The Controversy of Civil Marriage in Lebanon

The conference organized in partnership with the Lebanese University’s Faculty of Law, Political Science and Administration and the Konrad Adenauer Foundation in Lebanon, brought together representatives from both the civil and religious spectrums, all involved with the adoption of civil marriage in Lebanon. The religious leaders present at the conference came from the principal sects in Lebanon – Shia, Sunni and Maronite- in addition to the legal representatives and officers such as notaries, judges and academicians.

The conference aimed at discussing about “civil marriage in light of the Lebanese pluralistic legal system”, one of the most controversial topics in Lebanon which emanates from the tension between the plurality of the Lebanese legal system, staggering between the religious and the civil laws, particularly in matters of the personal status laws. And hence, civil marriage comes as the manifestation of one of the most prominent challenges that stem from the plurality of the legal systems that govern the personal status laws in Lebanon.

An analytical report has been produced about the main topics and presentations discussed at the conference in addition to the main proceedings and analyses conducted following the discussions that took place at the conference. You can download the report from the pdf link on the right sidebar of this page.

Following the conference, there was a crucial need to hear the opinion and standpoints of the students and the youth, who are equally concerned with the issue of the civil marriage in Lebanon and thus the Konrad Adenauer Foundation, in partnership with the Lebanese University’s Faculty of Law, Political Science and Administration, organized a discussion session targeting the youth and encouraging them to discuss about the reality of civil marriage in Lebanon. Dr. Jihad Bannout, professor at the Lebanese University, presented first the summary of the findings and presentations from the conference and later, a prominent activist and lawyer advocating for the civil marriage in Lebanon, Me. Talal Al Husseiny presented about the various challenges related to the realization of civil marriage in Lebanon, while drawing upon the main arguments set forward by the opponents and supporters of this matter.

The floor was then opened for questions and interventions by the public reflecting upon the challenging of the legal pluralism in Lebanon and its impact on the realization of civil marriage in Lebanon.