Civil Center for National Initiative
Encyclopedia
The Civil Center for National Initiative is a Lebanese
Lebanon
Lebanon , officially the Republic of LebanonRepublic of Lebanon is the most common term used by Lebanese government agencies. The term Lebanese Republic, a literal translation of the official Arabic and French names that is not used in today's world. Arabic is the most common language spoken among...

 think-tank which aims to promote secularism
Secularism
Secularism is the principle of separation between government institutions and the persons mandated to represent the State from religious institutions and religious dignitaries...

 and the role of civil society
Civil society
Civil society is composed of the totality of many voluntary social relationships, civic and social organizations, and institutions that form the basis of a functioning society, as distinct from the force-backed structures of a state , the commercial institutions of the market, and private criminal...

 in Lebanese politics, as well as establish a civil and secular state in Lebanon.

Created in 2008, its founding members include statesman Hussein el-Husseini
Hussein el-Husseini
Sayyed Hussein el-Husseini is a Lebanese statesman and former speaker of the Lebanese parliament, who brought the end of the Lebanese Civil War in 1990, followed by the disarmament of sectarian militias...

, prime minister Najib Mikati
Najib Mikati
Najib Azmi Mikati is a Lebanese politician, billionaire and is the current Prime Minister of Lebanon since 13 June 2011. From April 2005 to July 2005 he was Prime Minister of Lebanon in a caretaker government...

, journalist Ghassan Tueni
Ghassan Tueni
Ghassan Tueni is a former Lebanese Ambassador to the United Nations and publisher of An-Nahar, the leading Lebanese newspaper.- Biography :...

, poet Adunis, among others, which include members of parliament, university professors and journalists.

In 2009, following a long campaign, the Center succeeded in persuading the Lebanese Ministry of Interior to allow citizens to remove sectarian affiliation from civil records, a landmark in Lebanese history.
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