By IINA,
West Bank : Two women have made history by smashing the last male-only bastions in the Palestinian territory of West Bank to become its first female judges. Khuloud Faqih, 34, and Asmahan Wuheidi, 31 were appointed to the Islamic courts yesterday by top judge Sheik Taysir Tamimi, opening the door for other women in the country. Across the Arab world, Sudan is the only country to have women judges in Islamic courts, West Bank-based academic experts on Islamic affairs said.
The two new judges are trained as civil lawyers, not Islamic scholars. But they excelled in the Islamic law exams, beating dozens of other, mostly male, applicants. Tamimi said Faqih approached him in August asking if she could apply for a position as a judge. “I said, ‘I beg you to apply’,” Tamimi said, hoping it would help women obtain better rulings.
Tamimi explained that he debated the issue with his reluctant colleagues, then issued a letter confirming that women could become Muslim judges. Tamimi said he hoped more women would apply, but added that openness to change would be influenced by how the two new judges perform.