Yesterday, I spoke about statelessness. I mentioned how countries often used it as weapon against people. Lately, women in Lebanon have been taking to the streets to protest the country's obscene laws that deprive their children of citizenship, if born of foreign fathers. The same does not apply to children born to Lebanese fathers and foreign mothers. The consequences for children born of these mothers are dire as a recent Al Jazeera report highlighted.
Religion is not helping the situation...
The government holds that the law is necessary to maintain the fragile balance of power in Lebanon, where certain factions are guaranteed parliamentary seats: Maronite, Orthodox, Sunni, Druze, Shi'ite... Small-minded politics is bound to have small-minded consequences. Religion can corrupt, as can politics, but put them together and they are sure to do so. Besides, what has lawmaking got to do with petty religious differences? With all its pantheon of religions, Lebanon's Parliament cannot pass a simple point of justice.
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