Lashes, Jail to Punish Interfaith Marriage

A religious court has sentenced a Lebanese Christian to a year in jail and 39 lashes for marrying a Muslim woman, Amnesty International says. The London-based human rights group said Elie Dib Ghalib has been tortured since his arrest in December. On Oct. 29, a religious court ruled that the marriage between Ghalib and Mona Junaidi, a UAE citizen, was void and the marital relationship immoral. The couple married in Lebanon in June 1995. Under the interpretation of Islamic law in force in the UAE, a Muslim woman is not allowed to marry a non-Muslim unless the man converts to Islam.