Civil Marriage in Lebanon Hits More Snags

Lesson Brief An Nahar
On February 4, An Nahar reported that civil (read: non-sectarian) marriage in Lebanon, which was legalized in 2013, has encountered further bureaucratic obstacles. Marriage in Lebanon has traditionally been a religious matter outside the province of the law, and inter-religious marriage was not legally recognized, forcing Muslim-Christian couples to fly abroad, frequently Cyprus, to obtain legal marriage certificates. Despite the legalization of inter-religious marriage in 2013, the interior ministry has decided to transfer the issue to parliament, explaining that there still does not exist any legal framework for the ministry and the notary public to finally approve of marriage contracts. As a result, civil-marriage families married in Lebanon since 2013, some of which have born children, are stuck in bureaucratic limbo. Civil marriage is not universally accepted in Lebanon, the government of which is based on a sensitive sectarian power-sharing arrangement. Children of civil marriages will legally be considered a member of their father's creed.
LBCI News

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