Couple Defy Personal Status Code, Wed in Lebanese Civil Ceremony
إقرأ هذا الخبر بالعربية
A Lebanese couple have challenged the sectarian personal status code in Lebanon, tying the knot in a first of a kind civil marriage in the country on November 11, 2012, LBCI television reported on Friday.
“Kholoud Sukkariyah and Nidal Darwish removed the reference of their sects from their respective IDs and based their marital contract on Decree No. 60 L.R,” said Lawyer Talal Husseini, who authored the draft.
The decree, which organizes and recognizes religious communities and grants them rights, says those who are not affiliated with a sect are subject to the civil law of personal status, as well as to the introduction of the Constitution which adopts the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, Husseini explained.
“Kholoud and Nidal's marital contract was signed by the Notary Public and it was referred to Interior Minister Marwan Charbel who will look into its legitimacy,” LBCI remarked.
“An activist in the civil society suggested when she learned about our intention to marry in a civil union, to do it in Lebanon and not abroad,” the bride said, explaining how the process began.
What followed later was completing the necessary paper work, requesting a proof of eligibility of marriage from the mukhtar (local mayor) and asking the notary to prepare a document that lists the articles of the union's conditions and the financial disclosure.
“We also had to announce the marriage 15 days prior to the actual ceremony, in case someone has a reason to oppose it,” the bride added.
Lawyer and civil activist Munif Hamdan confirmed to MTV: “This marriage is legal and we only lack scientific and cultural courage to adopt civil unions in Lebanon”.
"If the Ministry of Interior approves it, it would hence opened the door towards civil society and secularism in Lebanon,” Hamdan expressed.
18 January 2013, 21:41
213
let the reign of the men of cloth fall forever. good job guys :)
18 January 2013, 22:30
00
bravo bravo bravo...first step in destroying the religious dictatorship,u joined love to nationalism, BILHANA BRAVO AGAIN.
18 January 2013, 23:17
00
that's how easy we can remove God from our life! don't blame God for your problems later!... poor people :(
18 January 2013, 23:45
00
Well; if Orthodox law is passed then there would be a new sect called non-affliated; if this becomes a majority... where is the problem?
19 January 2013, 01:05
15
Good for them. I did not send my children application for citizenship because I had to write in the sect. I will send in the application with sect: none and fight it out if there is a problem.
19 January 2013, 01:28
26
Finally, a ray of hope...would be great if this was immediately followed by hundreds of others getting married in the same way to make sure the door that this courageous couple stays open. Alf mabrouk...
19 January 2013, 01:29
25
Congratulations Guys and hope it works! for the sake of our country!
And Rafeh, wise choices! Let us know how it goes
19 January 2013, 03:10
00
It is time we break the chains of sectarian identity and tie the chains of non-secterian love. Great job and congratulations!
19 January 2013, 04:37
00
BRAVO Alaykum. Congratulations. Let this be a first. We all support you.
19 January 2013, 07:14
00
Congratulations on a brave step in your lives. I wish you happiness and I hope other will follow in your footsteps.
19 January 2013, 09:31
00
Mille BRAVO! Hope Lebanese will do the change of their manipulated by religions country.
19 January 2013, 12:53
40
sha3eb metkhalef, min bye2bala la7alou aw la bentou aw la ekhtou?????????????????????
21 January 2013, 11:04
00
mne2bala 3a 7alna metel ma bte2bal 3a 7alak iza 2ekhtak ghtasabouwa, te2tela 2ela... ayyeha ahwan??? kell l msayeb lli 3ambetsib l bachariyyi hiyyi bisabab l khourafet wel cha3wazet wel ta2alid l ghabiyyi lli 3ambetsabbeba l adyen... so we're simply better of without them, or at least we should have the privilege not to announce them or act or be judged upon them...
19 January 2013, 14:25
00
كلا مراهقين ومتخلفين ومفكرين حالن متحضرين لكن بالقلب . هيدي الطافية بحد ذاا لانو اللي مش طائفي لازم يتقبل طائفة الاخر ضمن اطار الاحترام المتبادل مش بالضروري يعمل زواج مدني . تاني شي هني من نفس الدين ما في لزوم لهالزوج الا اذا الشباب حابين يتصوو ويبينو هالتلفزيون وهيدا بيت القصيد .
19 January 2013, 15:59
00
@leblover, what is backwards please elaborate. On the one hand you have a couple who chose to get married in a civil ceremony that ensures equal rights for both parties while they are married and in case of a divorce. On the other hand you have people getting married under a sectarian law just for "pleasure" for a day or a week etc...and then get divorced. People should be free to chose whether or not they want to tie the knot in a religious ceremony or in a "civil" one.
19 January 2013, 16:31
10
bravo! good thing they did! i hope one day everything will be civilian to stop lebanese from following different laws according to their sects! so that everyone will be equal like in a civilized country not like in a retarded country still living in the past like lebanon!
19 January 2013, 18:09
00
@flamethrower...that's no reason to not offer it as an option. This is a great first step and it proves that a new generation of Lebanese will no longer tolerate the bullshit meted out by the religious establishment. Next up are our moronic politicians...all of them. The social revolution has begun.
19 January 2013, 18:28
00
it also doesn't put the clergy as middlemen--this is why they don't want it.
19 January 2013, 18:37
20
The so called orthodox gathering will be the death of lebanon because it further places people into sects. Elections should be voted on by people, FOR people and not for any religious denomination. Poll after poll in this county have placed political parties on the most corrupt institutions in this county and this system increases their influence.
19 January 2013, 20:12
21
I understand your point but the orthodox gathering is a result of decades of christian frustrations where we were unable to choose our own representative due to malicious electoral divisions.
Secular state is virtually impossible now because even those claiming to be for secularism are doing so for secular reason where there particular sect will get more MPs. So the lesser evil will be to create a temporary systems that will allow each sect to express its true ideas and interests through there representatives
19 January 2013, 21:00
10
I understand the frustration, but correcting one wrong with another is never a good idea. I support the religious figures teaching people morality and right from wrong, but I draw the line when they are drawn politically. A new system drawn up must not only not distinguish between sects, it also has to have a system that protects the rights of all minorities.
As to how it may be drawn up, I have no idea. I have noticed that the Lebanese I have met overseas are open minded while the ones living are quite the opposite. Maybe education is the answer....
