A/HRC/31/18/Add.1 International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women and the Convention on the Rights of the Child. The international treaties ratified by Lebanon are integrated into domestic law upon the exchange or deposit of instruments of ratification or accession. The automatic incorporation takes effect upon publication of the treaty in the Official Gazette. Customary international law is also binding. 18. In the event of conflict between a domestic law and an international law, article 2 of the Civil Code recognizes the supremacy of the provisions of international treaties. Lebanese courts have applied international treaties in their jurisprudence, and the Court of Appeal has held that they have exclusive compe tency to interpret international treaties in cases involving individual rights and freedoms. However, no Court is empowered to declare a law invalid if it is found to contravene the Constitution or international conventions. III. Legacy of religious diversity A. Overview of the religious landscape 19. One of the most striking features of Lebanon is its tradition of religious pluralism, making the country unique, in particular in the Middle East, but also beyond. Over the centuries, Lebanon has been home to various Christian and Muslim communities. Article 9 of the Constitution provides for freedom of conscience and the free exercise of all religious rites within the general framework of public order. To date, 18 confessions have been officially recognize d by the State. Religious diversity is compounded by ethnic diversity, given that Lebanese citizens of Armenian or Kurdish origin may have more than one religious affiliation. 20. Christian denominations include the Catholic, Orthodox, Oriental and Evangelical communities. The Catholics comprise Greek Catholics, Chaldeans, Armenian Catholics, Latins and in particular the Maronite Church, which has its worldwide centre in Lebanon. Among the various Orthodox Churches, Greek Orthodoxy is the by far most populous. Lebanon is also home to Oriental Churches – Assyrians, Syriac Orthodox, Armenian Apostolic and Copts – all of which keep their distinct traditions. The majority of Evangelical Churches – Episcopals, Presbyterians, Baptists, Seventh-Day Adventists, various free churches and others – cooperate within the Supreme Council of the Evangelical Community. While some Christian communities have existed in Lebanon since the origins of Christianity, others entered the country in the nineteenth and twentieth centuri es. The wealth of Christian liturgies (including liturgical languages), ceremonies and canon law traditions remains impressive. 21. Muslims include the Sunnis, the Shiites, the Alawites and the Druze. Like in the case of Christianity, the Muslim population is internally possibly more pluralistic than in any other country of the Middle East. Different schools of the sharia – in particular Hanafi and Ja’afari – exist in parallel. Under the wide umbrella of Shia Islam, the followers of Twelver Shia, Ismailis and Alawites represent distinct groups, maintaining their specificities in teaching and practice, while all of them regulate their personal status issues within the Ja’afari Twelver Shia) court system. The Druze combine traditional Islamic teachings with certain philosophical ideas and mystic practices. Moreover, they have their own religious court system. There is also a small community of Jews residing in Lebanon, comprising not much more than 100 people. 7