For the 3rd Sunday in so many weeks, thousands of Lebanese are marching for ending the sectarian system. My mother in law has been marching, she says because her children are not here to march themselves. God/dess bless her soul. Our Lebanese friends have been marching for secularism. How can they not?
One of the things that keeps Lebanon consistently unstable is the different rules for different religions. A political system based on confessionalism, a power-sharing mechanism based on religious communities - which might have been fair when Lebanon became a republic in 1943, but not so much in this day and age. I'm wondering if the French influenced and encouraged this system on purpose to ensure long term instability in the region? [ You know that colonial arrogance - "See they can't rule themselves" ]
I suppose at the time it seemed like they were treating people from all different religions fairly. But it would have been more fair if all Lebanese had the exact same rights, regardless their religion or gender. For instance, after being married for 5 years to a Lebanese man I can apply for a Lebanese passport. If I was a man who married a Lebanese woman I could never get Lebanese nationality. Lebanese men can pass their nationality to their wives and children. Lebanese women who marry foreigners have no such rights.
People want the right to have a civil marriage if they so chose, and be able to do it in Lebanon instead of being forced to go to Cyprus to do it. People want to be able to go to a civil court for divorce instead of religious courts.
This is the 3rd such march organized and this one has attracted the most people yet. I don't know if the next march is the Laique Pride March scheduled for April 17 2011 or if there will be more protests before this date. Either way I'm with my mother-in-law in spirit each time she marches!
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