Adonis Diaries

Syria: When geographic borders do not correlate well with historical social structure

Lebanon journalist Jihad Zein is touring Paris old bookshops with the purpose of collecting books related to Syria and Lebanon during the French mandate after WWI.  The idea is to have a clear comprehension of how the French governments perceived the social structure in Syria and Lebanon that led to dividing Syria into five “self-autonomous” districts and the creation of Greater Lebanon…

The French mandated power divided Syria according to the religious minorities:

1. The north-east district of Al Jazira, including Aleppo, had many old Christian sects such as the Assyrian, Greek Orthodox, Armenians, Maronites… (who will eventually flee the region after the US invasion of Iraq in 2003)

2. The north-west coastal area, extending from Alexandretta (Iskandarun), and ceased by the French to the Turkey’s Attaturk before vacating Syria, to Tartous.  This district witnessed heavy concentration of the Alawi sect, used to be called Nussiria.

3. The south of the Hurran and Golan Heights with concentration of Druze,

4. The east-central district extending from Hama to the Euphrates River, and including Tadmor with Sunni concentration

5. Damascus districts with heavy Moslem Sunni sect and many Christian sects, mainly the Greek Orthodox…

In 1936, many Syrian and Lebanese political parties and groups converged to Paris to negotiate a treaty for the independence of Syria and the status of Lebanon.  The Syrian parties coalesced under the Syria National Block, represented by many disparate political groups.  Lebanon Maronite Patriarch Arida was deeply involved in the negotiation and was demanding that the Syrian Constitution includes a special clause to safeguarding the right of the religious minorities…

Here is an extract of the dialogue between the Maronite Patriarch Arida and the delegate of the Syria National Block Fakhry Baroudi:

Baroudi: “It is not appropriate for the Patriarch to send a delegate in order to demand a special clause in Syria Constitution.  There is no need for such a clause referring to religious minority rights. The Constitution guarantees total equality among the citizens…”

Arida: “Great…Why then the Constitution includes the clause that Islam is the State religion and that the PRESIDENT should be a Moslem…?”

Baroudi: “This clause is of temporary nature…until affairs stabilize…”

Arida: “Fine, let the minority rights clause enjoy also this temporary facility until the political conditions do no longer require it…”

In the last 75 years, what was supposed to be temporary in both Constitutions (Syria and Lebanon) is still of an everlasting temporary nature…

For example, the political landscape in Lebanon in the 1930’s was as follows:

1. The Christian Catholics, Maronites, Greek Orthodox, and Armenians professionals…who constituted the majority of deputies in the Lebanese parliament (13 out of 25 deputies)

2. The Maronite Patriarch block representing the large land owners, and the biggest Christian merchants

3. The “patriotic” Sunni Moslems, represented by Shakib Erslan and Abdel Rahman Shahabandar who worked toward an Arabic/Islamic empire in the Levant region (Syria, Lebanon, Palestine, and Jordan)

4. The pro-mandated power (mostly Christians), headed by Lebanon Patriotic Block of Emile Eddeh,  who wanted France to remain in order to achieve the development of State institutions and necessary infrastructure…

5. The countless religious minorities that demanded self-autonomous statuses…

Note 1: Lebanese journalist Jihad Zein referred to the French book “Secret history of the Franco-Syrian 1936 treaty” by Marcel Homet

Note 2:  In the mid 1930’s, there was the Communist party, totally obeying the dictate of Stalin.  This party suffered discredit as the Soviet Union voted for the creation of the State of Israel.  Stalin was under the illusion that Israel will quickly become the first communist State in the Middle-East. How whispered this falsehood in Stalin’s ear?

Note 3: By 1936, many political parties started to emerge, mostly sectarian groups (such as the Phalanges or Kataeb with the facilitation of the French mandated power.  The creation of sectarian parties was in reaction of the creation of a national secular party called “The Syria national social Party” and founded by Antun Saadeh.

Note 4: France gave away the Syrian territory of Adana and Alexandretta to Turkey, mostly in retaliation for the constant unrest of the Syrian people against its mandated power.