BEIRUT: A Lebanese woman detained for refusing a religious court's order to hand her child over to his father has declared a "revolution against oppression" of Shiite custody laws following her release from jail Monday.
Speaking to reporters outside the Ghobeiri police station near Beirut following her release, Fatima Hamzeh called on all women not to be silent over what many consider to be unjust religious codes.
"I have started a revolution against oppression of women. ... It is the natural right of a woman to be a mother, and I'm going to continue with this revolution," she told reporters.
She said from the moment she was taken into custody last week she knew she would fight a battle to keep her 3-1/2-year-old son, even if it meant prison.
"It is forbidden for a woman to shut up. A woman is afraid to talk about oppression. People told me 'give your child up so you don't go to jail.' I said 'no, I will keep my child and go to jail'."
The Protecting Lebanese Women campaign had announced the decision by the Jaafari Court to "suspend the ruling in Fatima Hamzeh case" earlier in the day.
The court order to detain Hamzeh sparked protests by activists last week.
The whereabouts of her son, Ali, had been unknown. But when the case against Hamzeh was dropped the smiling boy was brought to greet his mother outside the the police station.
Hamzeh’s sister and lawyer Fadia had previously said Hamzeh's estranged husband had kicked her out of their their marital home and married another woman, leaving her to raise the toddler alone.
In its Facebook post Monday, the Protecting Lebanese Women campaign wrote that the matter "hadn't ended yet as Fatima's release wasn't a victory. ... It was merely the result of pressure."
"Our victory will be achieved when we raise the age of custody for the Shiite sect, to prevent the re-occurrence of Fatima's case," the post added.
The Jaafari council currently gives fathers custody of male children once they turn 2, and female children once they turn 7, unless significant evidence shows the farther is unfit to raise the child.
Zeina Ibrahim, a member of the women's group, told reporters outside the Ghobeiri police station Monday that they would hold a fresh protest on Saturday to keep up pressure on the Jaafari council to revise their custody codes.
"We've now begun the work to apply pressure on the Shiite council ...," she said. "They are not admitting that there is a problem. They consider that they are doing their duty."
She added: "What is more important than Fatima's case is the case of all women."
Friends and sympathizers of Hamzeh had gathered in front of the Higher Shiite Council in Haret Hreik last Saturday to denounce her detention.
Members of local women’s rights groups have previously attempted – so far unsuccessfully – to persuade the vice-president of the Higher Shiite Council Sheikh Abdel-Amir Qabalan to make the age when a father is granted custody the same as other Muslim and Christian authorities.
In a related incident, a Lebanese widow identified as Aida Nassredine allegedly collected her three children Monday from their school bus outside their school in east Lebanon to prevent them from returning to their father-in-law, local television station Al-Jadeed TV reported.
The mother had won custody rights in the Shiite religious court in Hermel, east Lebanon, however, her late husband's family were inciting hatred against the mother after throwing her out of her marital home, Aida's brother said to Al-Jadeed.
Speaking to reporters outside the Ghobeiri police station near Beirut following her release, Fatima Hamzeh called on all women not to be silent over what many consider to be unjust religious codes.
"I have started a revolution against oppression of women. ... It is the natural right of a woman to be a mother, and I'm going to continue with this revolution," she told reporters.
She said from the moment she was taken into custody last week she knew she would fight a battle to keep her 3-1/2-year-old son, even if it meant prison.
"It is forbidden for a woman to shut up. A woman is afraid to talk about oppression. People told me 'give your child up so you don't go to jail.' I said 'no, I will keep my child and go to jail'."
The Protecting Lebanese Women campaign had announced the decision by the Jaafari Court to "suspend the ruling in Fatima Hamzeh case" earlier in the day.
The court order to detain Hamzeh sparked protests by activists last week.
The whereabouts of her son, Ali, had been unknown. But when the case against Hamzeh was dropped the smiling boy was brought to greet his mother outside the the police station.
Hamzeh’s sister and lawyer Fadia had previously said Hamzeh's estranged husband had kicked her out of their their marital home and married another woman, leaving her to raise the toddler alone.
In its Facebook post Monday, the Protecting Lebanese Women campaign wrote that the matter "hadn't ended yet as Fatima's release wasn't a victory. ... It was merely the result of pressure."
"Our victory will be achieved when we raise the age of custody for the Shiite sect, to prevent the re-occurrence of Fatima's case," the post added.
The Jaafari council currently gives fathers custody of male children once they turn 2, and female children once they turn 7, unless significant evidence shows the farther is unfit to raise the child.
Zeina Ibrahim, a member of the women's group, told reporters outside the Ghobeiri police station Monday that they would hold a fresh protest on Saturday to keep up pressure on the Jaafari council to revise their custody codes.
"We've now begun the work to apply pressure on the Shiite council ...," she said. "They are not admitting that there is a problem. They consider that they are doing their duty."
She added: "What is more important than Fatima's case is the case of all women."
Friends and sympathizers of Hamzeh had gathered in front of the Higher Shiite Council in Haret Hreik last Saturday to denounce her detention.
Members of local women’s rights groups have previously attempted – so far unsuccessfully – to persuade the vice-president of the Higher Shiite Council Sheikh Abdel-Amir Qabalan to make the age when a father is granted custody the same as other Muslim and Christian authorities.
In a related incident, a Lebanese widow identified as Aida Nassredine allegedly collected her three children Monday from their school bus outside their school in east Lebanon to prevent them from returning to their father-in-law, local television station Al-Jadeed TV reported.
The mother had won custody rights in the Shiite religious court in Hermel, east Lebanon, however, her late husband's family were inciting hatred against the mother after throwing her out of her marital home, Aida's brother said to Al-Jadeed.
Source & Link : The Daily Star
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