Running head: YES FOR CIVIL MARRIAGE 1

Yes for Civil Marriage

Garod Saghdejan

Eng 201

Miss Awwad

Dec 13, 2020

YES FOR CIVIL MARRIAGE 2

Civil marriage is defined to be a marriage that is recognized by a government official

without any religious interference (Hamadi & Farhat, 2019). In Mesopotamia, the primarily

recorded marriage ceremonies, joining together a man and a woman, date to 2351 B.C. In ancient

times, marriage was considered a civil matter with religious institutions peripherally involved

(The origins of marriage, 2007). However, in modern times, civil marriage has become a

complex and controversial issue all around the world (The origins of marriage, 2007).

Nowadays, many countries provide a legal framework for civil marriage, with others more

resistant to the idea (The origins of marriage, 2007). Lebanon is one country that prohibits civil

marriage, with many Lebanese considering it a disgrace to religion (Yazbeck, 2018). However,

though forbidden in Lebanon, civil marriages registered outside the country are recognized by

the government (Hamadi & Farhat, 2019). Civil marriage should be legalized in Lebanon. It will

bring beneficial changes that boost the Lebanese individual economic state (Yazbeck, 2018). It

will lead to the diversification of the Lebanese social fabric (Yazbeck, 2018). Finally, civil

marriage will protect the freedom of individuals (Yazbeck, 2018).

Firstly, civil marriage will benefit the economic status of Lebanese individuals (Yazbeck,

2018). Lebanon has faced economic crises for quite a long time that resulted in the

destabilization of the Lebanese economy. For example, the Syrian, Iraqi, and Palestinian wars

have contributed to Lebanon’s soaring national debt, which is estimated to be around $93 billion

(Yazbeck, 2018). Furthermore, job opportunities for Lebanese have been limited because

millions of people sought refuge here in Lebanon trying to find a better life (Anderson, 2013).

Accordingly, the economic situation of Lebanese individuals has been affected, making it

challenging for them to afford even basic life necessities (Anderson, 2013). Religious marriages
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have become one of the costly hurdles that face the Lebanese nowadays (Anderson, 2013).

According to Dr. Chaaban, an economist at the American University of Beirut, the unstable

macroeconomic reality has led more than 50 % of the Lebanese population to fall under the

poverty line, the majority of these people marry late in their lives, taking on burdensome debt in

the process (Anderson, 2013). While a Muslim wedding fee is usually $400, a church wedding

can cost up to $10,000, a divorce in a religious court can cost up to thousands of dollars, these

are examples that show how costly religious marriages can be in Lebanon (Anderson, 2013). To

make matters worse, religious authorities are the only people who benefit from religious

marriages, in other words, religious institutions will never contribute to better the Lebanese

community in any way, certainly not its economy (Anderson, 2013). The combination of these

problems has forced people to look for more affordable ways to get married, like civil marriage

(Yazbeck, 2018). For example, Nidal Dervesh, who is a receptionist, got married in the country's

first and only civil marriage in November, given his financial position he said: “The economic

situation in Lebanon will make it very difficult for me to get married” (Anderson, 2013).

Another instance is Sukkariyah, a teacher, who followed an old marriage contract according to

French colonial law for only around $100, using that method, she saved tenfold the amount that

she would have spent if she got married in a church (Anderson, 2013). Moreover, according to

Dr. Chaaban, if civil marriage becomes legalized in Lebanon, it can cost less than $100, more in

line with the cost of a marriage license in countries like Cyprus and the United States (Anderson,

2013). Civil marriage will bring countless benefits when it comes to the Lebanese community

itself in several ways. Dr. Chaaban in his study observed that if civil marriage is permitted, the

economic conditions of most citizens would be improved because people would no longer have

to pay large sums to institutions which benefit only the institutions, nor they would have to take
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out loans for their weddings (Anderson, 2013). Therefore, civil marriage undoubtedly will bring

significant cash flow to the government, ultimately, benefiting the economic situation of the

Lebanese individuals (Yazbeck, 2018).

Secondly, civil marriage should be legalized because it will lead to the diversification of

the Lebanese social fabric (Yazbeck, 2018). Unfortunately in Lebanon, there are still no civil

laws, with each sect practicing its own rules according to the Sharia for Muslims and the Church

for the Christians, therefore, there are 18 theological courts with their own rules, decisions, and

methods of execution, as there are 18 sects in Lebanon (Yazbeck, 2018). According to a survey,

15% of the Muslim population in Lebanon wishes to marry people from other religions but

cannot because it goes against the law (Yazbeck, 2018). According to the same survey, 9% of

Christians wish to marry a partner of a different religion, while 5.6% of Lebanese Druze face the

same problem (Crabtree, 2004). Based on another survey, more than 37% of the countries’

populations combined, who do not have civil marriage legal in their country, wish to marry from

other partners, three-quarters of the 37% are Muslims (Crabtree, 2004). In another instance, Lina

Loy, a Christian Lebanese girl, converted to Islam and decided to marry her Muslim fiancé

legally, unfortunately however after many trials, in 2007 she was denied permission to renounce

Christianity after bringing her case through the highest courts (Crabtree, 2004). These cases and

many others illustrate how religious marriages divide this country into sects, forcing people to

take decisions against their will while simultaneously making marriage exclusively within sects

(Crabtree, 2004). On the contrary, in other countries like the United States, that is not the case

(Yazbeck, 2018). Furthermore, civil marriage has been legal in the United States since 1913, the

result is a diverse society, where people from different religions and backgrounds can marry each

other, with the United States being known as a “melting pot” of diversity (Crabtree, 2004).
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According to a survey, 24% percent of Muslims in the United States marry partners from other

religions, and more than 50% percent of the nation’s general population prefer to marry civilly

(Crabtree, 2004). That could become a reality in Lebanon if only civil marriage becomes

permitted, where all Lebanese could join in their rights and duties by the Civil Marriage Law

(Yazbeck, 2018). The legislation will make it possible for people from various religions and

sects to get married as a result, the Lebanese society will be diverse untimely, making the social

fabric stronger (Yazbeck, 2018).

Finally, legalizing civil marriage in Lebanon will protect civil rights (Yazbeck, 2018).

Civil rights are an integral part of human rights and promise, regardless of race, faith, or other

attributes, of equal social rights and security under the law that secure freedom to vote, a fair

hearing under the law, social care, and public education are examples (Yazbeck, 2018).

However, unfortunately in Lebanon, civil rights are not always protected, the most recent

example that can be given is “the thawra.” On October 17, 2019, the Lebanese citizens have been

protesting peacefully in the streets against government repression and the severe economic

situation in which Lebanon now finds itself (Malafronte, 2020). One of the things that these

peaceful protests were trying to achieve is to legalize civil marriage, ultimately normalizing it

within society (Yazbeck, 2018). Unfortunately, the Lebanese society, historically, has been

discriminating a lot against individuals who are married civilly (Malafronte, 2020). For the past

decade, it was reported that almost 99% of individuals who were civilly married received

discrimination in a social or a government setting (Malafronte, 2020). There are even some

reports of violent attacks. For instance, Sarar who is a Lebanese Druze, married her American

partner in a civil setting, when visiting her family in Lebanon she was met with locals who, she

reported, violently attacked their car and repeatedly screamed “you are not welcome here”
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(Khouri, 2017). Further, conducting paperwork in a government place also has its difficulties

simply because civil marriage is not legal (Khouri, 2017). Therefore, these couples, who are

being discriminated against, cannot defend themselves or even legally file a lawsuit because they

do not have rights that protect their freedom, and this is due to civil marriage not being legal in

Lebanon (Khouri, 2017). However, in reality, constitutional marriage is a civil right, much as the

right to vote is a civil right, both secure “the independence of individuals from states, voluntary

groups, and private individuals from their violation” (Yazbeck, 2018). They guarantee one's

capacity to engage without prejudice or repression in the political life of society and the state

(Yazbeck, 2018). After legalizing civil marriage, Lebanon will be able to grant its people the

freedom to choose between civil and religious rights, thus protecting couples from

discrimination, this will future help normalize the civil marriage scene in Lebanon (Yazbeck,

2018).

However, civil marriage is against religion and it is considered to be an abomination to

the religious institutions here in Lebanon (Lazkani, 2020). Lebanon is a nation with many sects,

the constitution devolving jurisdiction over personal affairs to the various religious courts, this

leaves Lebanese under the rules of sectarian personal status rather than a single legislative one

(Lazkani, 2020). Religious bodies in Lebanon view civil marriage negatively and consider it to

be offensive. In Christianity, marriage is a sacred institution that can never be dissolved.

Religious marriage is seen as the chance for a man and a woman to show their faith in Christ

before showing it to the world (Lazkani, 2020). “Marriage is sacred,” says Rev. Charbel of the

Orthodox sect, who argues that integrating the civil marriage system to Lebanon not only will

ruin the religion’s secrecy, but also will impose dangers on the Christian sect since it will open

the door for sects to mingle (Lazkani, 2020). In Islam, marriage has basic “pillars”, and a
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marriage is considered legitimate when those conditions are met, usually civil marriage does not

meet these conditions (Lazkani, 2020). Sheikh Hassan, a member of the Muslim sect, states that

civil marriage is not only considered “haram”, but also leads to many problems within the

Islamic society (Lazkani, 2020). Regardless of these arguments, some people are forced to get a

civil marriage since it is the only way for these people to unite as a couple (Chulov, 2019). Some

people are from a minority religious group in Lebanon like Lebanese Jews, who constitute

around 0.1% of the Middle East’s population (excluding occupied Palestine) (Chulov, 2019).

Lebanese Jews number less than 1,000, and their marriages cannot be recognized because they

do not fall under a major sect here also, Jewish marriage does not exist in Lebanon, so many

Lebanese Jews must seek a civil arrangement outside the country (Chulov, 2019). The same case

applies to atheists, which by 2014 were estimated to constitute up to 3% of Lebanon’s population

(Lazkani, 2020). Other cases such as interfaith marriages face a similar problem (Lazkani, 2020).

In Lebanon, interfaith marriages cannot occur unless one person converts to their spouse’s

religion (Chulov, 2019). For instance, in Islam, it is unacceptable for a Muslin person to get

married to a non-Muslim person as it is stated in this verse: “Do not marry idolatresses till they

believe; and certainly, a believing maid is better than an idolatress even though she would please

you; and do not marry idolaters till they believe” (Qur’an 2:221) (Lazkani, 2020). The only right

way for interfaith marriages in Islam to happen is for the non-Muslim partner to convert to Islam

(Lazkani, 2020). However, that is very unfortunate since it creates a lot of problems for

individuals because some people do not wish to convert to other religions just solely for the

purpose of getting married (Chulov, 2019). The case of the Sunni Muslim Abi-Nassif and the

Christian Salam serves as the perfect example, both had wished to be married in Lebanon

without converting to the other’s religion but they were forced to get married outside the country
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civilly in Cyprus (Chulov, 2019). In total, the number of people who have oppressed rights make

up almost 4.6% of the Lebanese society, include Lebanese from other minority religious groups,

atheists, and people who wish to marry without changing their religion (Chulov, 2019). These

people cannot get married inside Lebanon, usually opting to travel outside to a neighboring

country like Cyprus (Chulov, 2019). Civil marriage for these people is a must because it is the

only way for them to unite together as a family (Yazbeck, 2018). If civil marriage becomes

legalized, these oppressed minorities will have the same rights and practices as the Lebanese

majority (Chulov, 2019).

In conclusion, the importance of legalizing civil marriage is becoming more and more

crucial because it helps to better the economic situation of the Lebanese, it allows for a more

diverse society, and it protects civil rights (Yazbeck, 2018). Even though Lebanon’s religious

institutions oppose this form of marriage, the benefits of legalizing it are countless, since it helps

Lebanese minorities in Lebanon and helps bring equality and justice (Anderson, 2013).
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References

Anderson, B. (2013, February 22). Civil marriage, a better deal than you thought. The Daily Star

Lebanon. https://www.dailystar.com.lb/News/Local-News/2013/Feb-22/207417-civil-

marriage-a-better-deal-than-you-thought.ashx

Chulov, M. (2019, August 25). Society couple said 'I do' – but Lebanon won't accept that they

are married. Retrieved December 13, 2020, from

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2019/aug/25/lebandon-high-society-wedding-tests-

civil-freedom

Crabtree, V. (2014). Marriage: Its Diversity and Character. The Human Truth Foundation.

http://www.humantruth.info/marriage.html#OU1470

Khouri, S. (2017, April 20). Civil Marriage in Lebanon: The Political Developments. Al-

Jumhuriya. https://www.aljumhuriya.net/en/en/lebanon/civil-marriage-in-lebanon-the-

political-developments

Malafronte, G. (2020, January 6). What Is Lebanon’s ‘thawra’ (Revolution) About? PSA Blog.

https://www.psa.ac.uk/psa/news/what-lebanon%E2%80%99s %E2%80%98thawra

%E2%80%99-revolution-about

Yazbeck, C. (2018). 5 Reasons Why Civil Marriage Is Better for Lebanon. The 961.

https://www.the961.com/5-reasons-why-civil-marriage-is-better-for-lebanon/#:~:text=

%231%20Better%20for%20a%20diversified%20society&text=Lebanon%20does%20not

%20yet%20have%20a%20unified%20personal%20status%20law.&text=Since%20there

%20are%2018%20sects,in%20their%20rights%20and%20duties