In his first TV interview after a long absence, Saad Hariri talked about many things but what interested me most were his stances on civil marriage and Qabbani’s speech. This is what he said as quoted by Naharnet:
Hariri: Calling people expiates is not acceptable and addressing civil marriage in the approach Mufti Qabbani took is also rejected.
Hariri: Indonesia, Malaysia and Turkey are all Islamic countries that adopt civil marriage. Will Qabbani consider their people expiates?
Hariri: There are many aspects in Lebanon that are not legal from a Muslim perspective.
Hariri: Personally I do not accept that my children marry in a civil union, but a deputy is a representative of the entire nation and of all people.
Hariri: Despite the different views on civil marriage I support debating it and going through with it.
Thumbs up for this brave position and let’s hope others will follow!