Bashir Shihab II was the only Maronite Emir of Lebanon. He converted for political reasons: he was exiled by a greater part of local Druzes and he had to flee to Egypt. With Egyptian help he became the governor of Lebanon once again, and he went to the Maronites, who were great rivals of the Druzes. He did convert (he had little to fear for, as he ruled an emirate which had the Christian majority, and the Egyptian regime which effectively controlled the area did impose religious equality), but after the downfall of Egyptian power he was forced to flee, never to become emir again.