A quarterly newsheet on women, laws and society produced by Shirkat Gah for the international solidarity network WLUML
The Newsheet is a compilation
of news clippings which do not
necessarily reflect the position
of the network WLUML or those
linked through it.
Inside...
2
Step forward
5
Fundamentalism
8
Violence against women
9
Women in politics
10 Dress code
12 Women, rights and laws
Shirkat Gah
www.shirkatgah.org
WOMEN’S RESOURCE CENTRE
Newsheet
VOL. XXII NO. 3
September 2010
M
alaysia’s first women Islamic court
judges are starting to hear cases
this month after Shariah legal
authorities empowered them with the same
authority as their male colleagues.
The two female judges were appointed in
May to combat perceptions that Islamic
courts unfairly favour men. A committee of
20 senior Islamic judges then met to
determine their exact role, with one top
judge saying they would not be allowed to
rule on criminal or divorce cases.
However, a panel of top Malaysian Islamic
judges subsequently decided the two
women would have
the same jurisdiction
as male judges. “...
it [was] decided that
the women enjoy
the same powers as
the men judges,”
said Shariah
Judiciary department
official Mohamad
Na’im Mokhtar,
adding authorities
hope to appoint
more female judges
in the near future.
Malaysia has a two-tier court system.
Secular courts, where women judges are
common, handle most criminal and civil
cases. Family disputes and so-called
morality crimes are handled in Shariah
courts.
Women’s rights activists say they are
inundated with complaints that Islamic courts
are slow to penalise ex-husbands who fail to
pay child support. Men are also known to
find it relatively to obtain divorce while taking
a greater share of the couple’s property.
WUNRN/Dawn
11-08-10
MalaysiaÊs Women Islamic Judges
Get Equal Powers To Men
Islamic court judge Rafidah Abdul Razak (R) talks as her colleague Suraya Ramli listens
during a news conference in Putrajaya.
INTERNET
The Newsheet is a compilation
of news clippings which do not
necessarily reflect the position
of the network WLUML or those
linked through it.
Inside...
2
Step forward
5
Fundamentalism
8
Violence against women
9
Women in politics
10 Dress code
12 Women, rights and laws
Shirkat Gah
www.shirkatgah.org
WOMEN’S RESOURCE CENTRE
Newsheet
VOL. XXII NO. 3
September 2010
M
alaysia’s first women Islamic court
judges are starting to hear cases
this month after Shariah legal
authorities empowered them with the same
authority as their male colleagues.
The two female judges were appointed in
May to combat perceptions that Islamic
courts unfairly favour men. A committee of
20 senior Islamic judges then met to
determine their exact role, with one top
judge saying they would not be allowed to
rule on criminal or divorce cases.
However, a panel of top Malaysian Islamic
judges subsequently decided the two
women would have
the same jurisdiction
as male judges. “...
it [was] decided that
the women enjoy
the same powers as
the men judges,”
said Shariah
Judiciary department
official Mohamad
Na’im Mokhtar,
adding authorities
hope to appoint
more female judges
in the near future.
Malaysia has a two-tier court system.
Secular courts, where women judges are
common, handle most criminal and civil
cases. Family disputes and so-called
morality crimes are handled in Shariah
courts.
Women’s rights activists say they are
inundated with complaints that Islamic courts
are slow to penalise ex-husbands who fail to
pay child support. Men are also known to
find it relatively to obtain divorce while taking
a greater share of the couple’s property.
WUNRN/Dawn
11-08-10
MalaysiaÊs Women Islamic Judges
Get Equal Powers To Men
Islamic court judge Rafidah Abdul Razak (R) talks as her colleague Suraya Ramli listens
during a news conference in Putrajaya.
INTERNET