“We Don’t Want Roses on Mother’s Day,” Lebanese Women Protest

Written by Sally Shakkour

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“We don’t want roses on Mother’s Day,” Lebanese women have called for a huge protest in Beirut on March 19th demanding their full rights as mothers. During the protest, Lebanese women have urged to remove the hands of different parties off their personal status.

As part of the Mother’s Day event, Lebanese advocates and women’s rights activists have called for an open protest in downtown Beirut at Martyrs' Square. In a post that was shared online, mothers said that they are not looking for roses, kitchen tools, or veneration of motherhood.

Lebanese women have also rallied against the country’s murderous racist patriarchal system, adding that the only solution for their issues is protesting in the street. The post further added: “On Mother’s Day and every day, we wish for the fall of all the powers that unfairly control our lives.”

Activists said: “Before we are flooded with greetings, blessings, songs, kitchen utensils, vacuum cleaners, sanctification, and reverence... let us share our anger on the occasion of Mother's Day and renew our demand for our full and undiminished rights.”

The Lebanese mother, Lina Jaber, has one of the most heartbreaking stories about how Lebanese moms face unfair circumstances. Jaber was divorced and deprived of seeing her kids for almost two years due to Jaa'fari religious court law in Lebanon that grant fathers full custody and the right to decide whether mothers can see their kids or not. 

Moreover, after the death of their eldest daughter by a stray bullet, Lina's requests to attend the funeral to say goodbye to her dead daughter were rejected by the father. The girl was even buried in the house’s backyard to further tighten the siege on the mother.

According to data released; Lebanese women still face gender discrimination despite the UN's calls for reforms to address gender discrimination in the country and make men and women equal. “Another five years have passed, and Lebanon has done little to end discrimination against women and girls under its international obligations,” said Aya Majzoub, Lebanese researcher at Human Rights Watch.

Furthermore, Lebanese authorities have not changed the nationality law, which bans Lebanese women married to foreigners from passing citizenship to their spouses and children, while men who marry foreign nationals can pass on their citizenship.