Christians protest against sale of land to non-Christians in south Lebanon

Residents of a mostly-Christian town in south Lebanon Thursday protested the selling of property to non-Christians over fear of demographic changes.

“Don’t sell gold to buy cheap scrap metal,” “Our land is sacred, damn those who sell it,” and “Those who sold their land should leave,” read banners held up by residents of Maghdoushe, a suburb east of the southern coastal city of Sidon, as they stood outside the town’s main church.

The protest is only one of a series of similar protests held in the past, in opposition to the selling of the land to non-Christians and Lebanese from areas outside of Sidon and its suburbs.

No official consensus on Lebanon’s demographics has been taken since 1932.

“Our protest is neither sectarian nor political, but is against Maghdoushe residents themselves who are selling their land and their properties,” said Fadi Safi, one of the organizers of the protest.

He said the protests had begun in 2011 after large chunks of land, especially on the outskirts of the town, were sold to people from outside the area “.

Safi said studies were carried out to see which pieces of land were sold and why, saying the number was high and for reasons he and other residents did not know.

He added that a series of lectures were carried out “to raise awareness on the importance of protecting the land and only selling it to someone in the town if they really had to.”

“We told people they can cultivate their land and benefit from it, so it becomes a source of income… This way we won’t lose Maghdoushe, geographically and demographically,” Safi added.

He said the municipality presented a report to the head of the Urban Planning Department to classify Maghdoushe’s land as “under study,” meaning the municipality would have the authority to prevent or delay the selling of any piece of land.

“Those holding onto their land are more in need (of money) than those selling, as those who aren’t selling are finding alternatives,” added Safi, stating the church was in full support of the protest, which will soon expand to cover the rest of eastern Sidon and the Mount Lebanon Chouf town of Deir al-Qamar, a  Christian   town.

Many Shiite businessmen, allegedly acting on behalf of Hezbollah, a party that has in effect controlled the country since 2006, have been buying up swathes of land, many of which are in Christian areas and outside the traditional Shiite enclaves. Alarmed Christians see the acquisitions as part of Hezbollah’s long-term plan to consolidate its grip on the country.

The Shiite purchase of Christian land in Lebanon drove  former Lebanese Labor Minister Botros Harb in 2011 to submit to the cabinet a draft law that prohibits the sale of land across religions.