President Rivlin welcomes new sharia judges

President Reuven Rivlin addresses a ceremony in honor of seven new qadis – or Muslim judges – appointed to sharia courts in Israel.

At the ceremony in his official Jerusalem residence, Rivlin praises the existence of state-supported Muslim religious courts, which he says “reflects the recognition of the unparalleled importance of the vitality of communities, cultures and traditions to the fabric of the life in the modern state.

“The authority of the sharia courts – as assured by Israeli law — to me reflects the fundamental principle that an attachment to faith, to tradition, to a culture and community, is not solely the issue of the individual. Such affiliations are a basic right of a citizen in a democracy, and accordingly it is the obligation of the state to support and nurture them,” he adds.

In closing his speech Rivlin, whose father, Yosef Rivlin, was the translator for the first Hebrew edition of the Quran, quotes from the Muslim holy text: “Indeed, did We send Our apostles with all evidence of truth; and through them We bestowed revelation from on high, and gave you a balance [wherewith to weigh right and wrong], so that men might behave with equity.” When the revelation and the balance is in your hands, I wish you success in preserving justice.”

Justice Minister Ayelet Shaked, who is also on hand, says: “In recent years we have seen such appointments made is several Muslim countries including Jordan, Egypt and others. There is no reason why Israel, as a democratic and progressive state, would not align itself with these important winds of change, in the spirit of the Declaration of Independence, which sets forward that the state would be based upon equal rights for all its citizens regardless of religion, race, or sex.”