Lebanese people in France
Encyclopedia
Lebanese people in France include migrants from Lebanon
to France
, as well as their descendants.
to France since the 17th century, the real growth of the French Lebanese population began in 1975, with the start of the civil war
in Lebanon which drove thousands of people away. No concrete data exists on the religious affiliations of the Lebanese French community. It is commonly assumed that Maronite Christians and Shia Muslims make up the majority of Lebanese in France.
Lebanon
Lebanon , officially the Republic of LebanonRepublic of Lebanon is the most common term used by Lebanese government agencies. The term Lebanese Republic, a literal translation of the official Arabic and French names that is not used in today's world. Arabic is the most common language spoken among...
to France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
, as well as their descendants.
History and settlement
Although there has been sporadic migration from the Middle EastMiddle East
The Middle East is a region that encompasses Western Asia and Northern Africa. It is often used as a synonym for Near East, in opposition to Far East...
to France since the 17th century, the real growth of the French Lebanese population began in 1975, with the start of the civil war
Lebanese Civil War
The Lebanese Civil War was a multifaceted civil war in Lebanon. The war lasted from 1975 to 1990 and resulted in an estimated 150,000 to 230,000 civilian fatalities. Another one million people were wounded, and today approximately 350,000 people remain displaced. There was also a mass exodus of...
in Lebanon which drove thousands of people away. No concrete data exists on the religious affiliations of the Lebanese French community. It is commonly assumed that Maronite Christians and Shia Muslims make up the majority of Lebanese in France.
Notable people
- Andrée ChedidAndrée ChedidAndrée Chedid was a French poet and novelist of Lebanese descent.-Life:Chedid was born in Cairo on 20 March 1920. When she was ten, she was sent to a boarding school, where she learned English and French. At fourteen, she left for Europe. She then returned to Cairo to go...
, French poet and novelist of Lebanese origin - Éric BessonÉric BessonÉric Besson is a French politician and Minister of Industry, Energy and the Digital economy under the Minister of Economy, Finance and Industry, Christine Lagarde...
, French politician, presently Minister of Immigration, Integration, National identity and Solidary development in the government of François FillonFrançois FillonFrançois Charles Armand Fillon is the Prime Minister of France. He was appointed to that office by President Nicolas Sarkozy on 17 May 2007. He served initially until 13 November 2010 when he resigned from being prime minister before a planned cabinet reshuffle.On 14 November 2010, Sarkozy...
; his mother is from LebanonLebanonLebanon , officially the Republic of LebanonRepublic of Lebanon is the most common term used by Lebanese government agencies. The term Lebanese Republic, a literal translation of the official Arabic and French names that is not used in today's world. Arabic is the most common language spoken among...
. - Carlos GhosnCarlos GhosnCarlos Ghosn, KBE , born 9 March 1954, is a Brazilian-Lebanese-French businessman who is currently the Chairman and CEO of Yokohama, Japan-based Nissan and holds the same positions at Paris-based Renault, which together produce more than one in 10 cars worldwide...
, Brazil-born businessman of French and Lebanese descent. He is the current CEOChief executive officerA chief executive officer , managing director , Executive Director for non-profit organizations, or chief executive is the highest-ranking corporate officer or administrator in charge of total management of an organization...
and PresidentPresidentA president is a leader of an organization, company, trade union, university, or country.Etymologically, a president is one who presides, who sits in leadership...
of RenaultRenaultRenault S.A. is a French automaker producing cars, vans, and in the past, autorail vehicles, trucks, tractors, vans and also buses/coaches. Its alliance with Nissan makes it the world's third largest automaker...
of France and NissanNissan Motors, usually shortened to Nissan , is a multinational automaker headquartered in Japan. It was a core member of the Nissan Group, but has become more independent after its restructuring under Carlos Ghosn ....
of Japan - Matthieu ChedidMatthieu ChedidMatthieu Chedid is a French rock singer-songwriter and guitar player.-Biography:...
, rock singer-songwriter and guitar player - Louis ChedidLouis ChedidLouis Chedid is a French singer-songwriter of Lebanese origin.-Biography:Louis Chedid is the son of the writer Andrée Chedid and the father of Matthieu Chedid ....
, French singer-songwriter of Lebanese origin; son of the writer Andrée ChedidAndrée ChedidAndrée Chedid was a French poet and novelist of Lebanese descent.-Life:Chedid was born in Cairo on 20 March 1920. When she was ten, she was sent to a boarding school, where she learned English and French. At fourteen, she left for Europe. She then returned to Cairo to go...
and the father of Matthieu ChedidMatthieu ChedidMatthieu Chedid is a French rock singer-songwriter and guitar player.-Biography:... - Péri CochinPeri CochinPérihane Chalabi Cochin is a French TV host with Iraqi Lebanese origins. She was born in Beirut on May 28, 1965 and grew up in Tyre in a Shi’a Muslim family. She left Lebanon for France in 1975 when the Lebanese Civil War broke.She lives in Paris where she married Guillaume Cochin, a famous French...
, French TV host with Iraqi Lebanese roots - Ali HallabAli HallabAli Hallab is a boxer from France. He is best known for having won the bronze medal at the 2005 World Amateur Boxing Championships.-Career:...
, French boxer of Lebanese origin - Henri JibrayelHenri JibrayelHenri Jibrayel, , is a French politician with Lebanese and Assyrian roots.His father was an Assyrian survivor of the Assyrian genocide who had taken refuge with his parents in a Beirut slum. He married in 1938 a Maronite young woman from Bkassine , then joined the Free French Forces after De...
, French politician with Lebanese roots - RAmezRamezRamzi Khoury , also known as RAmez, is a French Lebanese rap artist singing in French, English and Arabic. In 2007 at a time where few people believed French Rap had a place in the Middle East, Ramez makes it to the NRJ Lebanon Top 100 by reaching number 24 with his hit song Leich Heik Baladé a...
, Lebanese rap artist singing in French, English and Arabic - Jacques SaadéJacques Saadé- Biographie :Jacques R. Saadé was born in Beirut, Lebanon, in 1937. He is the Founder and Chief Executive Officer of CMA CGM.Graduated from the London School of Economics in 1957, he took over the family business in 1958 at his father’s death...
, French businessman of Lebanese descent - Élie AboudÉlie AboudÉlie Aboud is a politician and doctor. As a member of the National Assembly of France, he represents the 6th circonscription of the Hérault department, and is a member of the Union for a Popular Movement party. Aboud took up the position after the death of the previous deputy, Paul-Henri Cugnenc...
, a member of the National Assembly of France - Bob AzzamBob AzzamBob Azzam was a Lebanese singer. With his international hit song "Mustapha", Azzam achieved success in France in the 1960s. The track peaked at #23 in the UK Singles Chart, spending fourteen weeks in that chart...
- Abdel Rahman El BachaAbdel Rahman El BachaAbdel Rahman El Bacha is a Lebanese pianist and composer.His repertory includes over fifty concertos and is largely based on the works of Bach, Mozart, Beethoven, Chopin, Schubert, Schumann, Rachmaninov, Ravel and Prokofiev .-Biography:...
- Guy BéartGuy BéartGuy Béart is a French singer and songwriter.-Biography:He was born Guy Béhart-Hasson in Cairo, Egypt, to a family of Spanish, Swiss, and Russian background. His religious background is unclear, having been referred to as both Jewish and Christian...
- Henri JibrayelHenri JibrayelHenri Jibrayel, , is a French politician with Lebanese and Assyrian roots.His father was an Assyrian survivor of the Assyrian genocide who had taken refuge with his parents in a Beirut slum. He married in 1938 a Maronite young woman from Bkassine , then joined the Free French Forces after De...
- Vénus Khoury-GhataVénus Khoury-GhataVénus Khoury-Ghata is a Lebanese writer.In 1959, she was Miss Beirut.She married French researcher Jean Ghata. She collaborated on Europe magazine, directed by Louis Aragon, translating it into Arabic with other poets...
- ÉdikaEdikaÉdika is the nom de plume of Édouard Karali, a French comics artist, born December 17, 1940 in Heliopolis, Egypt, who is renowned for his distinctively absurd style...
- Amin MaaloufAmin MaaloufAmin Maalouf , born 25 February 1949 in Beirut, is a Lebanese-born French author. Although his native language is Arabic, he writes in French, and his works have been translated into many languages. He received the Prix Goncourt in 1993 for his novel The Rock of Tanios...
- Ibrahim MaaloufIbrahim MaaloufIbrahim Maalouf is a trumpeter, composer, arranger, and trumpet instructor. He was born in Beirut and now lives in France.-Biography:...
- Iskandar SafaIskandar SafaIskandar Safa is a French businessman of Lebanese origins , who became famous during the Lebanese hostage crisis in 1987-88 and suspected financial transactions of the ransom...
- Antoine SfeirAntoine SfeirAntoine Sfeir, , is a Franco-Lebanese journalist and a professor.He is the editor of the French magazine Les Cahiers de l'Orient , is the president of the Centre d'études et de réflexions sur le Proche-Orient and a professor of International relations at the school Celsa Antoine Sfeir, (born 21...
- Gabriel YaredGabriel YaredGabriel Yared is a Lebanese composer, best known for his work in French and American cinema.Born in Beirut, Lebanon, his work in France included the scores for Betty Blue and Camille Claudel. He later began working on English language films, particularly those directed by Anthony Minghella...
- Philippe AractingiPhilippe Aractingi-Career:Born and raised in Beirut, Aractingi has made more than 40 films throughout his career, ranging from reports and documentaries to more personal and fictional films, all taking place in various countries around the world....
- Jean-Marc AractingiJean-Marc AractingiJean-Marc Aractingi is a French engineer, diplomat, and author of Lebanese origin and CEO of Groupe Arcore-Solarcore S.A., a leader of solar energy in the Middle East....
- Reem AcraReem AcraReem Acra is an internationally known Lebanese fashion designer. She studied in Paris, as well as New York. She is known for her bridal designs. Her designs are sold in famous clothing boutiques such as Saks Fifth Avenue and Neiman Marcus. She has been on several popular magazines including In...
- Rabih Abou-KhalilRabih Abou-Khalil-Life:Rabih Abou-Khalil grew up in Beirut and moved to Munich, Germany during the civil war in 1978. He lives part-time in Munich and part-time in the South of France with his wife and two children.-Music:...
- Georges CormGeorges CormGeorges Corm is a Lebanese Economist and Historian. He is an economic consultant to international organizations and professor at Saint Joseph University in Beirut....