Yahoo – AFP,
Majeda El-Batsh, August 7, 2015
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Tahrir
Hamad (left), the first Palestinian woman justice of the peace, pronounces
Thaer (right) and Rawan (2nd left) man and wife (AFP Photo/Abbas Momani)
|
Ramallah
(Palestinian Territories) (AFP) - Holding the young couple's identity cards in
one hand and the Koran in the other, the Palestinian justice of the peace
pronounces Thaer and Rawan man and wife.
It's an
everyday scene at the Islamic sharia law court in the West Bank city of
Ramallah except for one glaring difference -- the justice is a woman, the first
in the Palestinian territories licensed to perform Muslim marriages.
 |
Tahrir
Hamad (left) with Thaer (right) and
Rawan (centre) after pronouncing them
man
and wife at the Islamic sharia law
court in the West Bank city of Ramallah
on August 6, 2015 (AFP Photo/Abbas
Momani)
|
On July 29,
she became the first, and so far the only, woman appointed as a
"mazouna" - a Muslim official authorised to carry out marriage and
divorce.
Until now
in the Arab world only Egypt and Abu Dhabi have appointed women to the post.
The reason
there are not more, she says smiling, is cultural rather than theological.
"The
only obstacle comes from our patriarchal society, because there is no religious
or legal reason that prevents women from filling this post."
Her
conviction has been forged during 10 years of Islamic studies, culminating in a
master's degree in Islamic law.
She
explains it to couples planning their weddings so they can decide whether to
let her officiate or use one of the four male justices at the Ramallah court.
No reason
to object
 |
Rawan
(right) signs an official document
after Tahrir Hamad (left) her and her
husband Thaer man and wife (AFP Photo/
Abbas Momani)
|
One of
those who objected, she says, "could not give a reason. He just said, 'I
don't want a woman performing my marriage and that's it!'"
Such an
attitude, she says, is the exception rather than the rule.
"People
come to get their wedding contract signed and leave when they have what they
want. Whether the signature is that of a man or a woman is not a problem for
them."
Some, like
newlyweds Thaer and Rawan Schuman, are proud to have been married by a woman.
Of
Palestinian descent but living in the United States, they have come for the
summer to marry in their ancestral homeland.
"This
is amazing. I'm totally defending the rights of women and this is great,"
says Rawan, 24.
"It
furthers the cause of women in Palestine."
 |
Tahrir
Hamad is the first woman appointed as a "mazouna" - a Muslim official
authorised to carry out marriage and divorce (AFP Photo/Abbas Momani)
|
Her
Brazilian-born dentist husband Thaer, 26, is also enthusiastic.
"The
Palestinian people are smart people, respectful people, educated and it’s a
great thing that they are progressing and I support it," he said.
In the
traditionally closed male world of the secular courts, three women have already
made a breach and are serving as judges in civil law cases.
In
approving marriage contracts, Tahrir Hamad is also helping ensure the future
rights of the bride.
The
document prepared for Tayssir Hamad and Faten al-Deik stipulates that after
marriage the bride will continue her doctoral studies, then go to work.
Any
decision to quit at a later stage will be bride Faten's alone, it states.
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