Activists Hold Sit-in Near Baabda Palace over Controversial Nationality Draft-Law
إقرأ هذا الخبر بالعربية
Activists from the nationality campaign held on Thursday a sit-in near Baabda palace after urging Prime Minister Najib Miqati to end “discrimination” and reconsider recommendations not to allow Lebanese women to pass their nationality on to their children.
The protest coincided with a cabinet session held under President Michel Suleiman at the presidential palace.
In a memo sent to Miqati ahead of the sit-in, the campaign expressed “disappointment at the conclusions reached by a ministerial committee on which it had put high hopes.”
Reports have emerged that the committee studying a nationality draft-law has rejected it in its entirety.
According to “My Nationality is a Right for Me and My Family,” the document that was referred by the committee to Miqati claimed that allowing Lebanese women to give their nationality to their children would threaten the stability and the fragile demographic balance in the country.
It also claimed that the highest interest of the state would be undermined in light of the government's sectarian system.
But the campaign's activists urged Miqati “to end the discrimination against women in the nationality draft-law and not to support the excuses” of the committee.
“Why isn't the ability of Lebanese men to grant their nationality to their foreign wives considered a threat to the Lebanese state's highest interest?” they asked.
As Safir daily had quoted Miqati as saying that he would reject the committee's recommendations when the issue is discussed during the cabinet session. But the government failed on Thursday to resolve the matter, postponing talks on the issue.
By law, Lebanese women married to foreigners cannot pass their nationality on to their children, denying them equal access to benefits. This is not the case for men who are allowed to pass their nationality on to both their spouses and their children.
In remarks to Voice of Lebanon radio (100.5) earlier in the day, Foreign Minister Adnan Mansour promised that the government would resolve the issue.
“The point of view of all ministers should be taken into consideration and the draft-law should be studied thoroughly,” he said.
But he warned it wouldn't be an easy task.
17 January 2013, 11:56
62
the filthy zionist scum trash worm usualy tries to portray itself as a "civil democratic modern lebanese" and similar lies.
therefore, one would expect zillions of posts from him (under different nicknames like always) supporting this.
but they are nowhere to be found!!! why? because he is filthy zionist scum and not "civil democratic modern lebanese" and similar lies.
i support the activists.
17 January 2013, 12:26
72
oh look, i provoked the filthy zionist and he wants to talk to me lol...
17 January 2013, 12:31
72
and you skipped the subject of the article of course
filthy zionist methodology, skip the subject attack the author
17 January 2013, 12:05
15
To hell with this country and its demographic balance... To hell with all those who oppose these women's due rights... Hypocrisy reigns in this poor excuse for a country... For sure...
17 January 2013, 12:13
40
Now imagine the following scenario:
2050
George: " Dude it's been a while since I have seen a real one"
Mo:"Real What?"
George: " Mo don't you remember the days when our dad's used to tell us about those amazing Lebanese women."
Mo:"It's a myth George let's go and visit the daughters of ammo Ali the ones with the dutch accent, I think they are cute even thou half of what they say I don't get."
17 January 2013, 12:27
40
actually i never lived there, my family fled from the south because of occupation.
however i do know some arabic, but i don't use it here because i don't know this latin arabic improvization.
17 January 2013, 12:32
41
by the way, many zionists, especially mossad agents know arabic because it's their job to know arabic.
knowing arabic doesn't make you lebanese.
17 January 2013, 13:32
20
no they fled because they were linked with resistance movement even before the foundation of hezb'allah.
and contrary to you i have been in lebanon and i can come any time.
you can't :P
18 January 2013, 01:51
01
Hahahahahahahahahahahahahahaha u never lived here????... U kno ur family can come back now! They can resume their "resistance"! Hahaha :p
17 January 2013, 12:52
03
I am pure Lebanese and a proud one indeed and I have no problem marrying a woman of any culture or ethnicity. The person's character and belief in our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ would be my measuring stick and not her ethnic background. Jabalamel, may The Lord bless you with His wisdom so you can begin to learn right from wrong.
A proud Lebanese!!!
17 January 2013, 13:14
41
so now we know who is the filthy zionist scum using 100 nicknames.
it's the filthy lebanese zionist from former SLA who escaped like a coward in 2000 and since than found some jewish woman (probably some fat ugly and with only some teeth) and stayed in zionist entity.
you may be born lebanese but you are filthy traitor and zionist now so forget it...
17 January 2013, 14:24
10
I support the Gov decision, look at the other Arab countries, including Gulf States, witch countries give nationality to kids through woman in the Arab world ?
17 January 2013, 14:57
30
oh look, beside zionist we have wahabi active here.
go back to the desert and sniff oil
17 January 2013, 15:04
02
I have 3 swedish cousins and 2 russian ones that were all born and raised in Lebanon but still cannot exercise same rights as me or their other cousins. What a shame.
17 January 2013, 16:39
10
the filthy zionist scum again talks about division of lebanon
17 January 2013, 16:40
20
the filthy zionist hanzir thinks i don't know a word of arabic
17 January 2013, 17:11
01
it is true. I am tired of the condescending attitude of the arabs towards us.
17 January 2013, 17:36
20
the filthy zionist scum halucinate that i didn't visit lebanon and that i can't talk to the taxi drivers.
17 January 2013, 17:39
20
but it is you who will never step on lebanese soil again you fitlhy SLA zionist traitor.
17 January 2013, 17:39
20
than this specific problem can be solved with specific solution.
I don't see why it would apply to all women
17 January 2013, 19:45
01
Sidon we are talking about children that were born and raised in Lebanon, went to school and afterwards graduated from universities. These children have the least of rights and that is to own a lebanese nationality but trust me they do not need it. It is only a matter of principals and equality, something we do not have in Lebanon. As for the Khalijis, well they do not need a lebanese passport to buy all our lands, they are doing it anyway but i agree we should limit these people from acting freely in our country.
17 January 2013, 21:40
00
in this case if it s only a pb of palestinians then forbid palestinians to have the nationality and allow the others! pure hypocrisy that is what it is!!
18 January 2013, 02:00
10
I was assuming its because the women change their that's name, but the men pass theirs on. Like its an Arab mentality or something. But Texas has a very good point, the only ppl that want Lebanese citizenship r the Palestinians... Even Lebanese don't want it!
18 January 2013, 11:20
00
anonymetexas: i wasn t criticizing your point. but we all know that all gvts refuse to grant citizenship to the children of lebanese women because of the palestinians! so just forbid the palestinians and let the others get the nationality! let the gvt stop being hypocrit on that issue!
18 January 2013, 11:22
00
no beirutbastard: do you find it normal that a person born and raised in lebanon has to ask for a resident permit every year and all his life as if he were a stranger when HALF his family is lebanese? it s a denial of his culture and making him a second class citizen!
17 January 2013, 21:43
01
is it normal that a person raised in lebanon his whole life cannot have the nationality because his father is a foreigner? these people are second class lebanese? half their family is in lebanon and each year they have to ask for a resident card as if the gvt negated his lebanese family!!!
what a shame for this country to be sooooooo retarded!
17 January 2013, 22:40
01
As a non-Palestinian foreigner I can own property in Lebanon. Yet I have a friend, a highly educated Palestinian refugee - born, educated and living in Lebanon all his life - whose elderly Lebanese mother when she dies will not be able to pass on her property to her children, for the sole reason that she fell in love and married another Arab, who happened to be Palestinian, and thus her children are legally foreigners - the only foreigners who cant inherit Lebanese land from their parents. Is this just? Is this how the Lebanese who insist they are at war with Israel support their Palestinian brothers and sisters? You should be ashamed - excuses about demographic balance, Lebanon's highest interests etc. are not credible.
18 January 2013, 00:57
01
The rights granted to women in Lebanon are from the stone ages. As a pure Canadian who married a Lebanese women I find it shameful that my 15 year old son cannot get the right to citizenship.I have many Lebanese friends who's kids have never even been to Lebanon and my son who loves this country and spends an average of 2 months per year in Lebanon. People are afraid to upset the balance of power. For us its not about a Passport(not interested) or even the right to vote(what a joke)...it's about fairness and equality. My son considers himself half-Lebanese even if the country he loves refuse to do so because of discriminatory laws>
18 January 2013, 01:55
00
You're wrong Sidon!!... He knows ablest 3 words of Arabic! :p
18 January 2013, 04:29
00
The problem is that Citizenship by marriage is too easy and is prone to abuse. Other countries require foreign spouses to undergo background checks and impose financial and residency requirements. In Lebanon you get a passport after only one year of marriage without any of the above safeguards. This need to be changed before allowing Lebanese women to give citizenship to their husbands.
