By IINA
Abu Dhabi : The United Arab Emirates yesterday got its first woman judge, a job hitherto reserved for men. UAE President Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al-Nahyan, acting in his capacity as ruler of Abu Dhabi, named Kholoud Ahmad Jouan Al-Dhahiri as a judge in the emirate, the largest in the seven-member UAE federation, WAM reported. The move made the UAE the second Arab country in the Gulf after Bahrain to name a female judge.
The appointment reflects “the government’s keenness to involve women in the development drive” and “boost their role in society,” said Sultan Saaed Al-Badi, a senior official of Abu Dhabi’s judiciary. For her part, Al-Dhahiri thanked the UAE leadership for its confidence in her. “I will endeavor to perform my functions with utmost (competence) … in order to provide a successful model of Emirati women working in the judiciary,” Dhahiri said adding that the UAE women had shown great capability in many fields, adding that the judiciary would be another challenge for women.
The new judge graduated in law and Islamic Shariah from UAE University and has been a practicing lawyer for eight years. The UAE Cabinet includes four women. Nine women also sit on the 40-member Federal Natio