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.
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A Shiite boy sits next to his mother as she joins thousands of women in a mass religious ceremony attended by Hezbollah Secretary-General Hassan Nasrallah (not pictured) on the occasion of Ashura in the southern suburbs of Beirut, Lebanon, Jan. 19, 2008. - ANWAR AMRO/AFP/Getty Images
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Hanan Hamdan
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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.

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