Middle East News
Lebanese protest anew to end religious-based political system
Mar 6, 2011, 18:27 GMT
A Lebanese woman supporter of outgoing Prime Minister Saad Hariri holds a gadget with a photograph of slain former Prime Minister Rafik Hariri that reads in Arabic \'The Cedar Revolution continues\' in Beirut, Lebanon, 06 March 2011. Thousands of women supporters of Rafik Hariri formed a human chain from his grave in downtown Beirut to the place where he was killed in a massive truck bombing in 2005. EPA/WAEL HAMZEH
Beirut - About 9,000 people took to the streets of Beirut Sunday in the second march in less than a week to call for an end to a system that divvies up political power based on religious denomination.
'We want an end to the confessional political system in the country once and for all,' read one banner.
'Revolt to topple the agents of confessionalism,' read another banner at the rally.
The demonstrations were mobilized via a page on the networking website Facebook titled 'Lebanese People Want to Topple Confessional Regime.'
Last Sunday, a smaller protest took place near the country's courthouse to call for an end to the interplay between religion and politics in their country's political system.
The protesters were adopting similar slogans to those used by anti-government protesters in Tunisia and Egypt, who recently toppled long-time leaders Zine el-Abidine Ben Ali and Hosny Mubarak.
Lebanon is home to 18 religious sects. Under a 1943 power-sharing constitution, the president must be a Maronite Christian, the prime minister a Sunni Muslim and the speaker of parliament a Shiite Muslim.
Other government posts are also allocated according to religion.
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