‘My Nationality is a Right for me and my Family’ for a new round of civil campaigning actions

In its issue of today, Al-Nahar newspaper interviewed the lawyer and activist in ‘My Nationality is a Right for Me and My Family’ Campaign, Dr. Iqbal Doughan, to shed light on the upcoming activities after the adoption last November by the Parliament of the law governing the reinstatement of Lebanese nationality to Lebanese emigrants. Doughan indicated that the approval of the law has unveiled the lightly founded excuses put forward by officials to deprive Lebanese women from the right to grant citizenship to their families, while stressing the male chauvinist mindset of officials and pure racist attitude particularly in denying Lebanese women married to Palestinians from their right to grant nationality to their family.

On future of the Campaign, Doughan revealed that it intends to carry out visits to heads of political blocs, namely the Future party, which earlier proposed a draft law that allows Lebanese women residents and emigrants to grant nationality to their children, but which was utterly rejected. The following step, Doughan added is taking action back to the streets through sit-ins and demonstrations. Expressing hope in a successful election of women who will seek change from within the political system, Doughan emphasised that Lebanese women shall not forsake their cause, neither their rights. She finally described as unfair the present nationality law that infringes on the national Constitution, while regretfully acknowledging that presently ordinary citizens still have no legal basis to appeal in this case to the Constitutional Court. (An Nahar, January 5, 2016)