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rivollah@orange.fr

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Woman wearing an Islamic veil in Paris
Sources

On Labor, Language And Headscarves

-Analysis-

Most talk of the "changing nature of work" focuses on the shift to freelance labor, the fracturing of traditional office culture and the entitlement of pesky millennials entering the workforce. But the established workplace — wherever it may be — is still here, and there are plenty of new tensions that have nothing to do with Uber sick leave or other twists in the so-called "gig economy."

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At a wedding in Cairo
Egypt

Egypt's Kafkaesque Rules For Christian Marriage

Restrictive and sometimes contradictory rules continue to govern issues of marriage and — heaven forbid — divorce for Egyptian Christians.

CAIRO — The process would have been infinitely simpler if Gaber al-Nekhiely were Muslim. But as a Christian, it was only after five years in courts that he finally secured a divorce. That's because for Egypt's Christians, matters related to marriage and separation are handled by the church, which imposes no end of difficult restrictions and operates as a system apart.

Many Christians, as a result, resort to conversion or fabricating claims of adultery, which is the only basis for divorce recognized by the Coptic Orthodox Church. While some are able to obtain a divorce in court, the church does not recognize these rulings, and, as civil marriage is only an option in Egypt for those who marry foreign nationals, many Christians remain unable to remarry. Those who have divorced but are unable to secure remarriage permits from the church have, in some cases, resorted to urfi, unofficial marriage contracts.

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