Lebanese people, who come from various religious and ethnic groups, form a distinct community in

Belgium Belgium, ; french: Belgique ; german: Belgien officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a country in Northwestern Europe. The country is bordered by the Netherlands to the north, Germany to the east, Luxembourg to the southeast, France to th ...

as part of the global Lebanese diaspora. It was estimated in 2006 that there were 8,000 Belgians who identified as Lebanese in terms of origin or descent. More recent estimates put their numbers at only 3,500. The majority are Belgian citizens and live in major cities such as

Brussels Brussels (french: Bruxelles or ; nl, Brussel ), officially the Brussels-Capital Region (All text and all but one graphic show the English name as Brussels-Capital Region.) (french: link=no, Région de Bruxelles-Capitale; nl, link=no, Bruss ...

and

Antwerp Antwerp (; nl, Antwerpen ; french: Anvers ; es, Amberes) is the largest city in Belgium by area at and the capital of Antwerp Province in the Flemish Region. With a population of 520,504,

. In addition, it was reported the same year that 1,200 were living in

Lebanon Lebanon ( , ar, لُبْنَان, translit=lubnān, ), officially the Republic of Lebanon () or the Lebanese Republic, is a country in Western Asia. It is located between Syria to the north and east and Israel to the south, while Cyprus li ...

. They sometimes refer to themselves as ''Belgo-Libanais'' in French. Although small in contrast to the much larger Moroccan and Turkish communities, the different ethnic and religious groups from within Lebanon are represented in Belgium. This includes a significant

Maronite Christian Lebanese Maronite Christians ( ar, المسيحية المارونية في لبنان; syc, ܡܫܝܚܝ̈ܐ ܡܪ̈ܘܢܝܐ ܕܠܒܢܢ) are adherents of the Maronite Church in Lebanon, which is the largest Christian denomination in the country ...

community which traces its origin to traders who settled in Belgium during the 19th century. Some Maronites are involved in the trade of

diamonds Diamond is a solid form of the element carbon with its atoms arranged in a crystal structure called diamond cubic. Another solid form of carbon known as graphite is the chemically stable form of carbon at room temperature and pressure, bu ...

in the

Antwerp diamond district Antwerp's diamond district, also known as the Diamond Quarter (''Diamantkwartier''), and dubbed the Square Mile, is an area within the city of Antwerp, Belgium. It consists of several square blocks covering an area of about one square mile. While a ...

. Restaurants serving

Lebanese cuisine Lebanese cuisine is the culinary traditions and practices originating from Lebanon. It includes an abundance of whole grains, fruits, vegetables, fresh fish and seafood. Poultry is eaten more often than red meat, and when red meat is eaten, it ...

exist in numerous Belgian towns and cities. A small Lebanese community existed in the

Belgian Congo The Belgian Congo (french: Congo belge, ; nl, Belgisch-Congo) was a Belgian colony in Central Africa from 1908 until independence in 1960. The former colony adopted its present name, the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), in 1964. Colo ...

before its independence in 1960. The

Arab European League The Arab European League (Dutch: ''Arabisch-Europese Liga'', AEL) is a Pan-Arabist political organisation active in Belgium and the Netherlands.

was founded by

Dyab Abou Jahjah Dyab Abou Jahjah ( ar, دياب أبو جهجه, born 24 June 1971 in Hanin, Lebanon) is an Arab political activist and writer who was active in Europe between 2001 and 2007. He is the founder and former leader of the Arab European League (AEL) ...

, Lebanese-Belgian activist, as a Pan-Arabist political group in Belgium which is a vocal exponent of

Palestinian nationalism Palestinian nationalism is the national movement of the Palestinian people that espouses self-determination and sovereignty over the region of Palestine.de Waart, 1994p. 223 Referencing Article 9 of ''The Palestinian National Charter of 1968' ...

. It was criticised for participating in violent racist and

antisemitic Antisemitism (also spelled anti-semitism or anti-Semitism) is hostility to, prejudice towards, or discrimination against Jews. A person who holds such positions is called an antisemite. Antisemitism is considered to be a form of racism. Antis ...

demonstrations in Antwerp in 2002. The

2006 Lebanon War The 2006 Lebanon War, also called the 2006 Israel–Hezbollah War and known in Lebanon as the July War ( ar, حرب تموز, ''Ḥarb Tammūz'') and in Israel as the Second Lebanon War ( he, מלחמת לבנון השנייה, ''Milhemet Leva ...

was reported to have brought different ethnic and religious denominations within the community together. Around 20 Lebanese-Belgian men are believed to have travelled to Lebanon through

Libya Libya (; ar, ليبيا, Lībiyā), officially the State of Libya ( ar, دولة ليبيا, Dawlat Lībiyā), is a country in the Maghreb region in North Africa. It is bordered by the Mediterranean Sea to the north, Egypt to Egypt–Libya bo ...

in 2006 to fight against Israel. The Belgian-Lebanese community held small demonstrations in Brussels in sympathy with the

2019–2020 Lebanese protests The 17 October Protests, commonly referred to as the 17 October Revolution () is a series of civil protests taking place in Lebanon. These national protests were triggered by planned taxes on gasoline, tobacco, and VoIP calls on applications s ...

in November 2019. It also organised humanitarian aid to be sent to

Beirut Beirut, french: Beyrouth is the capital and largest city of Lebanon. , Greater Beirut has a population of 2.5 million, which makes it the third-largest city in the Levant region. The city is situated on a peninsula at the midpoint o ...

in the aftermath of the

2020 Beirut explosion On 4 August 2020, a large amount of ammonium nitrate stored at the Port of Beirut in the capital city of Lebanon exploded, causing at least 218 deaths, 7,000 injuries, and United States dollar, US$15 billion in property damage, as well as lea ...

Notable people

(b. 1971), political activist and polemicist * Khalil Sehnaoui (b. 1975), hacker and internet security consultant

References

{{Lebanese diaspora Ethnic groups in Belgium Middle Eastern diaspora in Belgium Muslim communities in Europe

Notable people

See also

References