Kholoud Faqih (
Arabic
Arabic (, ' ; , ' or ) is a Semitic languages, Semitic language spoken primarily across the Arab world.Semitic languages: an international handbook / edited by Stefan Weninger; in collaboration with Geoffrey Khan, Michael P. Streck, Janet C ...
: ), also known as Khul'oud Faqih and Kholoud al-Faqih, is a Palestinian judge and the first female
Sharia
Sharia (; ar, شريعة, sharīʿa ) is a body of religious law that forms a part of the Islamic tradition. It is derived from the religious precepts of Islam and is based on the sacred scriptures of Islam, particularly the Quran and the H ...
judge in the Middle East.
[Colleen Walsh]
Finding 'a solution to closed doors'
''Harvard Gazette
Harvard University is a private Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Founded in 1636 as Harvard College and named for its first benefactor, the Puritan clergyman John Harvard, it is the oldest institution of higher le ...
'', 5 March 2013
Kholoud studied law at
Al-Quds University
Al-Quds University ( ar, جامعة القدس) is a Palestinian university with campuses in Jerusalem, Abu Dis, al-Bireh, and Hebron.
Overview
The idea of establishing an institution of higher learning in the outskirts of Jerusalem was con ...
, graduating in 1999. Licensed to practise
law
Law is a set of rules that are created and are enforceable by social or governmental institutions to regulate behavior,Robertson, ''Crimes against humanity'', 90. with its precise definition a matter of longstanding debate. It has been vario ...
in 2001, she worked at the Women's Center for Legal Aid and Counselling. From 2003 to 2008 she worked for the Defense of Battered Women. In 2005 she gained a master's degree in private law from the same university, Al-Quds University. After passing two competitive judicial exams in
Ramallah
Ramallah ( , ; ar, رام الله, , God's Height) is a Palestinian city in the central West Bank that serves as the ''de facto'' administrative capital of the State of Palestine. It is situated on the Judaean Mountains, north of Jerusale ...
, in 2009 she was appointed a judge in the Sharia Court of Ramallah.
In 2012 ''CEO Middle East'' magazine ranked her at #10 in a list of the '100 Most Powerful Arab Women' in the world.
[
Faqih is the subject of the 2017 documentary film, ''The Judge'', which chronicles her struggles to become appointed to the religious court and the many obstacles she faces en route and on the bench.]
See also
* List of first women lawyers and judges in Asia
This is a list of the first women lawyers and judges in Asia. It includes the year in which the women were admitted to practice law (in parentheses). Also included are the first women in their country to achieve a certain distinction such as obtain ...
References
External links
*
''The Judge'', a new documentary
Living people
Year of birth missing (living people)
Palestinian judges
Sharia judges
Women judges
Women legal scholars
Al-Quds University alumni
{{islam-bio-stub