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The Sunni Community in Lebanon: From “Harirism” to “Sheikhism”?

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Lebanon Facing The Arab Uprisings

Abstract

The Sunni community is one of Lebanon’s historic communities, key player of the National Pact, and pivotal in the Lebanese political game. However, following the assassination of former prime minister Rafic Hariri, the Sunni community seems to live in limbo, unable to fill the political vacuum created by Hariri’s death. The aim of this chapter is to analyse the paths of transformation and adaptability of the Sunni community by focusing on the post-2011 era in particular. If the crisis of “Harirism” was something unexpected in Lebanon, the Sunnis have shown a weak capacity to react to several difficulties at various levels. This weakness paved the way for the rise of radical Sunni movements such as that of Sheikh Ahmad al-‘Asîr between 2011 and 2013.

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. CNRS-Pacte, Grenoble, France

    Daniel Meier

  2. Department of Culture, Politics and Society, University of Torino, Torino, Piedmont, Italy

    Rosita Di Peri

Authors
  1. Daniel Meier
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  2. Rosita Di Peri
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Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. University of Turin, Turin, Italy

    Rosita Di Peri

  2. CNRS (PACTE), Grenoble, France

    Daniel Meier

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Meier, D., Peri, R.D. (2017). The Sunni Community in Lebanon: From “Harirism” to “Sheikhism”?. In: Di Peri, R., Meier, D. (eds) Lebanon Facing The Arab Uprisings. Palgrave Pivot, London. https://doi.org/10.1057/978-1-352-00005-4_3

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