The National Association of Women Judges and the International Association of Women Judges

host

 THE JUDGE, Fim and Discussion, via Zoom.

Email lcousin@nawj.org to register.

The film will run in Arabic with English subtitles.

Interpretations: ENGLISH<>SPANISH, FRENCH, ARABIC

Upon joining the program in Zoom, attendees will have a choice to hear the program interpreted in Spanish, French and Arabic. To access the interpreter channels, find the globe icon in Zoom. If it is not readily viewable, check "More" or follow the three dots on your device for addition information.

Registrants can obtain access to a version of the film that includes a choice of French, German, Italian, Portuguese and Spanish subtitles for view at their leisure until October 31.. You can request your version after registration. Contact lcousin@nawj.org.

SCHEDULE

12:00 pm - Welcome

The Honorable Tania Jones Bosier, Event Co Chair, District 4, National Asssociation of Women Judges; Judge, Superior Court of the District of  Columbia

12:07  pm - THE JUDGE Documentary

1:30  pm - Discussion

The Honorable Vanessa Ruiz, President, International Asssociation of  Women Judges; Senior Judge, District of  Columbia Court of Appeals

The Honorable Mina Sougrati,  Moroccor

 The Honorable Saida Chebili, Tunisia

2:00  pm - Closing Remarks

The Honorable Gwenlynn D'Souza, Event Co Chair, District 4, National Asssociation of Women Judges; Judge, District of  Columbia

Event ChairS:

The Honorable Tanya M. Josier Bosier

The HonorAble GweNlynn D'Souza

In 2009, Judge Kholoud Al-Faqih made history when she was appointed to the Palestinian sharia court, becoming the Middle East’s first woman judge in a religious court. The Judge offers a unique portrait of Judge Kholoud – her brave journey as a lawyer, her tireless fight for justice for women, and her drop-in visits with clients, friends, and family. This is an unfolding real life legal drama with rare insight into both Islamic law and gendered justice in family law.

Our program will be moderated by the Honorable Vanessa Ruiz, Senior Judge of the District of Columbia Court of Appeals and current President of the International Association of Women Judges (IAWJ), and Past President of the National Association of Women Judges (NAWJ).

SPONSORS

Hispanic Bar Association of the District of Columbia

International Association of Women Judges

The South Asian Bar Association of Washington, D.C.

FILM Synopsis

Religious courts in the Middle East had historically banned women from adjudicating domestic and family matters - in both the Palestinian Shari'a courts of Islam and the Rabbinic courts of Judaism - until the Honorable Kholoud Al-Faqih, dares to challenge that history. With the support of a progressive Sheik, Judge Kholoud becomes the first woman judge with her appointment to a Palestinian Shari'a court in the West Bank, bringing a subtle new perspective garnered from her early professional life working with battered women as an attorney in both the criminal and Shari'a courts.

This feature-length documentary chronicles Judge Kholoud' s appointment, her first years as a judge, and her tenacious ability to maintain her position despite attempts to marginalize and demote her. Through Judge Kholoud' s eyes, the film examines the religious and legal stipulations between men and women according to Shari' a law, relaying how the worst aspects of misinterpreted Shari' a laws reflect a tragic misogyny - rape, beatings, and polygamy - stemming from misconstrued ignorance of the Qur'an. As Judge Kholoud's most compelling cases develop in gripping cinema verite style, the film reveals precisely the kinds of misinterpretations of Shari'a law that she now has the power to correct.

THE JUDGE follows Judge Kholoud in and outside of the courtroom as she asserts her right to equality and redefines how Shari'a law perceives, treats, and respects women. Illustrating a unique portrait of her sustained intervention, THE JUDGE reveals that Shari'a is a system largely mischaracterized both in the Middle East and in the West. Amid a time of rapidly increasing global Islamophobia, the unprecedented Muslim Ban and future potential Muslim registry - THE JUDGE illuminates how colonial occupation has impacted the legal and cultural worlds of the contemporary Islamic world, while reflecting a universal struggle for women's control over their bodies, economic welfare, custodial rights, and marital status.