Progress Amid Resistance

260 WOMEN’S RIGHTS IN THE MIDDLE EAST AND NORTH AFRICAreligion. It is an accepted practice in some social milieus, regardless of religiousdenomination, for a young man to ask his female family membersto search for a prospective bride on his behalf, or for a young woman to becompelled to marry a person chosen by her family. However, such cases arebecoming increasingly rare.Interreligious marriages are increasingly common. Among Muslims,the marriage of a Muslim man to a woman of another monotheistic faithis acceptable—the bride is even permitted to retain her original faith. Bycontrast, a Muslim woman may not marry a non-Muslim man; should shechoose to do so, her guardian has the right to annul the marriage, althoughthat right is rarely exercised. 32 The Christian sects generally require prospectivespouses of other faiths to convert, although some allow marriagesbetween people of different Christian denominations. 33Divorce in Lebanon is most frequently a traumatic experience forfamily members, particularly women and children. While personal statuscodes regulate issues related to divorce, enforcement mechanisms are notstrong enough to ensure that the rights of divorced women are upheld.Women often face fierce custody battles and serious financial problems iftheir husbands refuse to pay the alimony ordered by the court. The religiouscourts, generally headed and run by men, rarely consider the needsof women, and often decide and impose measures concerning children’scare and nurturing without seeking out the opinion and consent of themother. Furthermore, a divorce is always more taxing for foreign womenmarried to Lebanese men because of their lack of awareness of the pertinentlaws and, in many cases, because of a language barrier.Among Muslims, a man can divorce his wife with relative ease throughthe practice known as talaq, or repudiation. The divorced woman is entitledto her dowry as well as financial maintenance throughout the iddat,the waiting period during which a husband may revoke his repudiationand reconcile with his wife, even if it is against her will. It is much moredifficult for a woman to divorce her husband on her own initiative. Sunniwomen can argue their case in court by citing one or more of a defined setof reasons, such as the husband’s failure to consummate the marriage, hisillness or insanity, or his long-term absence or intermittent cohabitation.Both the Sunni and Shiite family courts allow women to reserve the rightto initiate divorce as part of their marriage contracts, making the processeasier. Under Article 38 of the Sunni personal status law, women may also