Women Appointed For First Time To Singapore's Sharia Appeal Board

In Singapore, for the first time three women have been appointed to the 20-member panel whose members hear appeals from the Sharia Court and Registrar of Muslim Marriages. (See Section 55 of the Administration of Muslim Law Act which provides for the Appeal Board.) For 40 years, only men had been appointed to serve on the panel. Earth Times today reports that the new appointments were made by Singapore President SR Nathan on the advice of the Islamic Religious Council.