Israel is swearing in more and more women judges.
A swearing-in ceremony for new judges at Beit Hanassi on Tuesday demonstrated that the the legal profession, once dominated by males, is gradually being taken over by women. Of the 36 judges appointed, 25 were female.
And they’re native-born, too. No more majority imports.
Whereas only a decade ago, most new judges were born abroad, only five of the judges appointed Tuesday were born outside Israel. Two American-born judges – Nava Ben-Or and Miriam Lifshitz – were appointed to the Jerusalem District Court, and a third, Pnina Lokitch, to the Haifa Magistrate’s Court.
Let’s see… about four years ago, I noted in a post that Egypt joined the 20th century by appointing its first female judge. I wonder if they’ve appointed any others since?
Once again, Israel proves itself a beacon of light in a region of darkness.
Update: Looky here, they are appointing more women judges in Egypt.
In a first for Egypt, last week saw a number of women appointed judges by the Supreme Judicial Council (SJC), the country’s highest legal authority. Although a number of prominent judicial figures have spoken out against the decision, rights activists and SJC officials praised the move.
“This is a defining moment in Egyptian history,” SJC chairperson Moqbel Shaker was quoted as saying last Tuesday after 30 female judicial appointees publicly swore to “arbitrate justly between the people”.
The move follows a decision by the SJC last year to allow the appointment of women, for the first time, as adjudicators in the nation’s courts. The decision was supported by Egypt’s state-appointed Grand Mufti, Sheikh Ali Gomaa, who ruled that the appointment of women to judicial positions did not contradict Islamic precepts.
In mid-March, the SJC accepted 124 applications from female candidates, with the stipulation that applicants must have previous experience working in judicial agencies. After extensive examinations, 31 were chosen to preside over family courts (although one, citing personal reasons, turned down the posting).
And how are the Egyptians taking this?
In mid-January, the prominent Judges Club for the Council of State declared that the mufti’s decision was “in contradiction to the rulings of most Islamic jurists” and represented mere “pandering to the government”.
“The appointment of female judges contradicts Islamic law and therefore contradicts the constitution,” club president Yehia Dakrouri was quoted as saying in the local press. Dakrouri went on to point out that article two of the national charter clearly cites Islamic law as “the primary source of legislation”.
In March, the judges club for the middle-Egyptian governorate of Beni Sueif went so far as to urge President Hosni Mubarak to reverse the appointments. “We refuse the appointment of women as judges,” the club said in a statement, “because this contradicts both the majority of jurists and the constitution.”
Something tells me you’re not going to find Israelis asking to reverse women’s progress in Israel. But then, hello, Israel’s in the 21st century, not still mired in the seventh.