People emigrated from Lebanon throughout history due to many reasons: better career opportunities, persecutions, wars, lack of work, seeking education, and so on; most of which are put at the account of “fate.”
Not this time though.
After the Beirut explosion, many Lebanese citizens, especially the youth, have been leaving or wanting to leave their homeland due to hopelessness in a state that has not only been refusing to undertake urgent critical reforms but has also caused a massive humanitarian catastrophe.
According to Information International, the average number of departing passengers from Lebanon has increased by 36%, after the doomsday of August 4th.
Other statistics, according to Al-Liwaa, indicate that the percentage of emigrating Lebanese families in Christian areas has reached 30%, while in other areas it reached 41%.
The percentage of immigration requests at embassies is also increasing in areas with a majority of Sunnis, such as Tripoli and Akkar, areas that have been neglected by the government for a long time now.
However, Al-Liwaa also stated that “immigration requests, in general, do not exclude any sect/religion.” The percentage of young Lebanese also seeking immigration reaches more than 50%.
Ex-MP Elias Hankach also stated during an interview on LBC Lebanon that the total number of immigration requests in Lebanon has exceeded 380,000.
The resigned MP reported, according to his source in the Canadian embassy, 380,000 immigration requests from Lebanon at the Canadian embassy and European embassies, as well as the US embassy.
The Lebanese people have endured it all from the political ruling bodies of their country, and most kept hoping for the crucial radical change, which the rulers keep refusing it to them, even by force.
But that apocalyptic explosion, which screamed total irresponsibility and indifference towards the citizens they are meant to serve, was the last the people could bear.
Observing the state’s lack of humanitarian response to the catastrophe hasn’t certainly helped anyone regain some shred of hope in a system that continues to fail them.
