In death as in life, Jouny — affectionately called Om Karam, Arabic for “mother of Karam” — has showcased the struggles of Lebanese women who are battling laws that give religious courts say over many aspects of their lives. In cases of divorce for Shiite Muslims like Jouny, the Shiite religious courts usually grant custody of children to the fathers at age two for sons and age seven for daughters. Multiple solutions and demands have been put forward: reform or oversight of the religious courts, an option of a civil system for those who don’t want to use religious courts, or a unified civil personal status law for all. Zoya Rouhana of the feminist organization KAFA said the myriad of personal status laws is intertwined with sectarian politics. He supports raising the maternal custody age to at least seven while allowing judges to leave the kids with the mother longer when it’s in their best interest.

Source: thestar December 02, 2019 07:10 UTC