In an attempt to understand the current conflict between Lebanese social groups, I decided to map out the religious and political rivalries and cooperations. I decided to go back to the early years when Mount Lebanon was first recognised as an autonomous province under the power of the Ottoman Empire, then on to the colonial years, independence, civil war, and up to the present situation.
Emir Beshir II Shehab
While going through a wide range of books and online articles that relay the history of Lebanon, I was surprised to find a reoccurring contradiction in many sources. During the Ottoman Empire, two families had authority over Mount Lebanon: The Lebanese Emirates of the Maanids (1516-1697) and the Shehabis (1697-1841). While all sources confirm that the Maanids were Druze, some of the sources depicted the Shehabis to be Sunnis which later converted to Maronite Catholicism, other sources said they were Druze same as the Maanids, while a few stated that Shehabis were Druze, but Emir Beshir II Shehab converted to a Maronite during his rule.
While considering these three possibilities, I would think that the first one is quite intriguing considering the religious demographics of Mount Lebanon during the 15th and 16th centuries. Mount Lebanon was dominated by Christians (Maronites) and Druze, with Sunni, Shia and Melchite minorities around the mountain’s edges. During the Maanids Emirate, the Druze were in power, but there was a strong Druze-Maronite cooperation, and Emir Fakhr Ed-Din al Maani developed Lebanon’s relationship with Latin-Catholic Europe through his close relationship with Tuscany (Italy). When the Maanids’ male line became extinct, power was passed on to the Shehabis.
Beiteddine, the home of Emir Beshir II Shehab
My question is, if the Shehabis were Sunni as some sources claim, and if the Druze were the majority and had the power, why would they pass the rule to a Sunni family if Sunnis were a minority with no strong inter-religious cooperation? Why was the power not passed to a Druze or a Maronite family? And finally, why would a simple fact such as an Emir’s religious origin remain ambiguously recorded after so many dedicated archives and writings about the history of the Ottoman Empire?
Reception Hall at Beiteddine (The House of Religion)
the Shabab family was Druze but then it bifurcated into three castes of druze, sunni and maronite. The leadership of the maan came to druze Shehab and then Emir Shehab II was a member of the druze/sunni caste but he secretly converted to maronite; thus, publicly he was sunni or druze origines but privately and for the foreign consulates he was christian. The power of Besheer II was satisfying all castes because they benefited from this situation.
Hi Adonis, your explanation makes perfect sense. From that perspective, Emir Beshir II had the support of the Sunni and Druze castes because of his religious origins, and that his conversion to Maronite satisfied the Maronite castes and gave him better relations with Europe.
Is this general information that you have grown up knowing or did you find this explanation in a particular book or document?
yes the Shehab family were druze originally, even related to the maani family. Mir Bachir later converted to Maronite (not sure abt the Sunni part), but Adonis’ analysis makes sense.
The Shehab’s were originally Sunni Moslems noy Druse. Some of the family still is Sunni. Only the ones that ruled Lebanon converted to Christianity (Maronites)–Emir Yussif (son of Emir Melhem) and Emir Bachir. I have the history of the familly. The original name was Makhsoom.
They did & to this day do, however, intermarry with prominent Druse families. i.e., the Arslans. However, to this day they remain Sunni. Not one member of the family is Druse. We are a close family who keeps in touch, an example of religious acceptance & tolerance. We keep in touch, socialize & care of each other without regards to our religion. We also intermarry & are members of the Chehab Emirs Association. That is why President Fouad Chehab was able to govern over Lebanon. He understood well the indisyncrasy of the country.