CAIRO: The General Assembly of the State Council Club upheld the Egyptian State Council's general assembly's decision to bar female judges from joining it. The State Council, established in 1946, hears cases brought by individuals against the state. Last month, 380 judges took part in a general assembly vote, with 334 rejecting the appointment of females in judicial posts in the State Council, 42 accepting the motion and four abstaining. The decision, which sparked controversy and was slammed by human rights activists, could have been overruled by the Special Council, which oversees the State Council. However, when the seven-member Special Council voted on the issue last week, four rejected the appointment of female judges while three accepted it. But despite the majority's rejection, Mohamed El-Husseini, head of Egypt's State Council, said that public interest dictates that procedures to appoint female judges in the State Council continue. On the other hand, the State Council Club supported the Special Council's decision to appoint women in administrative positions, but not as judges. Furthermore, they said the public opinion should leave the matter to them in order to ensure the independence of the judicial system, according to official news portal, egynews.net. The first female judge in Egypt, Tahani El Gebaly, who sits on the panel of the Supreme Constitutional Court, said in a statement that the decision to bar women from the State Council "created a crisis without a crisis. She said that she was surprised by the decision as it violates freedom and constitutional rights. She attributed the decision to "the extremist and fundamentalist religious thought that is taking over our society, including judges in the State Council.
