Beirut 1926: The Missing Constitution That Shaped Lebanon's Sects

In this episode, Lucas and Luna revisit the 1926 Lebanese Constitution—the document that enshrined a confessional quota system dividing power among Maronites, Sunnis, Shias, Druze, Greek Orthodox, and others. We explore the secretive drafting sessions at the Pine Forest Palace, the towering influence of Maronite Patriarch Elias al-Huwayyik, the secular vision of Salim Ali Salam, and the intellectual architect Michel Chiha, whose hybrid French-Ottoman ideas gave Lebanon a fragile blueprint. We uncover the moment the Shia delegation nearly walked out over the allocation of parliamentary seats—and how the French High Commissioner Henri Ponsot ultimately imposed a compromise that locked sect into state. This episode traces the roots of a political system that, a century later, still governs Lebanon's fragile balance.

#History #FexingoHistory #Lebanon #Beirut #1926Constitution #Confessionalism #EliasAlHuwayyik #MichelChiha #SalimAliSalam #HenriPonsot #GreaterLebanon #Maronite #Sunni #Shia #Druze #FrenchMandate #PineForestPalace #NationalPact

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