Lebanese couples stage illegal civil marriages

The illegality of civil marriages, especially the ones where the bride and groom do not come from the same religious background, was thrown into the spotlight last weekend in Lebanon, as couples exchanged their vows at mock weddings held in a bar.

The law in Lebanon only allows for religious marriage ceremonies, performed by a recognized religious official such as a priest, imam or sheikh. The country has 18 officially recognized religious sects, and each citizen adheres to one from birth, and is classified accordingly in all legal matters, including marriage. This means that anyone wishing to marry across religions must convert to the one in which the ceremony will be held.

Many Lebanese couples have resorted to traveling to Cyprus or Turkey for their civil marriage. Upon returning back home, their marriage is recognized by the Lebanese government because it was held abroad. The situation is not much different in Syria, Iraq and Israel, where cross-sectarian marriages are not welcomed. The online social network, Facebook, is proving to be a popular platform for those wanting to campaign for the legalization of civil marriage, with a number of ‘groups’ boasting thousands of members. The marriage issue is adding fuel to more general calls to adopt a civil law that gives people the option to take care of legal matters such as custody of children, divorce and inheritance, independent of any particular religious framework.

“We would welcome such a move towards freedom of choice,” commented Arab Vision’s international director. “The complexities of cross marriages between Arab Christians and Muslims who have converted to Christianity are often brought up by our viewers. We are doing our best to advice and encourage them through our TV programs, but we also want to call for full equality in these matters: why is a Muslim woman not allowed to marry a Christian man, whereas the vice versa is no problem? Isn’t this a blatant form of discrimination against Arab Christians?”

It remains to be seen if this recent public relations stunt by Lebanese couples will give momentum to the civil rights campaigns in the region. They are up against powerful political groups and religious leaders who benefit from the current sectarian system and are reluctant to accept any alternative.