Lebanese women demand rights to pass nationality to children

Dozens of protesters took to the streets of Beirut Monday, calling for the rights of Lebanese women to pass their nationality onto their children, local media reported.

The protest coincided with the legislative session held at the parliament to pass a number of bills, according to the National News Agency (NNA).

The demonstrators gathered at Riad Al Solh in downtown Beirut, protesting against the law that currently prohibits Lebanese women married to foreigners from giving the Lebanese nationality to their children.

Mustafa El Shaar, head of the campaign, said that the protest is symbolic, warning of further escalations if the parliament does not take into account the demands of these Lebanese women to pass nationality to their children.

Lebanese officials have previously defended the law by saying that it was to prevent geographic imbalance.

Lebanese caretaker Foreign Minister Gebran Bassil proposed to allow Lebanese women to pass on their nationality, except in cases where their husbands are from "neighboring countries."

Lebanese civil society has criticized his statement as vague and ambiguous, as it could be applied to all Arab countries.

The lawmaker, Hadi Abul Hassan, prepared a draft law in which Lebanese women can automatically pass the nationality to their newborns.

"We sent the law to the parliament. When committees meet, it will be discussed by the committee of administration and justice, then it will be transferred to the joint committee prior to the public committee, which approves it before it becomes a law," Abul Hassan told Xinhua.