CAIRO - Thirty Egyptian women took the oath of office as judges on Tuesday, the largest such group to be appointed since 2003 when President Hosni Mubarak first named a woman judge despite opposition from conservatives.
Members of the new group, the majority of them wearing Islamic headscarves, took the oath at the High Court building in central Cairo in front of television cameras and photographers. “I swear by God Almighty that I shall adjudicate between people according to justice and respect the laws,” each judge said, standing behind Egypt’s national flag and facing the members of the Supreme Judicial Council.
“Congratulations,” Moqbil Shaker, head of the council, replied quietly to each of them. “Every nation has a defining moment and this is a defining moment in the history of Egypt,” Shaker said in a speech. |