Reactions as US town appoints Muslim woman as judge

The appointment of Assma Ali as a municipal judge in a Mississippi town in the United States has drawn mixed reactions from internet trolls and a few Mississippi politicians because she is Muslim. Ali, an immigration lawyer with nearly 10 years of experience, was appointed last week as the municipal judge for Benoit, a town of fewer than 400 people in Bolivar County. She is an American citizen of Yemeni descent. She runs her own private practice in Ridgeland. She earned her law degree from Mississippi College School of Law, now Mississippi Christian University, in 2017 and was admitted to the state bar the same year. Ali, in a statement on social media, said she will uphold the U.S. Constitution and Mississippi law. “I am grateful for the opportunity to serve the people of Benoit and will approach this responsibility with fairness, integrity, impartiality, and respect for the law,” Ali said. Mississippi has more than 200 municipal judges, who are appointed by the city’s governing body, not the state, and who only have jurisdiction over that city. They deal with city ordinance violations, traffic violations, misdemeanour crimes and some initial appearances, according to the Mississippi State Judiciary´s website. Those who know Assma Ali, including a law professor, said the U.S. native is qualified and an upstanding member of Mississippi’s legal community. “We have people from out of state who just see a woman in a hijab, and they say action must be taken. These attacks against Ms Ali are about her religion,” said Frank Rosenblatt, an attorney and professor at Mississippi Christian University School of Law, who has known Ali for years and spoke highly of her willingness to mentor young lawyers. Some Mississippi politicians attacked Ali online for what they claimed were radical beliefs – without any substantiation. They accused her of fabricating the judicial appointment and speculated she would institute Islamic law. Some people on social media have called for her to be removed because she is Muslim. Rosenblatt pointed out that the U.S. and Mississippi constitutions expressly prohibit disqualifying someone from public office because of their religion. (Mississippi Today)

Read More