Narrative inter-religiose e tensioni dialettiche sul reato di adulterio nel sistema consociativo del Libano contemporaneo: le risposte delle ONG inter-confessionali

Based on fieldwork, participant observation and in-depth interviews conducted in the Lebanese cities of Beirut and Jounieh between March 2014 and May 2017, this article focuses on adultery as a crime under the Lebanese state law. Adultery is also an offence under the norms of all the eighteen religious sects officially acknowledged by the Lebanese State. However, despite some draft laws are currently proposing to reform the law, the legislative process showed that, beyond state norms and religious precepts, the crime continues to clash with deep-rooted and long-standing customs. To shed light on the link between religious affiliation, state rules and culture, this article will consider the family and the institution of marriage as variables, locating them within the Lebanese consociational model (known as ‘multi-confessionalism’). Attention will be paid to the contribution given by some inter-confessional NGOs which support reforms aiming at reducing discrimination against women and abolishing adultery as a state criminal offence.