Nationality Campaign and As Sabeel present the film entitled: “All for the Nation”… but the nation is for men only

As Safir published a report on the Nationality Campaign documentary, All for the Nation, directed by Carole Mansur, which shows the stories of Lebanon women married to non-nationals and their plights and that of their families.  The film was shown on Wednesday at that As Sabeel public library in Monot which is affiliated to the Beirut municipality.  The event was attended by a large number of women who are part of the Nationality Campaign and who came from different parts of Lebanon.

The newspaper reporter, Sa3ada Allaw, spoke of the suffering of children who lived all their lives in Lebanon but who are considered as foreigners and who were subjected to all forms of discrimination such as not being allowed to go to public school, or benefit from health care or obtain an entrance visa at the airport whilst many are deprived from inheriting their mothers.  The non-national spouses of Lebanese women are subjected to additional suffering as the implementation of the “complimentary residency” still faces many hurdles whilst some face deportation without any proper justification.

Allaw presented the cases shown in the film notably that of Dibeh from Baalbek who married her Egyptian sweetheart and had four children with him.  After her husband died, Dibeh could not register her children at the Egyptian embassy as her husband’s family wanted to take them away.  Dibeh registered her children as stateless.  Miriam married a British man and wanted to settle in Lebanon with her three children who are not allowed to be Lebanese.  Aline married an Egyptian lawyer and suffered from state violence as her family was mistreated and her husband was threatened with deportation when the film was been made.  Aline asks for her part “why do Lebanese men enjoy the right to transmit citizenship to their foreign wives and we as women are deprived from this right although we fulfill all our duties vis-à-vis our countries?  Each woman ended her talk by chanting the Lebanese national anthem along with her family.  Indeed, we are “All for the Nation but the Nation is for men only”.
After the film was shown, the participants had an open discussion with the film director, Carole Mansur, and with the Campaign coordinator, Lina Abou-Habib, who pledged to continue the struggle until all Lebanese women are able to transmit their nationality to their families.
Source: Al-Safir 6 June 2014