A New Year Wish

I wish this will be the year when our country's legislation will cease to be so blatently sexist and will allow Lebanese women to be rightful holders/transmitters of their citizenship. Perhaps, then, my passport will mean a little more than just the visa it is right now. Some people have given me shit for saying things like that or thinking this way and that my love for the motherland should supersede my selfish interests. Yeah, well, I love Lebanon's soil, I love my fellow countrypeople, I love the smells, sights, sounds of it all. But I'll have no respect whatsoever for ANY Lebanese governing institution or politician so long as they'll have none for me. So let them keep their precious little booklets and papers. Mine sit at the bottom of a dusty drawer, while the French version is neatly put away. I don't necessarily like France better than Lebanon. But France, at least, does not treat me like a meaningless second class citizen. Yes ladies. If you don't have the power to bring your loved ones into the Lebanese tribe, then you're a second class citizen. You're still cute, sexy, fun, smart, intelligent, a contributor to the country's GDP, a voter and so forth. But you have no say in the admissions process. Part of the system and all that. How utterly depressing. Happy New year.