Lebanese seeking civil marriages are getting wed online

and Wassim Abou Zeid had a traditional wedding. She wore a white dress; he wore a tuxedo. They recited their vows outdoors in front of the mountains that rise up behind Beirut, the Lebanese capital. Friends and family gathered beside them. So far, so normal. Except that their officiant joined by video call from the American state of Utah. “Can you both see and hear me?” boomed the voice of Christopher Scuderi, a non-denominational clergyman, from a tablet.Ms Fayad and Mr Abou Zeid are of different religions, so they wanted a secular wedding. In Lebanon that is hard to arrange. The country has no civil marriage. Residents must marry under the laws of their religious sect (18 are officially recognised). This poses spiritual as well as practical problems. One half of the couple may have to convert. Religious laws and the courts that uphold them make divorce difficult and discriminate against women when it comes to the custody of children and the division of money and property.