Renewed growth in Lebanon’s humanist movement brings hope

Humanists of Lebanon, formerly Freethought Lebanon, has been reconnecting with its members and rebuilding community engagement after a long period of limited communication amid Lebanon’s economic, political and security crises.

This summer the organization held two community gatherings funded by Humanists International’s 2026 Grant Programs.

In July, an informal picnic and barbecue brought together humanists and like-minded people from the wider community. Participants had time to reconnect and prepare a meal together before taking part in a discussion with the Board. They reflected on the challenges that had interrupted the organization’s activities and shared their continued attachment to its work and values.

On 24 August, Humanists of Lebanon also held a more structured workshop where members reviewed the organization’s past work and identified priorities for the future. Their ideas shared included holding regular gatherings, renewing online communications, relaunching a support hotline, strengthening engagement with a group of humanists in Tripoli (in North Lebanon) and developing a podcast.

A key part of this work has been reaching out to members individually to ask how they would like to stay involved. This process has shown that approximately one-quarter to one-third of the people in the existing membership database have emigrated from Lebanon. But many still want to remain connected, such as through online activities.

Alongside community work, Humanists of Lebanon has been working to strengthen its institutional foundations for long-term sustainability and growth. This includes developing clearer financial policies, strengthening audit-related work and establishing structures that do not depend on the continued availability of any one volunteer.

Mazen Abou Hamdan, co-founder of Humanists of Lebanon, said:

“Our aim is to build an organization that can continue to exist and thrive as an institution, while remaining rooted in its community.”

The impact so far has been the renewal of contact and the start of a more inclusive conversation about the organization’s future. The organization is taking a gradual approach: listening and rebuilding relationships first, then developing membership procedures and contributions with members’ input.

The project is ongoing and further activities, including an online gathering for members living abroad, are planned. This year has shown the resilience of the humanist community and given real hope for the growth of the movement in Lebanon. Humanists International looks forward to seeing what Humanists of Lebanon goes on to achieve.