Research and writing: Christina Abou Rouphael
Amid Lebanon’s economic collapse, along with other successive crises, “ownership” is raised as 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. 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 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 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 dossier 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 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, along with all available related information. By enabling access to detailed information, it allows the use of this data as an effective tool for enhancing future transparency and accountability, supporting discussions and advocacy on issues of social justice and reclaiming the social value of these lands, and creating a public narrative around the financial privileges of religious authorities, placing 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.
