Investigating Religious Land Endowments in Lebanon

Amid Lebanon’s economic collapse, along with other successive crises, “ownership” is raised as a central issue in a country where “real estate rent” hinders economic growth. It is a fundamental issue in shaping the system of social and economic relations, framed by the state through laws, making it at the heart of social conflicts and the relationship between society and the state. From this perspective, between 2021 and 2022, “Public Works Studio” conducted an in-depth study of state-owned properties, which constitute a significant part of Lebanon’s lands, given the increasing proposals aimed at privatizing public properties under the pretext of rescuing the state from bankruptcy. The aim was to highlight their social value and to resist attempts to privatize them. This research had to be complemented by examining religious endowment lands, which are among the largest landowners and enjoy tax breaks and benefits.

Progressives worldwide have a long history of challenging religious authorities; political and economic privileges, especially after political crises or economic hardships. In Greece, following the economic crisis of 2009, leftist parties challenged the powerful Orthodox church’s financial privileges and demanded higher taxation. In Lebanon, despite over five years having passed since the economic collapse, religious authorities have been spared from the loss-sharing conversation. Currently, religious authorities control vast endowment lands and manage prominent educational and health institutions with very little scrutiny by public authorities. Although more people are denouncing the excessive revenues of religious institutions, the regulation and taxation of religious lands and assets were rarely ever mentioned.

At a time when society is bearing alone the burden of the economic crisis, religious authorities should be questioned about the communal wealth they are managing (land endowments). Whose interest are these projects serving? What justifies the tax exemption and other benefits of religious authorities? What would be a fair contribution for religious authorities in the current crisis? What would a geographic reading of these lands tell us about the history of property formation in Lebanon, and about their future potential as a shared asset?

Building on these questions, this research examines religious endowment lands within Lebanese law and data from the Land Registry. It provides an analysis of the properties of three sects (Maronite, Orthodox, and Sunni) within the Greater Beirut area, in terms of distribution among sects and owners within these sects, as well as their geographical distribution across districts and cadastrals, based on data related to religious endowment lands from the Land Registry. Additionally, this research provides an interactive map that displays the distribution of these lands within the scope of the study (Mount Lebanon and Beirut governorates), along with all available related information. It also grants access to the raw data as received from the Land Registry (available in the attachments section). By offering this data as an open-source information tool and enabling access to detailed and accurate information on the distribution of waqf lands, it allows the use of this data as an effective tool and basis for enhancing future transparency and accountability, supporting discussions and advocacy on issues of social justice and reclaiming the social value of these lands.

Moreover, this research aims to raise awareness on the social value of religious endowment lands, to create a public narrative around the financial privileges of religious authorities, and place them at the center of the wider conversation on economic collapse and sharing of losses, while underscoring the need to regulate religious lands and assets and to impose taxes on them.