By Lebanese standards, the issue of Palestinian refugees seems like a minor detail when compared to the flood of Syrian refugees rolling into Lebanon. According to the figures of international organizations, the number of Syrian refugees in Lebanon amounts to 740,000, including 400,000 children. Meanwhile, the figures presented by the official Lebanese authorities indicate that the actual number of refugees is actually twice that of international figures. The difference between the two estimates is due to reasons such as refugees living with relatives, the fact that they are unregistered on the UNHCR lists, and their short term stay in Lebanon before moving to a third country. In other words, the number of refugees is almost half that of Lebanese citizens, knowing that the Lebanese state is actively proceeding down the pathway of becoming a failed state with its collapsing services and institutions, amidst general indifference. This reality leaves Syrians facing a series of approaches in light of the Lebanese political, economic, and even cultural and social crises. One such approach consists of the blatant racism of the main Lebanese forces with respect to this issue. These forces (mainly but not solely the Free Patriotic Movement) have opted for completely denying the new reality imposed by the problem of the refugees. They chose to use a chauvinistic and superficial kind of speech by insisting on preventing the establishment of refugee camps, imposing a curfew on the refugees in their municipalities, and applying mythical dimensions to this humanitarian cause. According to these forces, the refugees represent a threat to the Christian existence in Lebanon, to the country's security and stability (knowing that the country has been standing on the verge of a sectarian war since before the Syrian revolution), and mostly to its "civilized image!" One needs not say that the refugee camps would greatly facilitate dealing with the refugees instead of them being deployed all over the country, contrary to what these forces are saying. On the other hand, the Lebanese government came up with a plan that fell short of coping with the massive proportions of this issue and its many facets and complications. Some nongovernmental organizations and relief institutions are making exceptional efforts to relieve the distress of the refugees. However, things do not seem to be on their way to a happy end. The political and religious factors are now part of the obstacles being raised in the face of the possible solutions to this problem in addition to the current dismantlement of the Lebanese state as indicated above. The Syrian refugees are also complaining about Lebanese racism and sectarianism, and the fact that the Lebanese are taking advantage of the refugees' difficult circumstances in order to achieve gains and express their complexes and psychological diseases. These claims are correct. Indeed, the Lebanese are now acting with the Syrian refugees just like they did with the Palestinian refugees and the Asian and African workers but most importantly with each other. Sectarianism is a rooted phenomenon in the Lebanese society and represents the basis in the dealings among the Lebanese people, from official administrations to hospitals, schools, and the street. All what the Lebanese had to do was to add the Syrians to their daily routine. For the sake of objectivity, one must say that sectarianism and racism are not a purely Lebanese specialty and that the entire region, including Iraq, Egypt, and of course Syria, is seeing a violent and random targeting of people from different sects. The abuse that the Syrian refugees are subjected to in Lebanon is echoed in Jordan and Egypt and has reached dangerous proportions. All these facts indicate the existence of a social problem with economic and cultural roots. Poems loaded with racist content are still being taught in schools. Arab "intellectuals" experience no shame whatsoever when mocking the skin color of the American president whenever they disagree with him on some issues. We need to acknowledge the existence of a deep and major problem on the level of the racist general culture and the crisis of state in the Arab world. Only then will we be able to realize how deep our crisis is.
