His Eminence Sheikh Dr. Hassan Al-Joujou, President of the Supreme Council of Sharia Judiciary and President of the Supreme Sharia Court, received Ms. Zeinab Al-Ghuneimi, Director of The Center for Women’s Legal Researches, Counselling and Protection (CWLRCP), and the accompanying delegation consisting of Professor Arena Schnaedner from the University of Gottingen, and Dr. Reham Helles, Program Coordinator at the Heinrich Böll Foundation – Palestine and Jordan Office. This meeting took place within the framework of discussing the issue of women’s right to request Khula (divorce initiated by the wife), and the possibility of approving it.

It is worth noting that a law authorizing women’s right to judicial Khula was supposed to be issued in 2014, but the issuance of this law was disrupted due to political circumstances. During the dialogue, the importance and necessity of reconsidering the enactment of the Khula law was emphasized. Several decisions and circulars issued by the Supreme Judicial Council were also discussed, the most important of which was the decision regarding the filing of a “Shiqaq wa Niza'” (marital discord) lawsuit by the husband.

His Eminence affirmed that the Diwan (court) is in the process of consultation on many issues that require legal approval and relate to women, for example, raising the marriage age to (18) years, and raising the age of custody, but these require time and further consultations with all relevant official and community parties.