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Politics move quickly and opinions evolve. There's a good chance I no longer hold some of the opinions expressed in the post below
—Mustapha
Al-Akhbar Calculates The Cost Of Lebanon’s Sectarianism
April 13, 2011 · Mustapha Hamoui
3 Billion Dollars according to some very interesting (but decidedly unscientific) maths by Rasha Abu Zaki. There are many things she didn’t calculate like productivity lost in religious holidays and the cost of traveling to Cyprus for civil marriages, but all in all this is a very useful perspective.
Now wait for a nutty columnist to calculate the economic benefits of sectarianism (projects commissioned by religious bodies, religious Philantrhopy, shopping and gifting for religious ceremonies..etc )