Women’s Right to Grant Citizenship to Children Needs Further Study amid Lack of Consensus in Cabinet
إقرأ هذا الخبر بالعربية
The cabinet failed during its session at the Grand Serail on Wednesday to reach a decision regarding the right of Lebanese women, who are married to foreigners, to pass the citizenship to their children.
Sharp differences in opinion emerged to the surface prompting the cabinet to approve the formation of a committee tasked with extensively studying the project before taking a final decision.
The committee is headed by Deputy PM Samir Moqbel and includes Interior Minister Marwan Charbel, Justice Minister Shakib Qortbawi and Social Affairs Minister Wael Abou Faour.
Change and Reform bloc ministers, who are loyal to Free Patriotic Movement leader MP Michel Aoun, expressed reservations over the matter demanding more restrictions to the law, according to An Nahar newspaper published on Thursday.
“No one opposed the principle of granting the mother the right to give the Lebanese citizenship to her family, but there was consensus on the importance of setting restrictions,” Charbel told As Safir newspaper.
Al-Joumhouria newspaper reported that Hizbullah ministers voiced their support to the issue; however, As Safir said that Hizbullah and AMAL ministers disassociated themselves from the matter.
As Safir noted that National Struggle Front ministers, loyal to Progressive Socialist Party leader MP Walid Jumblat, and the Syrian Social National Party ministers expressed their support to the matter, without exempting the Lebanese women married to Palestinians “in order to avoid racism.”
The Lebanese citizenship is transmitted by law through the father, who has the right to pass the citizenship to his children and foreign wives.
According to media reports, the interior minister had proposed two versions of the draft law before the cabinet.
The first draft law exempts the Lebanese women married to Palestinian men form granting her citizenship to her kids, in accordance with the constitution that prevents the naturalization of Palestinians, but she would be allowed to pass the citizenship to her kids if the nationality of the father is issued by an internationally recognized state or does not contradict the constitution.
The second version of the draft law states that a Lebanese woman married to a foreigner has the right to pass on her nationality to her children and calls for scrapping any law that contradicts this.
22 March 2012, 13:35
32
The Lebanese Government Should Pass this Law that Rightfully Grants Children with Lebanese Mothers married to Foreign Husbands the Lebanese Citizenship IF AND ONLY IF their Fathers are From Countries that Does the Same.
The Law of Reciprocity Must be Applied.
22 March 2012, 18:27
22
the Lebanese government should take a stand, not wait for others give equality to their own citizens. Not another day should go by where a Lebanese mother gives birth to her child and cannot even pass something as pure and personal a her citizenship to her child!
22 March 2012, 20:05
20
Kanaan, if your not lebanese then the lebanese citizenship is not for you. Whats so strange about that? Why do you want to loose your origin and deprive your children of their roots? I dont get it. The lebanese passport is for people of lebanese origin. Lebanon is not france or the USA, we cant afford giving out citizenship to non lebanese bcuz of religious, political and economic reasons. If your wife wanted her children to be lebanese then she should have married a lebanese instead of whatever you are. Stop throwing yourself at us when we have made it clear we do not want you. Have some dignity.
22 March 2012, 20:32
10
Why exactly are women not of Lebanese origin? Your argument does not make sense. A woman does not choose whom she falls in love with, marries, and has a child with. However, if she is Lebanese, why should the Lebanese law treat her any different than a man? Why should her child not be entitled to the same origin of his maternal ancestry? It should not make any difference who the father of the child is. A mother -- any mother from any country -- should have the right to pass down citizenship to their own children. And a Lebanese citizen -- any citizen be it man or woman -- should have equal rights under Lebanese law.
22 March 2012, 22:12
10
"If your wife wanted her children to be lebanese then she should have married a lebanese instead of whatever you are. Stop throwing yourself at us when we have made it clear we do not want you. Have some dignity."
Are you for real? Maybe she thinks most Lebanese men are like you. This is why she married a foreigner.
22 March 2012, 22:25
00
Anobserver, are you serious? Unless she was forced to give birth to non lebanese children then yes she CHOSE who to marry and who to have kids with. The father of her children should make sure his country gives them the nationality he has instead of trying to impose them on lebanon. I never said lebanese women arent lebanese, what i said was that in order to be lebanese you have to have a lebanese father, it has always been like this in lebanon and elsewhere and always will be. Do you think a gambian child will be viewed as lebanese just bcuz his mother is? Dont be silly. I know ur trying to sound politically correct but come on who are you trying to fool? I for one dont want 1 million saudis to become lebanese citizens just bcuz their lebanese mother decided to have foreign kids.
06 April 2012, 14:20
01
Who's we?! Don't speak on behalf of the Lebanese people. Nationality should not prevent people from marrying each other and having children. Some of the greatest minds have been the children of parents from different backgrounds, such as Edward Said. And dignity is not going to make anyone's lives easier.
22 March 2012, 17:09
00
This is also a problem in Jordan. My father is Palestinian and my mother Jordanian. I cant get any kind of Palestinian identification because my fathers hawiyeh (ID card) was taken away from him, as was his Jordanian passport at somepoint (from when the West Bank was occupied by Jordan). My mother cant give me Jordanian citizenship because shes a woman. Where is the justice? Ridiculous.
22 March 2012, 18:55
00
C est encore le moyen âge au Liban , il ne suffit pas d obtenir la nationalité pour les enfants mais aussi pour le mari !!!! L un ne va pas sans l autre , c est encore incroyable de ne pas les citer
22 March 2012, 22:38
00
giving women right to pass their citizenship should only be granted as part of a complete change of our citizenship laws. The biggest problem with this issue is the fact that citizenship through marriage is too easy and this must be tightened before allowing women to pass citizenship to their husbands. Canada for example, requires at least three years of residency and the foreign spouse passes through two background, security and health check before getting a passport. In Lebanon all you need is a one year old marriage certificate.
26 March 2012, 10:06
00
Seriously!!! Just hearing some of these chauvinistic comments makes me wonder what is behind these people's closed doors. As women we should have the same legal rights as the men. Why is it ok for them to Marry foreigners and grant citizenship to their spouses and kids?! Give me one really food solid reason. Get off your all mighty thrown.
26 March 2012, 10:16
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Are you serious! Just hearing some of these chauvinistic comments makes me wonder what is behind these people's closed doors. As women we should have the same legal rights as the men. Why is it ok for them to Marry foreigners and grant citizenship to their spouses and kids?! Give me one really food solid reason. Get off your all mighty thrown.
29 March 2012, 20:17
00
i want to know if the palstinianse will take the nationality of lebanon if their mother is lebanese ??? and i hope that this will be achieved
17 September 2012, 18:51
00
why the lebanese men marry the philippina and ethiopean maids and russian dancers can grant the wife and kids the honor of lebanese natinality,and the lebanese lady who cannot find the lebanese hero who search for wow beauty girl,who looks to have nice respectful family,you let her lose her family by your nice law,what is your religion who think in selfish,I have idea for all foreigners who married lebanese to divorce there wives as a law,so what do you think will happen,a big problem for lebanese authorities.take your decision lebanon government before you leave your chairs.
