Lebanon and the Middle East in general are both a place of origin and a destination for migrant workers and refugees. Representatives of local civil society gave significant input to the hearing and at the opening reception, leaders of the country's six most numerous Muslim and Christian communities presented Lebanon as a model of a religiously pluralistic society and committed themselves to tackling the issue of migration together.
"Christian emigration must be stopped. Christians you must come back," Professor Ibrahim Shamseddine told the hearing in a session on the effect of the Middle East peace process - or the lack of such a process - on migration. "I am taking this stance not because I am a moderate, but because I am a fundamentalist, as I hold on to the non-violent foundations of Islam."
Lebanese Christian students spoke powerfully of their attachment to their country in a context in which university graduates all face the question 'what am I staying here for?'
"Lebanese society rather than a melting pot is a Taboulé dish, where diverse ingredients create a succulent mix," said Nayiri Kalaydijan, a student at the Haigazian University.
Immigration to Lebanon, particularly by female domestic workers, proved to be a controversial topic. Whilst a Sri Lankan participant at the hearing challenged the treatment of Asian workers by immigration authorities, an official explained that the Lebanese immigration authority is the first in the region that made it illegal for officers to use violence against detained foreigners.
Dr Ray Jureidini, professor of Forced Migration and Refugee Studies at the American University in Cairo, who had presented his research on the issue of domestic migrant workers in Lebanon, agreed that there had been notable progress on the treatment of migrants and stressed the positive influence of the Catholic agency Caritas in detention centres.
The topics raised at the public hearing will be taken up at a 17-18 April meeting of the Global Ecumenical Network on Migration (GEM), which brings together regional ecumenical organisations, churches and Christian agencies working on the topic around the world.
Both the public hearing and the GEM meeting are co-organised by the WCC and the Middle East Council of Churches (MECC) and hosted by the Armenian Catholicosate of Cilicia in Beirut, Lebanon.
