Israel appoints first woman to religious court

Tel Aviv, Israel.

Israel's Justice Minister Ayelet Shaked confirmed Tuesday that the country's Judicial Appointments Committee has approved the first female judge to a Muslim religious court. Both Jewish Rabbinical and Muslim Sharia courts hear marriage, divorce and other family law cases for their given religion in the country. 

Jewish law explicitly forbids women from serving as judges on Jewish family courts, but no similar rule exists for their Muslim counterparts. Women's advocates in the country hope the appointment will help lead to broader roles for women in Israel's judiciary. The judge, Hana Mansour-Khatib, is expected to be sworn in by Israel President Reuven Rivlin at some point in the next few weeks.

Women's roles in the judiciary have been controversial in Israel and other countries in the region for some time. Women's rights groups have criticised Jewish law for generally favouring men. In September 2016, a UN expert called for increased female participation in Israeli-Palestinian peace talks. In 2010, Egypt's constitutional court system allowed its first women judges.

Source: Jurist