During the last four decades, Lebanon has witnessed changes in its political and demographic structure, the most prominent of which came to pass within the Shiite community during the time of the First Republic of Lebanon (1943-1989). At the time, the Shiite community was, to a great extent, socially and economically marginalized. Their economy relied heavily on tobacco farming, the harvest of which was bought by the state at rock-bottom prices. During that era, the farmers rose up in rebellion multiple times, demanding that the state increase their purchasing terms.
At the end of the 1960s, Musa al-Sadr, an imam who came from Iran to Tyre, the largest Shiite-dominated city in south Lebanon, stood out within the Shiite community. What was remarkable was that the Lebanese Maronites embraced his emergence at the time. In fact, the Holy Spirit University of Kaslik [Mount Lebanon] hosted many of his conferences on religious coexistence. In addition, late President Fouad Chehab, the most respected Maronite figure in Lebanon, facilitated the process of granting Sadr Lebanese citizenship.
