In 1947, the British Government began operation of the Middle East Centre for Arab Studies (MECAS). At first, the language center was housed in a small building in Shemlan, but later expanded to a much larger building which is visible in Shemlan's modest skyline.

The school became notorious as a "spy school" because many of the students were believed to work for the C.I.A. or the British Foreign Ministry. Shemlan is a Christian village surrounded by Druze villages which raised suspicion with Westerners conspiring with Christians. The school became famous throughout the region and the world as one of the best places to learn Arabic. Civil strife in Lebanon forced the school to close its doors. Sir James Craig wrote a book called Shemlan: A History of the Middle East Center for Arabic Studies. His book offers a good account about the school and nice description of pre-civil war Shemlan.

Today, MECAS is the Help and Hope Institution. The Help and Hope Institution is run by the Dar Al-Aytam Al-Islamiyah and is home to 200 mentally handicapped children.

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