Gay, Trans and Illegal in Lebanon - BBC Pop Up

Homosexual sex is still technically illegal in Lebanon due to an article that prohibits sex against the “laws of nature”. This article has been used in the past to prosecute LGBT people, but has a rare ruling in a recent case sparked a new future for the country’s LGBT community? Benjamin Zand finds out for BBC Pop Up.

Le Pen Refuses Headscarf, Cancels Meeting

Marine Le Pen, France's far-right presidential candidate, canceled a meeting with Lebanon's Grand Mufti after refusing to wear a headscarf. CNN's Melissa Bell reports.

Middle-East Matters: Is There New Hope for Gay Rights Activists in Lebanon?

The Story of How Lebanon Was Islamized - Brigitte Gabriel

Mohammad from Lebanon Shares His Journey to Christ

‪Lebanon: Police Forensic Experts Inspect Double Bomb Site in Southern Beirut‬

Policemen and forensic investigators worked on Friday at the bomb site where double suicide attacks killed at least 43 people and left more than 200 injured, Thursday, in the suburb of Bourj al-Barajneh in southern Beirut.

Lebanon: Blood Flows on Ashura as Boys Cut Their Heads to Mark Shia Festival

Hundreds of Muslim men self-flagellated to commemorate the Shia Muslim festival of Ashura in the southern Lebanese city of Nabatieh, Saturday.

Lebanese Communists Gear Up to Fight ISIS: 'We Are Sons of This Land and Won't Leave It'

At the Lebanon-Syria border civilians are taking up the fight against ISIS themselves by forming communist guerilla group.

Beirut Turmoil: 'Lebanon On Brink of New Arab Spring'

It is the fourth night of unrest in Lebanon's capital Beirut. What started as demonstrations over a breakdown in the city's rubbish removal system has turned into violent protests, with calls growing for the government to resign.

Trash Crisis in Beirut, Clashes with Police, Calls for Government to Go

Another day of violent street clashes in Lebanon has gripped the capital, amid the ongoing waste collection crisis. Thousands poured into the streets of Beirut, rallying against government corruption. Police again battled masked youths, who set tires ablaze, as the night descended into chaos.

Lebanese Talk Show Host Paula Yacoubian: The Ottomans Were the Forefathers of ISIS, but Armenian Genocide Was Not About Muslims Killing Christians

ISIS Preparing to Declare Islamic Emirate in Lebanon: Sources

THE DAILY STAR: ISIS is preparing military plans to declare an Islamic emirate in Lebanon very soon to serve as a geographical extension of the so-called “Islamic State” announced by Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi in Iraq last year, security sources said.

ISIS fighters have demanded support from the militant group in northern Syria to achieve this goal, the sources said.

They added that the ISIS command has begun preparations to set up a military organizational committee tasked with running Lebanese affairs and considering Lebanon as part of its state. » | Antoine Ghattas Saab | The Daily Star | Monday, February 23, 2015

HT: Robert Spencer @ Jihad Watch »

Islamic State Fighters Mass on Lebanon Border and Threaten to Launch Attacks across It

THE SUNDAY TELEGRAPH: Exclusive: How Islamic State fighters have been training new recruits close to Lebanon – and could launch cross-border attacks

Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant fighters in Syria, massed close to the Lebanese border, are threatening to launch attacks across it, the Telegraph has witnessed.

The group has been training new recruits and defectors from smaller rebel factions in Qalamoun, a militarily strategically important province in the south-west of Syria that borders Lebanon.

Several of those smaller rebel groupings, some aligned with the more moderate "Free Syrian Army", have capitulated to the jihadists in recent months with many of their fighters joining Isil.

The growth of the group in the area means Sunni Isil fighters in Syria are now at the edge of the Lebanese heartland of its Shia arch enemy Hizbollah, whose men are fighting alongside the regime of Bashar al-Assad.

“The moderate rebel groups on the border have collapsed, and their men have joined Isil,” said Ahmed Flity, the deputy mayor of Arsal, a Lebanese border town that has effectively been cut off from the rest of the country by security forces, because of the threat from jihadists in the area. » | Carol Malouf and Ruth Sherlock in Arsal | Sunday, January 18, 2015

Wife and Child of Islamic State Leader Baghdadi Held in Lebanon

THE GUARDIAN: Arrest is described as ‘high-value catch’ and reportedly follows information provided by western intelligence agencies

The Lebanese army says it has detained the second wife of the Islamic State (Isis) leader, Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, and their eight-year-old son near the Syrian border.

The arrest reportedly took place in the past week and followed information provided by western intelligence agencies in the past fortnight.

Lebanese security officials described the woman as a “high-value catch” and said the identity of the boy was confirmed through DNA testing. If so, the revelation would support the claim of international involvement. The US and other states have samples of Baghdadi’s DNA from the nine months he spent in US custody in Iraq in 2004.

The British Foreign Office said it had nothing to add to the reports. » | Martin Chulov and agencies | Tuesday, December 02, 2014

Islamic State Terrorists Claim First Stake in Lebanon

THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: The rebel group, which has carved out a vast swathe of territory across Syria and Iraq, launched attack on border town after follower was seized

The jihadists of the Islamic State have seized their first territory inside Lebanon, a long-feared strike that hits at the heart of the country’s uneasy sectarian balance.

A Syrian rebel group which has sworn allegiance to the Islamic State’s leader has set up check-points in the town of Arsal on the two countries’ border, though it has stopped short of declaring it part of the organisation’s “Caliphate”.

Lebanese army troops have moved up to attack the town, firing shells and putting at risk not only the 40,000 local inhabitants but the estimated 120,000 Syrian refugees who have taken shelter there.

The crisis brought a rare show of unity from Lebanon’s competing political factions, with the Sunni prime minister Tammam Salam standing alongside the rest of the cabinet to give a statement. “The attack on Lebanese national dignity will not go unpunished,” he said, calling Islamic State’s behaviour “sick”. » | Carol Malouf in Arsal and Richard Spencer, Middle East correspondent | Monday, August 04, 2014

Coffee Shop Attacked in Lebanon for Not Closing during Ramadan

AL ARABIYA: A café open for customers during the day of the fasting month of Ramadan in the Lebanese city of Tripoli was attacked by unknown gunmen with a grenade, wounding four people and causing material damages to the café.

Two unidentified men on a motorcycle threw the bomb at Makiya café whose owner insists on opening his shop for customers who do not observe Ramadan fasting.

Observant Muslims fast from dawn to dusk during Ramadan.

One of the city’s residents, who refused to be named, said that Makiya is one of the cafés in the northern city which opens its doors to non-fasting customers who have chronic diseases, such as diabetes, pressure, kidney and ulcers, pointing out that they are regular customers. » | Nisrine Hatoum, Al Arabiya News | Thursday, July 03, 2014

Lebanese Get Naked in Support of Topless Skier

Lebanese professionals have rallied behind Jackie Chamoun

THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: As Beirut is rocked by car bombs, the country, once again, teetering on the brink of war, a new civil movement has sprung up - and they're not wearing any clothes

Hundreds of Lebanese professionals are posting nude pictures of themselves online in solidarity with Jackie Chamoun, the 22-year-old Lebanese Olympic skier, who was this week publicly scorned by the country's politicians for participating in a risqué photo-shoot.

The "I Am Not Naked" campaign, in which people are invited to strip off their clothes and be photographed, covering their private areas with a round sign saying #StripForJackie, was started on the spur of the moment by friends of Ms Chamoun.

"It took us a few hours to launch the idea and the Facebook page on Tuesday," said Mohamad Abdouni, a co-organiser of the campaign and the editor for a Lebanese arts magazine. "I went to bed at 6am and when I woke up at 10am on the same day, I found 4,000 likes on the Facebook page!"

The campaign has since taken Lebanese media by storm, dominating chat shows, newspapers and social networking sites including Twitter and Facebook. And it has gone beyond Ms Chamoun's breasts, kickstarting the conversation about what kind of a society Lebanon wants to be. » | Ruth Sherlock, Beirut | Thursday, February 13, 2014

Related »

Syrian Spillover: Deadly Violence in Lebanon as 'Al-Qaeda Ideology Spreads'

Humanitarian agencies are evacuating people from the besieged Syrian city of Homs as a ceasefire between the government and opposition is extended for another three days. Peace talks resumed in Geneva this week to try and end the war that's plunged the region into chaos. And neighbouring Lebanon is one of the countries worst affected, with not only the deadly violence, but also a radical ideology that's spilling over the border. RT's Maria Finoshina reports on the shocking revelations on who's joining the rebels from across the Syrian border.

Sochi 2014: Lebanese Skier Causes Controversy Over Topless Photos

THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: Lebanese skier taking part in Sochi has apologised for racy photos after country's sports minister called for an inquiry

A Lebanese skier competing in the Sochi Winter Olympics has sparked controversy back home after posing topless for a calendar.

The photos, which show Jackie Chamoun, 22, standing in snow holding strategically placed ski equipment to protect her modesty, were out-takes from an official photoshoot for the Austrian sports calendar.

Chamoun insisted that the risque pictures were not meant to go public, but local media were quick to accuse the alpine skier of "shaming" her country.

Lebanon is considered one of the most liberal countries in the Arab World, where women are free to wear skimpy clothes and where alcohol is widely available.

However, sections of society remain conservative by Western standards, and some took objection.

Faisal Karami, youth and sports minister, said he was asking Lebanon’s Olympic committee to look into the photos to ensure “the protection of Lebanon’s reputation.’’ » | Josie Ensor | Wednesday, February 12, 2014

Inside Story: Has Syria's War Spilled Over into Lebanon?

As bombs hit the Iranian embassy in Beirut, we discuss the regional dimensions of the ongoing Syrian conflict.