Despite improvements in women's participation, Sidon Beach remains closed to women wishing to use swimwear.
What occurred at the beginning of the summer season with Maysa, due to her wearing a swimsuit in Sidon, is still a possibility, given the continuing validity of the municipal decision. Is it possible for all Lebanese women to feel welcome on this beach regardless of differences?
It's a possibility...
Maysa, along with four women's associations, submitted a petition before the Council of State on July 17th, requesting two matters: the suspension and annulment of the decisions made by the Sidon Municipality that prohibit women from accessing the beach in swimwear and the decision made by caretaker Minister of Public Works Ali Hammieh on May 23rd, just days after the incident, to hand over the management of Sidon Beach to the municipality.
The municipality and the ministry were notified of the petition but have yet to respond.
As a result, the Council of State decided to give the parties called upon a week from the notification date to respond...
The deadline ends on Monday, September 4th, to allow for a decision on suspending the implementation to be further reviewed for the subsequent decision of annulment of the two decisions.
But why hasn't the called-upon party cooperated by providing their response according to proper procedures?...
We headed to the Sidon Municipality to inquire about the matter. Still, the mayor declined to meet us, claiming we arrived without an appointment, even though we had repeatedly tried to contact him by phone... but received no response.
Municipal sources confirmed that they received the notification and recorded it. Yet, they still need to provide an answer because the municipality was undergoing a transitional phase of power transfer between the former and current mayors...
As for the Ministry of Public Works, Caretaker Minister Hammieh stated, "the entire country is paralyzed, and you expect us to respond to such a legal petition in less than a month?'
Sources from the Ministry of Public Works confirmed that they received the notification and recorded it on August 2nd. They have prepared a response currently being sent to the Ministry of Justice, which is responsible for forwarding it to the Council of State.
These sources added that the decision to hand over the beach to the municipality was made based on a request from the municipality to grant it the authority to manage the beach during the summer season for cleaning, supervision, and other matters, similar to many municipalities in Lebanon. This decision's effects will end on December 15th, and it has no relation to swimwear.
Could the issue of Sidon Beach become a breach in the fractured wall of freedoms?