Attitudes towards civil marriage in a highly diverse educational system :the case of Lebanon -

Abstract

Education’s private sector in Lebanon is an image that reflects, to a large extent, the country’s confessional structure; it predominantly comprises schools that were established or are run by different religious authorities, or different groups or individuals. Private schools differ in their missions, orientation, curricula, and teaching methods, and this diversity was encouraged and sustained by a number of legislations issued since the Ottoman Empire, and which continued in the same way after the country received its independence in 1943. Laws covering education stressed communities’ right in establishing and operating private schools, provided that they respect public order. These educational institutions continue to enjoy a large margin of freedom at present in their curricula, teaching methods and in the approaches they adopt in dealing with different topics. With this diversity in orientation and activities, how similar or different are their students’ attitudes towards issues debated on a national level? Do their attitudes differ depending on the school they are enrolled in? Are students in secular schools more open to a secular or civil state and civil laws than their peers in schools run by religious authorities? Do different schools approach and deal with contentious topics similarly or differently, depending on their type? This study aims at finding out whether schools as socializing agencies influence students’ attitudes towards civil marriage. Civil marriage has long been debated by decision-makers, civil activists, and in the media, and while it has gathered a group of supporters who attempted to push it forward and make it a law in force, it still faces resistance and rejection among many influential figures. Muslim and Christian religious authorities, in particular, continue to insist on keeping matters of personal affairs exclusively in their own hands, and stand united on both sides, Christian and Muslim, against any efforts to legalize nonreligious ceremonies