From Christian to Majority-Muslim: Lebanon’s Cautionary Tale for Europe
24th December 2025
Christians in Lebanon have declined from a demographic majority to a minority.
Lebanon was majority-Christian starting from the first century (when Christianity was introduced by figures such as St. Peter and St. Paul) until the mid-20th century. Mount Lebanon, which remains the Christian heartland of the country, is frequently mentioned in the Bible.
Lebanon was conquered by the Arab Islamic Rashidun Caliphate in 636 AD following the defeat of the Christian Byzantine (Eastern Roman) Empire at the Battle of Yarmouk. The Ottoman Empire later occupied Mount Lebanon from its conquest in 1516 until the end of World War I in 1918. Lebanon gained independence from French rule in 1943.