ARTICLES

Syria under the spotlight

Following the car blast that assassinated former Lebanese Prime Minister Rafiq Al- Hariri on 14 February 2005, the Islamic Republic of Syria has come under the spotlight. The spectacular force of the explosion - corresponding to about 300 kilograms of dynamite - left ten people dead and hundreds injured.........more Word version

The different colours of the Lebanese mosaic

Among the thousands of demonstrators who crowded Beirut's Martyrs' Square to demand the total withdrawal of Syria's presence in Lebanon were representatives of the diverse religious sects which make up Lebanon's unique multi-confessional system. Out of the eighteen sects which comprise the country's multi-confessional mosaic, four represent a majority of Lebanon's 4.2 million population: the Druze (an offshoot of Islam) (10%), Christian Maronites (20%), the Sunni (25%) and Shia Muslims (30%).......more Word version