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Lojine Kamel

Report: Lebanese Mufti Declares Fatwa Prohibiting Civil Marriage

Now Lebanon reports that Sunni Sheikh Mohammad Rashid Qabbani has officially issued a fatwa against civil marriage, saying “Any Muslim with legal or executive authority in Lebanon who supports the legalization of civil marriage is an apostate and outside the religion of Islam.”

Issued this Monday, the ruling was made on the official website for fatwas in Lebanon, Dar al-Fatwa. Qabbani’s announcement was made on the same day that President Suleiman tweeted the message below, supporting civil marriage.

The fatwa comes at a pivotal moment in Lebanese civil marriage history; couple Kholoud Sukkarieh and Nidal Darwish only this month announced that they had wed without mention of their religious sects, using an article imposed under the French Mandate. Still, the majority of different religion couples travel to Turkey or Cyprus to marry, as Lebanon as of yet has no legal grounds for civil unions.