Palestinian Islamic Scholar Sheikh Abd Al-Bari Khilla: Women Can Be Judges But Not In Cases Of Islamic Punishments – They Cannot Bear To Watch Beheadings, And Might Rule Against Flogging

Palestinian Islamic scholar Sheikh Abd Al-Bari Khilla said in an August 9, 2021 show on Al-Quds Al-Youm TV (Islamic Jihad – Gaza) that women are by nature not suited to judge in cases of Islamic punishments and the death penalty. Sheikh Khilla explained that women cannot usually bear to watch the execution of a murderer and that they may rule against the flogging of a "criminal" who drank alcohol. He added that he, and anyone else, would prefer to have a male prime minister rather than a woman because women are naturally less suitable for such a position.

Sheikh Abd Al-Bari Khilla: "Women can work in any profession that is appropriate for them. There is disagreement on whether women are permitted to be judges or not. We can say that women are allowed to judge in issues that do not involve Islamic punishments and the death penalty.

"This is not in order to degrade them. It is simply because women’s nature is not suitable for that.

"Take the death penalty, for example. Let’s say we want to behead a murderer. Can women watch that? Usually, no. Maybe there are some strong, masculine women who can, but most women cannot.

"Even some men cannot watch [executions], so all the more so women. Or let’s say that we want to flog someone who drank alcohol. A female judge would say: 'No, the poor guy...' Would a male judge call him 'a poor guy'? We are talking about a criminal.

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"If you ask me whether I prefer the prime minister to be a man or a woman – obviously anyone would tell you that they prefer a man, not out of bias in favor of men, but because women’s nature is usually not suitable for being a prime minister."