Farfahinne

picture from the nationality campaign's blog

I don't know what to write.. I don't know what to say. I am speechless and TOTALLY OUTRAGED. I was waiting this day, the day that the court will pronounce its word and bring justice to the Lebanese women. I was saying to myself, that since the judge is a woman herself, she might be more sensitive and feel the misery in which many Lebanese women live, because they are not allowed to transfer their nationality to their children and husbands.. I was convinced that this judge will rule in favor of Samira.. Not only because she's a woman. But because I felt that she was sympathetic with Samira's case when I was at the court watching her reactions to the speech of Samira's lawyer. I discovered that all what i was thinking of were pure illusions and false impressions.
Who's Samira Soueidan and what is her story?
Samira is a Lebanese mother of four young children, who is married to an Egyptian citizen who died years ago. Samira obtained in spring 2009 the right to transfer her nationality to her children. But one year later, an appeal was lodged against the First Instance verdict. The appeal was launched from the Lebanese state (t was appealed by Justice Minister Ibrahim Najjar)! The situation became the following: Samira is facing the Lebanese State at the court!
In fact, under the Lebanese law on nationality, a Lebanese wife married to a foreign citizen, cannot transfer her nationality to her children, contrary to the Lebanese husband, whose wife is foreign, is allowed the nationality transfer right to his children.
On Tuesday May 18 2010, the final judgment, denied Samira Soueidan that right "in the name of the Lebanese people".
What happened today should be a lesson to all those who think that the change may come from within this rotten system that happens to combine every bad aspects and illnesses of the modern civilization: sectarianism, racism, segregation against women, poor, workers, Palestinians, Syrians, black, refugees, and immigrants. And especially a lesson to ALL THE LIBERAL FEMINISTS who think that woman will bring justice to another woman.. Just because she is a woman!
The court decision today proved that woman (the judge in this case) can be the enemy of another woman! For all the liberal feminists, it's time to stop your illusions about liberating women through opposing men! What happened today proved that many women act in favor of the system. This system that oppresses women and men... poor women and poor men... who is sectarian... who has racist policies against refugees and foreign workers.. Who’s favoring those who maintain capital (bankers and big investors).. And it's the system that we need to change! Today’s verdict should be a lesson for us. To really relocate the enemy! It’s not the man: it's this rotten system!
The Nationality campaign should take another turn, should think about new strategies. The courts and the lobby of the national assembly are not the places anymore for such struggle. The streets are! We should think about how to create the widest popular movement that supports women in their struggle! in schools, universities, unions and Leftist progressive political parties. This is the only way to get our rights!
Women and Men, Lebanese or not, to the streets!...

FACTS: The Daily Star article's over the issue mentionned today that : "

There are around 18,000 Lebanese women married to non-Lebanese in Lebanon, according to a study by the UN Development Program. Around 80,000 children and husbands are potentially made stateless by the current legislation. Deprived of state protection and recognition, those without citizenship live in a precarious legal vacuum and cannot benefit from state education or health care, work in the formal economy or vote. They are vulnerable to arbitrary detention, have difficulty accessing the legal system and live under constant fear of deportation. Lebanon’s nationality law was formulated in 1925, at a time when Beirut was under French mandatory rule".