Discrimination in Lebanon has resurfaced with the arrival of summer, particularly through strict restrictions on access to swimming pools and tourist resorts that are meant to be available to everyone, in addition to widespread discrimination against foreign workers, including preventing them from accessing beaches.

Annahar addresses the issue of discrimination and racism in a special feature file titled “Discrimination in Summer,” exploring the topic through several angles.

Here are the key materials:

1- Ghassan Hajjar: Racists Even Among Ourselves

Despite our repeated discourse on a Western-influenced civilization that is undeniably more advanced than ours, and far from the old claims that the West appropriated Arab civilization, our daily practices, conversations, and even our deepest feelings remain largely backward. They are often shaped by religion, social traditions, and entrenched ideas, as well as by preconceived judgments, milder ways of acknowledging the persistence of racism.

Beirut Capital (Annahar).

2- Manal Chaaya: Discrimination, Not Law, Prevents Foreign Workers from Entering Pools!

No Lebanese law grants pool owners the right to deny entry to foreign workers or to women with darker skin on the basis of nationality, skin color, or employment as domestic workers. This legal conclusion emerges in a case that draws attention every summer season.

Why do pool owners oppose the entry of foreign workers, and what role do human rights associations play in addressing this issue?

Preventing workers from entering swimming pools.

3- Jad Fakih: The Summer of the Lebanese: Regions, Beaches, and Resorts Tailored to Religious Customs and Traditions!

Across various Lebanese regions, scenes repeatedly spark widespread debate under the banner of “customs and traditions” or “local community privacy.” In some places, wearing a swimsuit is banned on certain beaches; in others, alcohol is prohibited in a town or part of it; and elsewhere, women are denied entry to a private resort despite having reservations and prepayments, due to wearing a “chador” or other religious attire. Although these practices differ in form, they converge on a common point: imposing conditions on people based on religious affiliation, lifestyle, or clothing, turning both public and private spaces into selective environments where not everyone feels welcome.

Crowds on Lebanese beaches at the start of the summer season (Hussam Shbaro).

4- Pamela Chahine: Discrimination surfaces at Lebanese swimming pools... "Entry forbidden" for foreign domestic workers

With the beginning of every summer, "Israa" knows that choosing a swimming pool is not a matter of prices, services, or a view of the sea, but one question that comes before everything else: "Do they allow foreign domestic workers to enter?". She always tried to take "Arabiqa" with her, not to take care of her children, but to live a day of leisure like everyone else. She would swim, laugh, and enjoy the sun. But she would, almost every time, run into the same answer at the entrance: "Forbidden".

Swimming pool in Lebanon.