BEIRUT: Marchingalong with hundreds of other women in Lebanon's capital, 41-year-old Sahar saysshe had twice the reasons to join in the nation's mass anti-system proteststhan any man. "As women, we're doubly oppressed," she saidpassionately, while around her hundreds waved Lebanese flags and chantedagainst the patriarchy. Women have been at the forefront of Lebanon's massstreet movement since October 17 demanding an overhaul of a political systemseen as incompetent and corrupt.
Like their malecounterparts, they have denounced their inability to alleviate a raft of woesfrom a deteriorating economy to unclean water and endless power cuts. But in acountry viewed as one of the most liberal in the region, they are also cryingout against discriminatory laws and religious courts governing their lives."On top of everything we suffer as Lebanese people, there's a whole bunchof laws that are unfair for women," said Sahar, bouncing on her toes in agreen T-shirt and jeans.
In a countrywhere 37 women have died from domestic violence since the start of 2018, femaleprotesters are demanding better prevention and application of a 2014 law topunish battery. Instead of what they see as antiquated religious courts, theywant a national law for all Lebanese-whatever their sect-to grant civilmarriage, and rule on issues of divorce and child custody. They ask for theamendment of a century-old law governing citizenship that does not allowLebanese women to pass down their nationality to their children.
Custody battles
During a women'smarch on Sunday, protesters held up a long banner inscribed in red paint withthe words: "Our revolution is feminist". "I can't get mymother's nationality, but I can defend her revolution," read another sign,referring to the 1925 law that deprives children of Lebanese women from theirrights as citizens. Zoya Jureidini Rouhana, head of a the Kafa non-governmentalorganization, explained the challenges ahead in the tiny multi-confessionalcountry.
"There is nosingle law for personal status but different legislation for each court from 15different religious sects in Lebanon," she said. Among the mostcontentious issues is child custody, with religious authorities for each communityapplying a different limit to a divorced mother's custody. In the Catholicchurch, children in theory must be handed over after the end to breastfeedingor at around two years of age, but a court decides in the interest of a child.
For Greek OrthodoxChristians, a mother loses permanent care of the child when they reach 14 yearsold for boys and 15 for girls. After widespread pushback, Sunni Muslimdivorcees have been granted full custody until their children turn 12. But inthe Shiite community, children are whisked away to live with their fathers whenthey turn two for boys and seven for girls. Similar differences also apply onmatters of inheritance, as well as in setting the minimum age to wed, with nonational law to ban unions under the age of 18.
'Part of therevolution'
Rim, a24-year-old student, said she has been taking to the streets since October 17 -for cleaner water, fewer power cuts and an end to perceived state graft."As a young Lebanese woman, I demand a secular system and for religiouscourts to be abolished," she said. Women have been at the forefront of theprotests since they started last month, sparked by a proposed tax on phonecalls via free applications like WhatsApp before blowing up into general rageagainst the system.
In the movement'sfirst few days, a woman who kicked an armed ministerial bodyguard in the groinbecame a symbol of the growing protests. In recent days, female high school anduniversity students have eagerly spoken to local television stations to ask forpoliticians to stop wasting their future. Women have taken to Beirut's mainsquare after dark holding candles and banging pots and pans, in a clamoringracket that echoed around the capital's homes.
Debate aroundwomen's rights has gained momentum in recent years, but activists says muchremains to be done. In 2014, parliament passed a law to punish domesticviolence, but rights advocates have demanded it be reformed to acceleratetrials and increase sentences. Among the protesters, Roba, 33, a lawyer, saidwomen's rights were crucial for radical change. "Women's issues are anintegral part of the revolution," she said. "Any revolution thatdoesn't address women's issues is wanting."
Lebanon's grandmufti
Meanwhile,Lebanon's grand mufti, the top cleric for Sunni Muslims, called yesterday forthe formation of a new emergency government of technical experts and for thosein power to meet protesters' demands. The country is in political and economicturmoil after three weeks of nationwide protests that prompted Prime MinisterSaad al-Hariri to resign last week.
"The timehas come to meet the people's demands and the national free will thattranscends sects, political parties, and regions," Grand Mufti SheikhAbdul Latif Derian said in a televised address on the occasion of ProphetMohammed's birthday. "The time has come and is opportune, after thisnational wake-up call, for the reform process to begin and for those in powerto form an emergency government made up of competent people, without delay,"Derian said. It is time "to immediately proceed with carrying out thereform package prepared by Prime Minister Hariri to solve the country'sproblems", he added.
MaronitePatriarch Bechara Boutros Al-Rai, Lebanon's top Christian religious authority,has also called for a change in government to include qualified technocrats.Before he stepped down, Hariri agreed a package of reforms with partners in thecoalition government aimed at easing an economic crisis that sparked theunprecedented protests against the sectarian ruling elite. The plans included a50% reduction in the salaries of current and former officials and $3.3 billionin contributions from banks to achieve a "near zero deficit" for the2020 budget.
But Lebanesepoliticians have yet to make progress towards agreeing a new government toreplace one that was toppled. The country's power-sharing system is based on 18recognized religious sects and dates back to French colonial rule. It allocatesposts for each of the country's communities, forming the basis of its majorpolitical parties and creating a delicate balance between Christians, Sunni andShiite Muslims and other groups. - Agencies