Lebanon's mothers see glint of hope in custody ruling
A Shiite mother in Lebanon was recently granted temporary custody of her two children in what human rights advocates say could indicate a long overdue, small step forward in personal status laws.
The head judge of the Jaafari (personal status) court in Baabda, Lebanon, issued a temporary custody ruling Dec. 11 that gives some encouragement to Shiite mothers.
Judge Musa Samouri of the Jaafari court — composed of Sharia Shiite judges — ruled in favor of a woman whose children are above the legal age at which mothers are traditionally granted custody in the Shiite community.
This decision was preceded by two rulings in July, when the same judge awarded temporary custody to another Shiite mother.
However, the mother who was recently granted custody told Al-Monitor on condition of anonymity that the decision doesn't put an end to her problem, as the ruling can't be implemented easily and the father could still object.
