Sania Mahyou

In the ranks of the uprising movement that has been affecting Lebanon for almost a month, many revolutionaries are women. In addition to the substantial demands related to corruption, the cost of living, unemployment, public services, and the political system, they are fighting for their own rights as women. In this country, which was among the top 10 least egalitarian nations in the world in 2018 according to the Global Gender Gap Report, Lebanese women face deep systemic discrimination, particularly on account of their lack of a unified personal status.

They held each others’ hands. They were shouting “Non-violence! Non-violence!”. They seemed so invincible that they could be compared to superheroes. On October 18, the world was witness to this stunning scene in central Beirut. On the fringes of a peaceful demonstration on the verge of tipping over, hundreds of women were united, forming an impassable front line between the police and demonstrators ready to fight. True peacekeepers, Lebanese women participating in the Revolution Against Fear have become strong feminist symbols. The second night of the Revolution already set the scene and propelled activist Malak Alaywe Herz to fame after she kicked the groin of an armed soldier attempting to frighten protestors by freely firing his rifle into the sky.

On Wednesday, November 6, at 7pm the scene of a large gathering of women organised in Martyrs Square. Carrying pots, drums and candles - the weapons of feminist revolutionaries - the signs of the demonstrators were clear: “Oh patriarchal powers, women’s rights are not a footnote.” Lebanese women want their rights, and they want them now. For the moment, their situation is critical: no right to give their nationality to their children or husband, no civil marriage, no unified personal status (which refers to a woman’s rights as related to family law), and only 6 female deputies out of 128 seats in Parliament.

The rights of Lebanese women to divorce, inheritance, age of marriage, or custody of children are in the hands of religious communities. There are more than 15 different personal statutes in Lebanon, a situation criticised by civil society, which calls for the abolition of this confessional system and the establishment of a secular system.

But, if women are now on the streets, it is also thanks to the colossal work carried out for years by the numerous feminist associations in Lebanon. Already in 2017, a major campaign led by one of them, ABAAD, called for the repeal of a law that allowed a rapist to avoid a prison sentence if he married his victim. With the support of civil society and symbolic actions such as wedding dresses hung on the Beirut’s Corniche, the repeal was finally enacted. Nevertheless, two years later, a study conducted by the World Bank revealed a shocking figure: Lebanese women possess 58.5% of the rights granted to their male compatriots.

Revolution Against Fear is a nickname that seems to be a perfect fit for this unprecedented uprising, Noura Amer and Rania Maallawi, respectively President and Professor of the Arab Women's Solidarity Association-Belgium, explain. In an interview I conducted with Noura Amer, she stated, “We are constantly afraid of something in Lebanon: afraid of the outside world, of an economic crisis, of refugees, of a civil war... (...) We can compare the Revolution with the situation of abused women. Those women who have kept themselves silent for one reason or another and who finally have no choice but to say stop. We don't know what will happen next, we don't know if it will be better or worse, but Lebanese society had reached a point of no return. We had to revolt.”

Noura also underlined the uniqueness of this revolt, which succeeded in uniting the entire nation around a common goal - the fall of the regime. “On the brink of economic collapse, Lebanese society realised that no religion could prevent the country from getting stuck in a catastrophic situation. And now it is the Lebanese flag which is flying above our heads, when millions of people thought precisely that this was no longer possible.”

All that remains is to hope that the usual pattern of women being forced to return to their patriarchal roles once the revolts stop will not happen this time. In any case, what the demonstrators have already achieved is historic: pushing Prime Minister Rafiq Hariri to resign after only two weeks of protests. Even if we cannot predict what will happen to the demands made by the Lebanese women, their strength and unity create one certainty - that if anyone tries to relegate them to the background, the sounds of their pots and pans will once again resound loudly in Lebanon's busy streets.

In Lebanon, a feminist revolution