The Judge

The Judge is a documentary film about Judge Kholoud Al-Faqih. Judge Al-Fagih was the first woman appointed to a Shari'a court in the Middle East. The movie was directed by Erika Cohn.

In Palestine, most courts are secular. The exception is family courts, which are religious courts under the rule of Shari'a, or Islamic law. Judge Al-Fagih is highly qualified to be a family court judge, but the cultural bias against women has held her back.

As the movie begins, we find out that Al-Fagih has been made a judge. The rest of the movie documents the ongoing struggles that she faces when her activity is opposed by a large number of people in her society.

My friend Michael, who is very knowledgable about the Middle East, has written this: I think the fact that the judge is Palestinian is relevant to mention. In other Muslim societies there aren't role models. The struggle of the Palestinians has had a positive (but still limited) impact on the role of women, plus the interaction with Israeli society has influenced how women see things.

We saw this movie on the large screen at Rochester's great Little Theatre. It was shown as part of The High Falls Women's Film Festival. It will work well on the small screen. FInd it and see it!