Former Islamic minister’s remarks on female judges divides opinion
Addressing rumours about the imminent appointment of former Attorney General Azima Shukoor to the apex court at an opposition rally on July 30, Bari claimed that there was consensus among religious scholars that women can only serve as judges in civil cases.
07 Aug 2017, 9:00 AM
Former Islamic Minister Dr Abdul Majeed Abdul Bari’s opposition to the appointment of female judges to the Supreme Court on religious grounds last week sparked controversy and divided opinion among the four-party opposition coalition.
Addressing rumours about the imminent appointment of former Attorney General Azima Shukoor to the apex court at an opposition rally on July 30, Bari contended that there was a consensus among religious scholars that judges must be male.
Scholars from the Hanafi sect say women can judge civil matters and family disputes but most scholars do not agree with any exceptions, he added.
“Therefore, if you look at Hanafi scholars or the majority of others, judgments by women regarding cases of qisas and hadd will not be valid. There is no dispute on this,” he said.
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