Dokument #1062678
IRB – Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada (Autor)
The following information was provided by
the Director of the Institute for the Study of Women in the Arab
World (ISWAW) and a sociologist at the Institut des sciences
sociales of the Lebanese American University who specializes on
women issues in Lebanon and the Arab world (6 Jan. 1999).
Both sources stated that the notion of
"arranged marriages" has changed dramatically in Lebanon. Today
"arranged marriages" do not include the use of coercion. In Lebanon
today, it is very rare that a Sunni woman would be forced to enter
a marriage without her consent. Even the term "arranged marriage"
does not exclude the participation and consent of both candidates.
The "arranged" aspect of the marriage is only related to the
respect of social customs as illustrated through mediation and
negotiation conducted by the women of both prospective families,
very often at the explicit request of the bride-to-be. The woman
always has the choice of refusing any male candidate suggested to
her. Refusing a male candidate does not put the life of the woman
in jeopardy.
Forced marriage involving coercion is in
decline and only happens in small and remote villages of Lebanon.
Both sources indicated that the vast majority of Sunnis in Lebanon
lives in urban areas such as Beirut, Tripoli and Saïda.
Both sources stated that, in general, Sunni
women in Lebanon are not forced to wear the hijab and many
do not wear it.
This Response was prepared after
researching publicly accessible information currently available to
the Research Directorate within time constraints. This Response is
not, and does not purport to be, conclusive as to the merit of any
particular claim to refugee status or asylum.
References
Director, Institute for the Study of
Women in the Arab World (ISWAW), Beirut, Lebanon. 6 January 1999.
Telephone interview. ISWAW, which celebrate its 25 years of
existence in 1998, publishes a magazine entitled
Al-Raïda and has produced several studies on Arab
women.
Sociologist, Institut des sciences
sociales, Lebanese American University, Beirut. 6 January 1999.
Telephone interview.