First day on the job for Egyptian first and only female marriage registrar
Amal Suleiman Afifi , Egypt’s first female marriage registrar performed her first wedding ceremony at a mosque in the Delta town of Zaqaziq, north of Cairo, over complaints by some conservative clerics.
Many conservative clerics believe Islamic law, or Sharia, prohibits a woman from becoming a registrar because it states the testimony of two women is equivalent to one man in court. Therefore they believe a marriage contract signed by a woman would be illegal. More liberal minded clerics believe a marriage registrar is an official who purely plays an administrative role for the state, and therefore her signature on the contract does not violate Shariah.
The Egyptian constitution doesn’t specifically bar women from becoming marriage registrars.
Afifi first approached the Egyptian government last year seeking approval to become a marriage registrar, but the Ministry of Justice turned her down. The ministry eventually approved her position in September, after Afifi took her case to a family court and was appointed over 10 other male applicants for the job because of her “distinguished legal qualifications.”
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