Feature: Palestine's 1st female wedding registrar ventures for women's rights

In a court office of the West Bank city of Ramallah, 36-year-old Tahrir Hammad is busy preparing documents for marriage-seekers.

She is the first woman in Palestine to have been working as a wedding registrar. Doing a job that is always held by men, Hammad wants to prove that women are not inferior to their male peers.

Fareed Allan and his fiance Fatima came to court without knowing that they would be married by a woman as in the Palestinian and Arabic culture, it's extremely rare to find women in such a service.

Palestine doesn't have a civil marriage system. All family affairs like marriage, divorce, inheritance and custody, rely on Islamic jurisprudence. Couples usually sign marriage contract and celebrate their wedding party in separate days.

"I actually thought it was wonderful to have a female doing this," the groom told Xinhua.

In her long black robe and head-scarf, Hammad announced the couple a husband and wife, leading their families to extend congratulations.

Up to now, she has served 12 couples since she got the job in late July, and only two pairs refused to be wedded by a woman.

"I understand their position, every new step will take some time to resonate in people's perceptions," Hammad told Xinhua. The court has four other male registrars who still have a problem with Hammad's appointment.

Some people still think it's forbidden in the Islamic law to have a woman in such a position, the bride's father Abdul Raziq Ahmed is one of them.

Sheikh Nadim Edili, a local Islamic religious judge, said people's ignorance of religious laws leads them to mix cultural views with religious ones. "The society that never saw a woman in this position automatically assumes that it is forbidden," he said, adding that Hammad has the courage to think of breaking the stereotype.

"I don't want to say that she is rebellious but she likes to be a pioneer and thought of the idea first," he said.

With the academic background of Islamic Studies and Legislation, Hammad said she studied the terms of reference for wedding registrars and found no problem with a woman holding that position. Only the society's conservative norms and culture have discouraged women to venture into that world.

Then, she made her decision to join the men-only profession. After submitting the job application to be the registrar, the relevant authorities took two months to announce that she got the job.

She said she was challenged by those who think women have less ability. "I want to prove that women can reach high positions and be influential," she said. "At times during my work, I felt that men sometimes underestimate the role of women and have some kind of discrimination against them."

Hammad explained that having a female in this position can help improve women's situation in Palestine.

"I believe the bride can be more comfortable when she sees that the person conducting the marriage is a woman. She will have more confidence to say her opinion," said she.

Hammad also hoped to introduce pre-marriage courses to educate the couples about married life. "I am fair and balanced between the husband and wife. I want to make sure that both parties need to know their rights and duties," she said.

In the male-dominated conservative society, Palestinian women are trying to make breakthroughs. The past few years witnessed women entering new fields that were exclusive to men. Yet, women in public roles and senior administrative and political positions are still a minority and don't have a strong influence.

Women are still a minority in the labor force with only 17.3 percent, four times less than the men's participation. As for judges, only 15 percent are females in 2013. For each eight male journalists, there are only two females in Palestine. Diplomatically, only five percent of Palestinian ambassadors throughout the world are women.

Women rights activists say while such new appointments for women are good, they say that women have a long way ahead.

"I hope I can change the reality and support the role of women in the Palestinian society, especially to help women take positions that are always kept for men," said Hammad. Endit