Lebanon's sectarian power-sharing system was meant to ensure all 18 religious communities are represented, but the system has helped give rise to crisis after crisis, peaking in a civil war along sectarian lines from 1975 to 1990.

Hossam, an Iraqi demonstrator, poses for a photograph during the ongoing anti-government protests in Baghdad, Iraq, November 5, 2019. Picture taken November 5, 2019. "I'm out here to demand everybody's rights. The muhasasa (sectarian power sharing system) has destroyed us, the parties have destroyed us. (...)I want to feel like they do in other countries Ð why have those countries, which were founded after Iraq Ð why have they succeeded and we haven't? We're an oil-rich country. We're a country of oil and riches." he said. REUTERS/Ahmed Jadallah

A demonstrator holds a banner during an anti-government protest in downtown Beirut, Lebanon October 20, 2019. The banner reads ''You are the sectarians and we are the co-existentialists''. REUTERS/Mohamed Azakir

Sardar Sahil, 30-year-old Hazara lawyer and rights activist, eats his breakfast with his mother at his home in Hazara Town, Quetta, Pakistan, June 18, 2019. "We are living under siege for more than 1-1/2 decades due to sectarian attacks," said Sahil. "Though all these checkposts were established for our security, we feel we were ourselves also cut off from other communities." Sahil carries a pistol whenever he leaves home, and relies on his faith as a second layer of security. "I kiss my mother's hand and she kisses me too and says goodbye with her prayers and good wishes," Sahil said. REUTERS/Akhtar Soomro SEARCH "HAZARA MINORITY" FOR THIS STORY. SEARCH "WIDER IMAGE" FOR ALL STORIES.

Sardar Sahil, 30-year-old Hazara lawyer and rights activist, sports his licensed gun as he gets ready to leave for office, at his home in Hazara Town, Quetta, Pakistan, June 14, 2019. "We are living under siege for more than 1-1/2 decades due to sectarian attacks," said Sahil. "Though all these checkposts were established for our security, we feel we were ourselves also cut off from other communities." Sahil carries a pistol whenever he leaves home, and relies on his faith as a second layer of security. "I kiss my mother's hand and she kisses me too and says goodbye with her prayers and good wishes," Sahil said. REUTERS/Akhtar Soomro SEARCH "HAZARA MINORITY" FOR THIS STORY. SEARCH "WIDER IMAGE" FOR ALL STORIES.

Nargis Hazara, 20, martial arts specialist, who belongs to ethnic Hazara community, works on her computer as she sits beside her portrait at her home in Hazara Town, Quetta, Pakistan, June 13, 2019. Domestic media often portray the Hazaras as targets of sectarian attacks or holding sit-ins to demand greater protection, but the community is developing and growing, said Nargis, who last year became Pakistan's first winner of an Asian Games medal in karate. "Every one of us has a dream, a target and aim in our heart, to change the image of Hazaras in the world, and especially in Pakistan." REUTERS/Akhtar Soomro SEARCH "HAZARA MINORITY" FOR THIS STORY. SEARCH "WIDER IMAGE" FOR ALL STORIES.

Sardar Sahil, 30-year-old Hazara lawyer and rights activist, kisses his mother's hand before leaving for office, at the doorsteps of his home in Hazara Town, Quetta, Pakistan, June 14, 2019. "We are living under siege for more than 1-1/2 decades due to sectarian attacks," said Sahil. "Though all these checkposts were established for our security, we feel we were ourselves also cut off from other communities." Sahil carries a pistol whenever he leaves home, and relies on his faith as a second layer of security. "I kiss my mother's hand and she kisses me too and says goodbye with her prayers and good wishes," Sahil said. REUTERS/Akhtar Soomro SEARCH "HAZARA MINORITY" FOR THIS STORY. SEARCH "WIDER IMAGE" FOR ALL STORIES.

Sardar Sahil, 30-year-old Hazara lawyer and rights activist, sports his licensed gun as he gets ready to leave for office, at his home in Hazara Town, Quetta, Pakistan, June 14, 2019. "We are living under siege for more than 1-1/2 decades due to sectarian attacks," said Sahil. "Though all these checkposts were established for our security, we feel we were ourselves also cut off from other communities." Sahil carries a pistol whenever he leaves home, and relies on his faith as a second layer of security. "I kiss my mother's hand and she kisses me too and says goodbye with her prayers and good wishes," Sahil said. REUTERS/Akhtar Soomro SEARCH "HAZARA MINORITY" FOR THIS STORY. SEARCH "WIDER IMAGE" FOR ALL STORIES.

Dympna Kerr and Oliver McVeigh, sister and brother of Colomba McVeigh who disappeared on 1 November 1975, join other family members of 'The Disappeared', presumed killed during sectarian violence between 1972-1985, as they take part in a silent walk and memorial at Stormont in Belfast, Northern Ireland, November 2, 2018. REUTERS/Clodagh Kilcoyne

Family members of 'The Disappeared', presumed killed during sectarian violence between 1972-1985, take part in a silent walk and memorial at Stormont in Belfast, Northern Ireland, November 2, 2018. REUTERS/Clodagh Kilcoyne

Dympna Kerr, sister of Colomba McVeigh who disappeared on 1 November 1975, joins other family members who lost loved ones in laying a wreath for 'The Disappeared', presumed killed during sectarian violence between 1972-1985, as part of a silent walk and memorial at Stormont in Belfast, Northern Ireland, November 2, 2018. REUTERS/Clodagh Kilcoyne

Dympna Kerr, sister of Colomba McVeigh who disappeared on 1 November 1975, joins other family members who lost loved ones in laying a wreath for 'The Disappeared', presumed killed during sectarian violence between 1972-1985, as part of a silent walk and memorial at Stormont in Belfast, Northern Ireland, November 2, 2018. REUTERS/Clodagh Kilcoyne

Dympna Kerr, sister of Colomba McVeigh who disappeared on 1 November 1975, joins other family members who lost loved ones in laying a wreath for 'The Disappeared', presumed killed during sectarian violence between 1972-1985, as part of a silent walk and memorial at Stormont in Belfast, Northern Ireland, November 2, 2018. REUTERS/Clodagh Kilcoyne

Family members of 'The Disappeared', presumed killed during sectarian violence between 1972-1985, take part in a silent walk and memorial at Stormont in Belfast, Northern Ireland, November 2, 2018. REUTERS/Clodagh Kilcoyne

Family members of 'The Disappeared', presumed killed during sectarian violence between 1972-1985, take part in a silent walk and memorial at Stormont in Belfast, Northern Ireland, November 2, 2018. REUTERS/Clodagh Kilcoyne

Dympna Kerr and Oliver McVeigh, sister and brother of Colomba McVeigh who disappeared on 1 November 1975, join other family members of 'The Disappeared', presumed killed during sectarian violence between 1972-1985, as they take part in a silent walk and memorial at Stormont in Belfast, Northern Ireland, November 2, 2018. REUTERS/Clodagh Kilcoyne

Father Paul Turley reads from the bible as family members of 'The Disappeared', presumed killed during sectarian violence between 1972-1985, take part in a silent walk and memorial at Stormont in Belfast, Northern Ireland, November 2, 2018. REUTERS/Clodagh Kilcoyne

Oliver McVeigh, brother of Colomba McVeigh who disappeared on 1 November 1975, joins other family members of 'The Disappeared', presumed killed during sectarian violence between 1972-1985, as they take part in a silent walk and memorial at Stormont in Belfast, Northern Ireland, November 2, 2018. REUTERS/Clodagh Kilcoyne

Father Paul Turley reads from the bible as family members of 'The Disappeared', presumed killed during sectarian violence between 1972-1985, take part in a silent walk and memorial at Stormont in Belfast, Northern Ireland, November 2, 2018. REUTERS/Clodagh Kilcoyne

Family members of 'The Disappeared', presumed killed during sectarian violence between 1972-1985, take part in a silent walk and memorial at Stormont in Belfast, Northern Ireland, November 2, 2018. REUTERS/Clodagh Kilcoyne

Some Rohingya refugees who fled from Myanmar are finding work in the fishing industry in neighbouring Bangladesh, earning a tiny daily income and occasional share of the catch, all under the official radar. The Shamlapur refugee camp, near a fishing colony on one of the world's longest beaches, is home to about 10,000 Rohingya refugees, aid groups say, many driven out of Myanmar's Rakhine State by sectarian violence last year. "We saved our lives by escaping here, so we are happy to be here," said Mohammed Yosuf, 20, who works as a fisherman, earning about 200 or 300 taka ($1.20 to $3.60) for each five-day trip. Yosuf said he fled with his wife, Sobora Khatun, who was nine months' pregnant when they escaped after two months shackled in captivity. Their three-year-old son drowned in a river crossing, but baby daughter Rukia was born safely. REUTERS/Clodagh Kilcoyne SEARCH "KILCOYNE FISHING" FOR THIS STORY. SEARCH "WIDER IMAGE" FOR ALL STORIES. TPX IMAGES OF THE DAY. Matching text: MYANMAR-ROHINGYA/FISHING

It was an awkward coalition riven by political and sectarian differences, facing an elusive, fanatical enemy dug into an urban maze of narrow streets and alleyways. So, could Iraq's government really deliver on its vow to vanquish Islamic State? In the end, the army, Shi'ite Muslim paramilitaries and Kurdish Peshmerga fighters mustered rare unity to end Islamic State's reign of terror in Iraq's second city Mosul, the seat of the ultra-hardline Sunni insurgents' "caliphate". Baghdad's victory in July 2017 after nine months of fighting was the coup de grace for the caliphate and came three years after a jihadist juggernaut seized one third of the Iraq. But even with supportive U.S. air strikes, Baghdad's triumph came at a devastating cost for the once-vibrant, multicultural city in northern Iraq and the surrounding region. REUTERS/ SEARCH "POY IS" FOR THIS STORY. SEARCH "REUTERS POY" FOR ALL BEST OF 2017 PACKAGES. TPX IMAGES OF THE DAY. Matching text: GLOBAL-POY/ISLAMIC-STATE

POPE-EGYPT/ - The Coptic Orthodox Church, principal Christian church in predominantly Muslim Egypt, has suffered sectarian attacks for years and more recently have become the target of Islamic State

POPE-EGYPT/ - The Coptic Orthodox Church, principal Christian church in predominantly Muslim Egypt, has suffered sectarian attacks for years and more recently have become the target of Islamic State

Ninety-year-old Khatla Ali Abdallah has survived decades of turbulence in northern Iraq, but the frail grandmother who fled the battle for Mosul this week says the fighting there is the worst she has ever seen. Carried across the desert by her grandsons, under sniper and mortar fire, she was one of thousands who braved the difficult and dangerous journey out of Islamic State's shrinking stronghold in the west of the city. "I'm a 90-year-old woman and I havenÕt seen such a war," she said in a camp for displaced people south of Mosul, where she was taken by Iraqi security forces. Khatla lived through Saddam Hussein's quarter century in power, when Iraq fought wars with neighbouring Iran and Kuwait and endured a decade of devastating sanctions. That was followed by a U.S.-led invasion which toppled Saddam and led to years of sectarian war across the country. "Even under the Saddam era, we were afraid because of the atrocities and the people killed," she said. "But nothing is compared to this phase". REUTERS/Zohra Bensemra SEARCH "KHATLA ALI ABDULLAH" FOR THIS STORY. SEARCH "WIDER IMAGE" FOR ALL STORIES. TPX IMAGES OF THE DAY Matching text MIDEAST-CRISIS/IRAQ-WOMAN

A mural saying 'End Sectarianism' is seen on the Falls Road in Belfast, Northern Ireland January 19, 2017. REUTERS/Clodagh Kilcoyne

Masroor Nawaz Jhangvi, a Muslim cleric whose father was one of Pakistan's most infamous sectarian figures, meets with residents in Jhang December 16, 2016. Picture taken December 16, 2016. REUTERS/Drazen Jorgic

Masroor Nawaz Jhangvi, a Muslim cleric whose father was one of Pakistan's most infamous sectarian figures, uses his mobile phone while meeting residents in Jhang December 16, 2016. Picture taken December 16, 2016. REUTERS/Drazen Jorgic

People attend a demonstration against sectarianism, also calling for abolishing curfews put on Syrian refugees in Beirut, Lebanon, July 18 , 2016. The banners read (L to R) in Arabic, "Curfews are not allowed", "We are all refugees" and "Curfews are illegal". Picture taken July 18, 2016. REUTERS/Mohamed Azakir

A woman carries a placard during a demonstration against sectarianism, also calling for abolishing curfews put on Syrian refugees in Beirut, Lebanon, July 18 , 2016. Picture taken July 18, 2016. REUTERS/Mohamed Azakir

Women attend a demonstration against sectarianism, also calling for abolishing curfews put on Syrian refugees in Beirut, Lebanon, July 18 , 2016. The papers read in Arabic, "Curfews are not allowed". Picture taken July 18, 2016. REUTERS/Mohamed Azakir

People attend a demonstration against sectarianism, also calling for abolishing curfews put on Syrian refugees in Beirut, Lebanon, July 18, 2016. The placard reads in Arabic, "Human rights come first". Picture taken July 18, 2016. REUTERS/Mohamed Azakir

A man with a sticker on his forehead attends a demonstration against sectarianism, also calling for abolishing curfews put on Syrian refugees in Beirut, Lebanon, July 18, 2016. The sticker reads in Arabic, "Curfews are not allowed". Picture taken July 18, 2016. REUTERS/Mohamed Azakir TPX IMAGES OF THE DAY

Followers of Iraq's Shi'ite cleric Moqtada al-Sadr take part in a protest demanding that parliament approves a long-delayed new cabinet and end political and sectarian wrangling that is hampering a vote on the matter in Baghdad, Iraq April 26, 2016. REUTERS/Ahmed Saad

Followers of Iraq's Shi'ite cleric Moqtada al-Sadr wave Iraqi flags during a protest demanding that parliament approves a long-delayed new cabinet and end political and sectarian wrangling that is hampering a vote on the matter in the streets outside Baghdad's heavily fortified Green Zone in Iraq April 26, 2016. REUTERS/Ahmed Saad

Followers of Iraq's Shi'ite cleric Moqtada al-Sadr wave Iraqi flags during a protest demanding that parliament approves a long-delayed new cabinet and end political and sectarian wrangling that is hampering a vote on the matter in the streets outside Baghdad's heavily fortified Green Zone in Iraq April 26, 2016. REUTERS/Ahmed Saad

Followers of Iraq's Shi'ite cleric Moqtada al-Sadr take part in a protest demanding that parliament approves a long-delayed new cabinet and end political and sectarian wrangling that is hampering a vote on the matter in Baghdad, Iraq April 26, 2016. REUTERS/Ahmed Saad

Followers of Iraq's Shi'ite cleric Moqtada al-Sadr take part in a protest demanding that parliament approves a long-delayed new cabinet and end political and sectarian wrangling that is hampering a vote on the matter at Tahrir Square in Baghdad, Iraq April 26, 2016. REUTERS/Ahmed Saad

Followers of Iraq's Shi'ite cleric Moqtada al-Sadr take part in a protest demanding that parliament approves a long-delayed new cabinet and end political and sectarian wrangling that is hampering a vote on the matter in Baghdad, Iraq April 26, 2016. REUTERS/Ahmed Saad

Followers of Iraq's Shi'ite cleric Moqtada al-Sadr take part in a protest demanding that parliament approves a long-delayed new cabinet and end political and sectarian wrangling that is hampering a vote on the matter in Baghdad, Iraq April 26, 2016. REUTERS/Ahmed Saad

Followers of Iraq's Shi'ite cleric Moqtada al-Sadr take part in a protest demanding that parliament approves a long-delayed new cabinet and end political and sectarian wrangling that is hampering a vote on the matter at Tahrir Square in Baghdad, Iraq April 26, 2016. REUTERS/Ahmed Saad

Followers of Iraq's Shi'ite cleric Moqtada al-Sadr take part in a protest demanding that parliament approves a long-delayed new cabinet and end political and sectarian wrangling that is hampering a vote on the matter at Tahrir Square in Baghdad, Iraq April 26, 2016. REUTERS/Ahmed Saad

Followers of Iraq's Shi'ite cleric Moqtada al-Sadr take part in a protest demanding that parliament approves a long-delayed new cabinet and end political and sectarian wrangling that is hampering a vote on the matter in the streets outside Baghdad's heavily fortified Green Zone in Iraq April 26, 2016. REUTERS/Ahmed Saad

Followers of Iraq's Shi'ite cleric Moqtada al-Sadr take part in a protest demanding that parliament approves a long-delayed new cabinet and end political and sectarian wrangling that is hampering a vote on the matter in the streets outside Baghdad's heavily fortified Green Zone in Iraq April 26, 2016. REUTERS/Ahmed Saad

Followers of Iraq's Shi'ite cleric Moqtada al-Sadr take part in a protest demanding that parliament approves a long-delayed new cabinet and end political and sectarian wrangling that is hampering a vote on the matter in the streets outside Baghdad's heavily fortified Green Zone in Iraq April 26, 2016. REUTERS/Ahmed Saad

Followers of Iraq's Shi'ite cleric Moqtada al-Sadr wave Iraqi flags during a protest demanding that parliament approves a long-delayed new cabinet and end political and sectarian wrangling that is hampering a vote on the matter in the streets outside Baghdad's heavily fortified Green Zone in Iraq April 26, 2016. REUTERS/Ahmed Saad

Followers of Iraq's Shi'ite cleric Moqtada al-Sadr wave Iraqi flags during a protest demanding that parliament approves a long-delayed new cabinet and end political and sectarian wrangling that is hampering a vote on the matter in the streets outside Baghdad's heavily fortified Green Zone in Iraq April 26, 2016. REUTERS/Ahmed Saad

Followers of Iraq's Shi'ite cleric Moqtada al-Sadr wave Iraqi flags during a protest demanding that parliament approves a long-delayed new cabinet and end political and sectarian wrangling that is hampering a vote on the matter in the streets outside Baghdad's heavily fortified Green Zone in Iraq April 26, 2016. REUTERS/Ahmed Saad

Followers of Iraq's powerful Shi'ite cleric Moqtada al-Sadr chant slogans during a protest demanding that parliament approves a long-delayed new cabinet and end political and sectarian wrangling that is hampering a vote on the matter in the streets outside Baghdad's heavily fortified Green Zone in Iraq April 26, 2016. REUTERS/Ahmed Saad

Followers of Iraq's Shi'ite cleric Moqtada al-Sadr wave Iraqi flags during a protest demanding that parliament approves a long-delayed new cabinet and end political and sectarian wrangling that is hampering a vote on the matter in the streets outside Baghdad's heavily fortified Green Zone in Iraq April 26, 2016. REUTERS/Ahmed Saad

Followers of Iraq's Shi'ite cleric Moqtada al-Sadr chant slogans during a protest demanding that parliament approves a long-delayed new cabinet and end political and sectarian wrangling that is hampering a vote on the matter in the streets outside Baghdad's heavily fortified Green Zone in Iraq April 26, 2016. REUTERS/Ahmed Saad

Followers of Iraq's powerful Shi'ite cleric Moqtada al-Sadr chant slogans during a protest demanding that parliament approves a long-delayed new cabinet and end political and sectarian wrangling that is hampering a vote on the matter at Tahrir Square in Baghdad, Iraq April 26, 2016. REUTERS/Ahmed Saad

Followers of Iraq's Shi'ite cleric Moqtada al-Sadr chant slogans during a protest demanding that parliament approves a long-delayed new cabinet and end political and sectarian wrangling that is hampering a vote on the matter in the streets outside Baghdad's heavily fortified Green Zone in Iraq April 26, 2016. REUTERS/Ahmed Saad

Followers of Iraq's Shi'ite cleric Moqtada al-Sadr chant slogans during a protest demanding that parliament approves a long-delayed new cabinet and end political and sectarian wrangling that is hampering a vote on the matter at Tahrir Square in Baghdad, Iraq April 26, 2016. REUTERS/Ahmed Saad