Lebanese passports. (Credit: AFP file photo)
BEIRUT — It is the second time this week that the issue of naturalization sparked an uproar in Lebanon, where the president has the authority to grant citizenship to foreigners, even though Lebanese mothers cannot pass it to their foreign husbands and children.The issue first resurfaced after the killing on Sunday of Hezbollah military commander Haytham Ali Tabataba’i. Born to an Iranian father and Lebanese mother, he was Lebanese and registered in the civil status records, as confirmed by L’Orient-Le Jour.Two days later, President Joseph Aoun decided to grant Lebanese citizenship to International Federation of Football (FIFA) President Gianni Infantino, who is married to a Lebanese woman.In a post on X, journalist Dima Sadek wrote sarcastically that in Lebanon, a Lebanese mother cannot pass on her nationality except if she marries an...
BEIRUT — It is the second time this week that the issue of naturalization sparked an uproar in Lebanon, where the president has the authority to grant citizenship to foreigners, even though Lebanese mothers cannot pass it to their foreign husbands and children.The issue first resurfaced after the killing on Sunday of Hezbollah military commander Haytham Ali Tabataba’i. Born to an Iranian father and Lebanese mother, he was Lebanese and registered in the civil status records, as confirmed by L’Orient-Le Jour.Two days later, President Joseph Aoun decided to grant Lebanese citizenship to International Federation of Football (FIFA) President Gianni Infantino, who is married to a Lebanese woman.In a post on X, journalist Dima Sadek wrote sarcastically that in Lebanon, a Lebanese mother cannot pass on her nationality except if she marries...
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