Social media support for Lebanese mother denied custody

Published November 6th, 2016 - 02:54 GMT
Demonstrations in Lebanon (AnwarAmro/AFP)
Demonstrations in Lebanon (AnwarAmro/AFP)

#FatimaHamzeh and the hashtag “with Fatima against the Jaafari Court” were both trending on Twitter at the weekend as protesters took to the streets in Beirut to demonstrate against the detention of Fatima Ali Hamzeh, who was apprehended for refusing to give up custody of her young child to her estranged husband. Social media users shared messages of support, often accompanying them with the hashtag #Weareallwithyou.

Some shared images of her with her three-year-old son:

“#FatimaHamzeh represents the struggle of every woman and mother in Lebanon, in the face of the intransigence of the Shiite courts ##WithFatimaAgainstTheJaafariCourt Tomorrow in front of the Shiite Supreme Council at 4pm”

While many others criticized what they suggested was “oppression”:

“#FatimaHamza, a shia woman who refused to submit to the court's decision, and did not give up her son who is three-and-half years old and... they imprisoned her! Damned oppression and murderous patriarchy #Lebanon”

Indeed, in a poll on Twitter, 92% of participants were with Fatima, and felt that she was being oppressed:

“After the unjust sentence of the judge of the Jaafari Court, do you support the cause of #FatimaHamzeh and is she oppressed? (92% yes, 8% no)”

Under Lebanese law, as in many countries in the Middle East, civil status cases are the responsibility of the religious courts. Therefore, the ruling in this case was made by the Supreme Islamic Shiite Council, which currently grants custody of boys older than two years to their father, unlike its Christian and Sunni equivalents. Nonetheless, criticism of the decision and of Fatima’s imprisonment came from all sectors of Lebanese society, including shias, who used religious scripture and traditions to contradict the court’s ruling:

“'Be an adversory to the oppressor and a support for the oppressed' #ImamAli Where are you [with regard to] the teachings of Ahl al-Bayt [the family of the Prophet]?”

Even celebrities supported the right of a child to his mother’s care, including the Lebanese singer, actress and model Cyrine Abdelnour:

“When someone loses his/her mother as an adult he/she feels lost, so what about a boy in childhood in need of the affection of his mother? Only a mother can show affection for a child, God be with you #FatimaHamzeh.”

And Nadia Bsat a TV anchor for MTV Lebanon:

“What kind of Islamic law, and what kind of religion accepts the imprisonment of a mother for refusing to give up her son?? The Prophet (SAAW) said "Your mother then your mother then your mother then your father." #FatimaHamzeh”

The demonstrators stated that their aim was broader than this specific case, and that they hoped to bring about wider changes to the law, to combat a problem that is wider than Fatima’s story. This Twitter user took the opportunity to highlight a similar case:

“A new story: Dareen Salman, a mother robbed of her child and imprisoned for a month and a half, as is the right of her family, according to a decision of the Kawtharani, a Jaafari Court judge #Lebanon #FatimaHamzeh”

Following Saturday's protest, Fadia Hamzeh, Fatima’s sister and lawyer, said on Facebook that Speaker Nabih Berri has intervened to try to release the mother.

RA

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