(BEIRUT, LEBANON) — The United Arab Emirates has ordered 70 Lebanese citizens, mostly Shiite Muslims, to leave the country, according to a report by Lebanese Foreign Minister Gebran Bassil on Friday.
The ministry said in a statement that Bassil called his Emirati counterpart Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed al-Nahyan to discuss the issue.
“The Lebanese in the Emirates fully merge into the Emirati society and abide by its laws. They are a good factor in this dear country,” the statement said.
The Associated Press reports that hundreds of Lebanese have been “quietly deported” from the UAE since 2009. Deportation of Shiite Muslims have escalated since Hezbollah joined Syrian government forces in the neighboring civil war.
Reports add that gulf states are worried about the rise of Shiite Iran’s influence in the Arab world.
In 2013, Qatar deported 18 Lebanese expatriates after the Gulf Cooperation Council imposed sanctions against Hezbollah for its military intervention in Syria.
Hassan Alayan, a former deportee and now leader of a committee helping Lebanese deported from the UAE, told The Associated Press that it’s “unacceptable” to target citizens based on religion.
“It is a mistake for a state in the 21st century to adopt a policy of revenge on a sectarian or political basis,” he said. “This is dangerous and unacceptable.”
Prime Minister Tammam Salam said he met with UAE Vice President Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashed al-Maktoum during an ongoing conference in Egypt.
Salam says the vice president vowed to follow up on the matter with UAE authorities, stressing that there is no official decision to target Lebanese citizens.
He adds that all measures taken against some Lebanese expatriates are linked to “security concerns.”
The UAE hosts more than 100,000 Lebanese workers.