirut. “The people who are in charge of overseeing the unified⁷ history book, they are the ones who are involved in these conflicts," he said. 

Most history textbooks stop in 1943, the year of Lebanese independence, leaving recent history interpretation⁸ up to parents, which can further cement a child’s sectarian view.

Lebanese University history professor Mounzir Jabber⁹ says the issue dates back to the Ottoman Empire. "As long as the feeling of identity in Lebanon remains¹⁰ sectarian, it’s [impossible] to talk about history on a patriotic¹¹ basis," he said. 

At the Green Space School, which lies on the edge of Christian¹², Druze and Shi'ite neighborhoods, Kassem says sectarian affiliation¹³ makes history lessons sensitive.“…Sometimes we have to skip certain lessons or summarize them, to avoid some discussions that might cause troubles between the students," he said. 

Especially when it comes to the 15-year civil war, in which all sects¹⁴ suffered losses and atrocities¹⁵ took place. The country is still recovering physically¹⁶ and emotionally.

Until then, Jabber says, perhaps it is fine to agree to disagree. “Let each group have its own version of history. But let's make sure that they are highlighting on the elements that keep them together, not the ones that tear them apart," he said. 

For now, Lebanese schools often choose textbooks according to their religious affiliation.