UAE | General
UAE's first female judge says not afraid of new role
"I'm not afraid of taking on the responsibility of a judge, it's an honour for me," the first female Emirati judge told Gulf News on Friday.
- By Eman Mohammed, Abu Dhabi Deputy Editor
- Published: 00:41 April 1, 2008
- Alia, Atika and Kholoud (right) at the conference in Abu Dhabi yesterday. The female prosecutors told delegates that they investigated all types of crimes.
- Image Credit: Ahmed Kutty/Gulf News
Abu Dhabi: "I'm not afraid of taking on the responsibility of a judge, it's an honour for me," the first female Emirati judge told Gulf News on Friday.
Kholoud Al Daheri, who was appointed as a judge in the Abu Dhabi courts last week, said: "I know some people do not accept women as judges and don't prefer them in their cases, but the court system doesn't give parties in any case the right to choose the judges."
Kholoud graduated from the college of Sharia and Law at UAE University in 2000 and has been working as a lawyer in Abu Dhabi for eight years. She will soon join the Abu Dhabi Judicial Department after taking an oath.
Kholoud was a moderator at a session in Women and the Judicial Process conference organised yesterday by the General Women's Union and the Institute of Training and Judicial Studies in Abu Dhabi.
The conference is being held under the patronage of Her Highness Shaikha Fatima Bint Mubarak, Chairperson of the General Women's Union.
Alia Al Ka'abi and Atiqa Al Katheri, the first two female Emirati prosecutors, talked about the challenges while investigating crimes.
Alia said: "During the past six months I have investigated 1,500 cases of all kinds - crimes, drugs and thefts. I only don't investigate sex crimes due to the sensitivity involved."
She does not find it difficult for women to work in such fields. "We deal with all accused - men, women and children" she said.
"The first day I was appointed as a prosecutor I was asked to examine a crime area with a dead body in a ship while it was at sea. When I drove there the policeman who was watching the place found it very strange that a woman was going to investigate the crime area," she said.
Atiqa said people are accepting them and evaluate what they do as they trust them and support their efforts.
"I never felt that people are against empowering women," she said.
Sharia scholars spoke about the different Islamic points of view regarding appointing women as judges. All agreed that religion never bans women from being judges.
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