It is gratifying, to say the least, that the civil union of Kholoud Sukkariya and Nidal Darwish has animated the political discourse and emboldened civil society to demand the end of the sectarian system and to restore the diversity of Lebanon. It is such a sight what I see on TV, about this precedent that fulfills many of the hopes that we have always had in the youth transcending obsolete sectarian and tribalistic loyalties. The discourse of Lebanese politics is on the threshold of becoming modern, secular, national. The signal that the President Michel Suleiman, Walid Jumblatt, Ziad Baroud and many of the writers, intellectuals, lawyers, professionals have shown is planting the seeds of defining Lebanon as a community of equal citizens. I hope that this development removes the shackles that sectarianism has inflicted on the body politic of Lebanon. The transition from what is to what ought to be is an experience that is, at the moment, inspirational.
Clovis Maksoud is a former ambassador and permanent observer of the League of Arab States at the United Nations and its chief representative in the United States for more than 10 years.
