March 27, 2008	Thursday	Rabi-ul-Awwal 18, 1429

ABU DHABI, March 26: The oil-rich United Arab Emirates on Wednesday got its first woman judge, a job hitherto reserved for men in this country.

President Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed al-Nahayan, acting in his capacity as ruler of Abu Dhabi, named Kholoud Ahmad Jouan al-Dhaheri as a judge in the emirate, the wealthiest and largest in the seven-member UAE federation.

The move made the UAE the second Arab country in the Gulf after Bahrain to name a woman judge.

The appointment reflects “the government’s keenness to involve women in the development drive” and “boost their role in society”, said Sultan Saaed al-Badi, a senior official of Abu Dhabi’s judiciary.

“I will endeavour to perform my functions with utmost (competence) ... in order to provide a successful model of Emirati women working in the judiciary,” Kholoud Dhaheri was quoted as saying.

The new judge graduated in law and sharia from UAE University and has been a practising lawyer for eight years.

The UAE cabinet includes four women. Nine women also sit on the 40-member Federal National Council, an assembly that advises the government.

—AFP