Women's Nationality Campaign

The movement to grant women in Lebanon equal rights compared with their men compatriots especially when it comes to nationality issues has just gained some ground.

The council of ministers has just approved a law that allows men married to Lebanese women and their children the right to get permanent residency status in Lebanon. (Relevant law can be found here. Link is in Arabic, bullet point #12. You can also find a video explaining all this here.)

While the new law is a step forward for women and their rights in Lebanon, it still falls short of the full implementation of the law that should grant full rights to all citizens of Lebanon, including the right to transfer citizenship to spouses and children. We here at BetLZ have touched on this subject before, here, here, here, and here.

Albeit a small step towards full rights for women under the law, we congratulate the government for its courageous step in the right direction.

BG

#2 Women's Rights Across the Middle East

In keeping with this week's theme of women and their rights and in keeping with Women's Day being just a few day ago, here's another post on women.

Check this video out on women's rights in Tunisia. (Arabic).



As it turns out, ,Tunisia affords it's women the most rights of any Arab country!

Here's a video (again in Arabic) about women in Lebanon and some of their achievements.
This video just sheds light on the issue. I'm saddened that it did not delve into any lack of rights for women and what needed to be done to accord them these rights.

A small interview/report on women's organizations would have been helpful!



Let's hope that the next time Women Day comes around, women in general and Lebanese in particular will have been accorded more of their rights.

PS: I hate to even use the term "accorded". It gives off the impression that "man" is giving "women" what he wants and out of his own generosity or out of his own pocket. While in reality, these are rights that should be fundamental to all humans and women should have them without having to earn them or beg for them.

BG

Women's Rights Across the Middle East

In our post on March 4th, 2010, we had discussed the campaign to give Lebanese women the right to transfer their Lebanese citizenship to their children when they marry a non-Lebanese.

The issue is an old one in Lebanon, and the reasoning behind denying Lebanese women that right mostly stems from the fact that their is a fear of naturalizing Palestinians married to Lebanese women.

That however, as far as I'm concerned, is a cop-out. I think women should get full rights and equal rights under the law.

Regardless, it looks like the UAE is moving closer to adopting measures guaranteeing more women rights.

Here's the story.

It would be a very great day for women across the Middle East if said proposed changes are put in place. And it would be a sad day for Lebanon, long considered as a beacon of freedom and rights in the Middle East, if and when other neighboring countries give their women more rights than is accorded to Lebanese women.

BG

BetLZ News 3.4.10

oooooo! Some REALLY REALLY cool/exciting news for today!:

48 hours in Beirut / Business 24-7
Follow Colin Simpson in his 48 hours in Beirut, and pick up some ideas of your own for when you visit!

Women wed to foreigners want rights for their children and husbands / LA Times
An excellent cause!! Plus, see the Campaign video below:



High Heels, Hot Clubs, War Ruins Mark Trip to Sea-Washed Beirut / Bloomberg
Bloomberg reporter Michael Luongo heads to Beirut and tells you what we already know: its the coolest city in the world.

Billionaire Wins Retrial in Killing of Lebanese Pop Star Suzanne Tamim / ABC News
Are you kidding me?? Are you kidding me???? Retrial of the case that found the Egyptian billionaire that killed Suzanne Tamim guilty??? Billionaires are not above the law!! The good news is that he stays in jail at least until the end of the retrial

A domestic tragedy / The National
Plight of the Ethiopians in Lebanon after the plane crash

The Beirut Shahnameh / Iranian.com
About an 12th-13th century AD manuscript discovered five years ago in Beirut

~LZ