An Ottoman against the Constitution:

Abstract

The Maronites of Mount Lebanon reached a certain modus vivendi with the Ottoman state that not only guaranteed them a preeminent position in their region, but had also assigned their church a dominant role in the Mountain's affairs. Late 19th and early 20th centuries saw the emergence of a number of politicians and intellectuals who clamored simultaneously for an end to Ottoman suzerainty over the Mountain. Though the activities of these individuals were a nuisance to the Ottoman state, perceptions of these individuals have been retrospectively influenced as well, causing many to read incipient nationalism into many of the texts that were authored by men of the cloth. The work of Bishop Bulus Mas'ad is the subject of this chapter. Mas'ad vehemently asserts the Maronites' unyielding loyalty to the Ottoman state while at the same time rejecting vociferous local and imperial demands for Lebanon's representation in the Ottoman parliament. Keywords:Bishop Bulus Mas'ad; Maronite Church; Maronites; Mount Lebanon; Ottoman Parliament