civil marriage in an uncivil republic

"Darwish and Sukkarieh — who are Shiite and Sunni Muslims, respectively — tried to subvert this system by basing their marriage contract on a 1936 law they say permits civil marriage for those with no religious affiliation. With the help of legal activists, they went through a months-long process to strike their sects from their government records, then signed a civil marriage contract with a notary, who sent it to the Interior Ministry for registration. The ministry has yet to respond ..." (thanks Basim)