The case of Lebanon is even more curious. Here, the French deliberately carved out a Christian majority state; the Christians had a bare majority of 52 per cent at the outset, but were privileged by the Constitution. In this order, the Maronite was a unique community; it was an ancient one that had always emphasized its ‘distinctiveness, perseverance and resistance to assimilation’.56 In Lebanon, this community has been compelled to live with Sunnis, Shias, Druze and Orthodox Christians.
