Rafia Arshad: The first hijabi judge in the United Kingdom.

Rafia Arshad: The first hijabi judge in the United Kingdom.

Rafia Arshad

 

This is the first time a Muslim hijabi woman judge has been appointed in the UK. She wants to present herself as an incentive for Muslim young women to wear the hijab.

Rafia Arshad, a successful barrister with a brilliant 15-year career in law, was appointed as the Deputy District Judge of Midland last week. Rafia has been dreaming of becoming a lawyer since she was 11 years old. He grew up in Yorkshire, in the north of England. He is currently 40 years old.

Rafia, a mother of three, was the first university student in her family. At that time he wrote an excellent essay on Islamic family law.

For the past few years, Mrs. Arshad has been practicing law on other cases related to Islamic law, including children, forced marriages, and female genital mutilation.

“My current situation is much bigger than me as a person,” Rafia said of herself. Wearing the hijab is not just for Muslim women; Rather, it is important for women of all faiths. But it is especially necessary for Muslim women.

"It is difficult to wear hijab everywhere in our society," he said. But as a hijabi woman, I am happy. My joy is heightened when I see messages coming in my emails from many women. In the message, they are writing about the obstacles they are facing due to wearing a hijab.

In an interview with the Metro newspaper, Rafia added that her family forbade her to wear the hijab when she went to interview for a scholarship. But he went to the interview with courage after the hijab, and successfully passed the interview.

"I decided that what I really needed to do was learn how to do it right," he said. Because by doing so, the authorities can easily understand my attitude. And I thought, if I had to change myself for the sake of my job, I wouldn't do that job.

So I persevered in my decision to wear the hijab and successfully passed the interview. And then I realize, yes! It is possible.

Rafia claims that wearing a hijab is not injustice for women; Rather, it enhances their strength and self-esteem. "Everyone looks at me differently because I wear hijab," he said.

Vicky Hodges and Judy Claxton, co-chairs of the St. Mary's Family Law Chamber, said: "We are delighted to have Rafia as a judge. Rafia has been successful in working for Muslim women in law and court. As a lawyer, he has worked tirelessly to ensure equality for all, including personal diversity in his profession.

They further said that the appointment of Rafia as a judge has been justified, and through this, a real assessment of merit has been made. On behalf of St. Mary, we wish her every success. Rafia Arshad is our pride.