Ilona, I found this interesting too. The Maronites are a very interesting group and I had little prior knowledge before the course. The relationship with France was a great way for them to grow their educational prospects with the creation of the university in Beirut. The freedom to practice one’s chosen religion in the Near East seems like such a foreign concept in the West, but shows the character of Modern Lebanon at their founding. You are right that it is interesting that other groups prospered when the Christians prospered.
