Some historical context for #Lebanon and its sectarian system.
1. The initial sectarian system was introduced in mid-19th century in Mount Lebanon when the Arab East was under Ottoman rule. The Ottomans regarded the novel sectarian system as a concession to European power. 2.European powers, however, regarded it as the key to "reforming" the Ottoman state. For Western powers, religious diversity in the Orient = sectarianism that had to be managed by "civilized" European powers.