Equal opportunity employers in Lebanon? Dream on
Written by Najib

 

Thirty years ago, when Hilal Khashan was applying for jobs he found a position that perfectly matched his qualifications. But when he got to the interview, he realized there was an unwritten requirement that he couldn’t fulfill: his religion.

 

“They said they wanted someone from the ‘geographic area of Kesrouan,’” says Khashan, who lives in Sidon. “That’s when I realized they were looking for a Maronite Christian.”

 

Now a political science professor at the American University of Beirut, Kashan says he doesn’t think Lebanon has changed much since 1984 in terms of ensuring equal opportunities for all sects and genders during the employment process. “I later learned to look for certain cues,” he says with a sigh. Although many other countries with a similar level of education have laws in place to protect women and minorities from such discrimination, Lebanon – along with the rest of the Middle East – does not, and continues to allow candidates to be openly hired according to gender, age and, more implicitly, sect. [Link]