As most of my posts discuss, we have in Lebanon 18 confessions, confessions that are ruling our life, especially everything related to our personal status as divorce, marriage, adoption, inheritance…
More specifically, in Lebanon we are related to our confession rather to the State. It means I can be:
a Shi’ite Lebanese man, a Sunni Lebanese woman, a Maronite Lebanese woman… Am I purely and simply Lebanese?
In my book about the spring of 2005, I was hoping and dreaming about the birth of what I call a National Community.
But this dream seem to be far from reality, my dream is a romantic myth; the reality that rules my life and the life of my friends and other “co-country” friends is different.
The 3 religions ( Jewish, Christian and Islamic) are divided in Lebanon in 18 confessions that are as follows:
The Sunni’s, the Chia3a, the Alawi, the Druze, the Ismaili, the Maronite, The Greek Orthodox, the Syriac orthodox, the Syriac Catholic, The Melkite Catholic, the Nestourian ( Assyrian Orthodox), the Caledonian, the Latin, the Evangelists, the Jewish confessions, and finally the Copts…
Each individual in Lebanon should be registered in one of those confessions.
We are not citizens related and registered directly to our State, but to a confession recognized by the state.
If not, it is difficult for any individual (him or her) to enjoy full citizenship rights.
More over as I have already discussed in earlier posts, most confessions are ruled by their own courts. The rules and regulations of the confessions and courts are usually not harmonious together, and deepen the discrimination and inequality between all citizens…
The Unified Code is a matter of building a country without discrimination, a state to all citizens…
a State of Law!
Can we take action?
A Lebanese Girl!
A Lebanese hoping to be a Citizen equal in my rights to another man or woman in my Country!
Rita Chemaly…
© Rita Chemaly. www.ritachemaly.wordpress.com
Copyright permission is granted for publication.
Reproduction autorisée.
[…] the reality is less shining, with 18 confessions in Lebanon and their own personal status […]
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[…] This post was mentioned on Twitter by blkbtrfli. blkbtrfli said: RT @Ritachemaly: Lebanese confessions… A "Tabouleh" that deepens the discrimination between the Citizens: http://t.co/Vko8J10 […]
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We are lebanese people…Bacteria !
An Auto-destructive proud virus…
We are expert leaders to only further collapses.
No development in terms of nation identity and system,we are damned by the puzzle of of religions and feodality while nowadays the Chinese 3rd earth race are now invading the space,look at us still in Lebanon digging deep in roots of Gibran K Gibran whether was he some alian DNA !
We will not see a renaissance…
Lebanon is cursed by its own natives,we do not deserve that land, a peice of gangsters like us know doing nothing but detrsoy all that is visible touchable and moral…No green…No peace of soul.
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[…] In a previous post I have tried to describe the division of the Lebanese in 18 recognized confessions. […]
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[…] https://ritachemaly.wordpress.com/2010/12/30/lebanese-tabouleh-of-confessions-deepens-the-discriminat… […]
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[…] toi la-bas CITOYEN Libanais Veux -tu encore prendre […]
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[…] Respect to the Citizen? Which Citizen? The “Chatir“ the one who respects his own rules or the “Mouwatine el […]
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[…] Accountability? Respect to the Citizen? Which Citizen? […]
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[…] are involved. After death, during love and marriage, with her being a citizen that is related to a confession rather to an Country or state, and today, again the Nationality. I have written and posted and forwarded a lot of […]
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[…] Especially that I belong to a country Lebanon where confessions are the core stone between citizenship and the state. […]
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[…] no, the State has a confessional political and religious system, so reservations have been made on an international convention. […]
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[…] Une campagne née récemment au Liban, mobilise les citoyens a protester le dimanche, lors d’une marche pacifique contre le système confessionnel libanais. Je veux et Aspire aussi a être directement liée a mon Etat, Ma Nation et Non a ma communauté! […]
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[…] je n’arrive pas a rester enfermée, encerclée dans un cercle communautaire précis, un cercle qui m’étouffe en tant que femme, et en tant que citoyenne. […]
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[…] and kids! the actual law gives precedence to the religious court we have in Lebanon, which rules our domestic matters … that is why we need a Unified civil Personal Status law in […]
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[…] solution a cela, je ne pense qu’a une chambre coupee en deux ou 18 parties (Un tabouleh si vous preferez), a cte des universites, pour que chacun puisse prier ou pas le […]
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[…] after death discrimination ; Non au systeme politique confessionnel; Laicite au Liban mon reve; Lebanese confessions… A “Tabouleh” that deepens the discrimination between the Citizens; CEDAW implementation in a confessional Lebanon ; Sectarianisme sur fond communautaire, retour a […]
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[…] have a law protecting minors “kanoun ahdass” , a law that transcend the sects ( 18 confessions that exists in Lebanon) but regarding marriage issues even this law is not clear. There is a […]
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Hi, after seeing Emile Lahood on RT TV I was amazed that what appeared to be such a decent man had obtained such high office. So I obtained a book about him: ‘Years of Resistance’ by Karim Pakradouni. This book talked about “confessionalism” without any explanation – as though any reader would already know what it is. I read widely and I am interested in politics – but I had never heard of such an insane concept. So I searched it on the net and ended up on your blog. You have written a book – is it in English? Can I buy it?
Kind regards,
Andrew Carmichael, England.
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