Photo Tribute to Lebanese Couples With Civil Marriages

Civil marriage. Elie Fares, the author of Beirut’s infamous blog, “A Separate State of Mind”, recently posted about the problem with the religious interference in the people’s right to marry whomever they’d like. Since Fares said it better than I ever could, here’s an excerpt from his post on civil marriage laws in Lebanon:

“The biggest obstacle to civil marriage and subsequently state in Lebanon isn’t just religious folk who can’t fathom living in a place where their religion doesn’t go all the time, it’s also cowardly politicians who cannot conceive standing against their religious reference in such matters and who also don’t realize that living in a state with a sectarian system doesn’t mean living in a religious state à la Saudi Arabia.

I am pro civil marriage because I simply support that basic civil freedom. To some, that is beyond complicated to fathom.

Blasphemy is great sometimes.”

The above pictures were taken from from this Facebook group, which aims to increase national awareness of the issue and support the Lebanese couples unable to marry in their home country.

Looking to help? Sign this petition, or attend the sit-in at Nejmeh Square this Monday from 3:00 – 5:00 PM.

Learn more about the religious opposition to civil marriage at this conveniently summarized explanation from Lebanese blogger, Beirut Spring.