This paper focuses on the merits and demerits of Syria’s pluralistic family law. It describes some of the detrimental consequences that this asymmetrical plurality can have on the lives of individuals. The paper then focuses on the versatility of the family law system, in particular on legal practices involving the retro-active registration of (customary) marriages and proofs of paternity. The paper aims to show how this plurality can be used or work out in different ways, as a bane or a blessing in disguise.