Attorney Nadia Kahf became the first headscarf-wearing judge in the U.S. after being appointed to the superior court in New Jersey.
Kahf, a Syrian-origin family law and immigration attorney from the township of Wayne, took the oath of office on Thursday with her hand on a copy of the Quran, the Muslim holy book, according to local news website North Jersey.
She will serve as a Passaic County Superior Court judge after New Jersey’s Gov. Phil Murphy nominated her a year ago, according to local media.
She also serves as a president of the Islamic Center of Passaic County, which is one of the largest mosques in the state of New Jersey.
“I’m overwhelmed and very happy and very honored as well,” Judge Kahf, 50, said in an interview to the North Jersey news outlet. “I’m happy the bench is going to reflect (all) residents of New Jersey.”
“I am proud to represent the Muslim and Arab communities in New Jersey in the United States,” she said during her swearing in ceremony on Tuesday. “I want the younger generation to see that they can practice their religion without fear that they can be who they are.”
Though Kahf is not the first Muslim woman to serve as a state judge, she is the first to wear a hijab on the bench.
Since 2003, she has sat on the board of the New Jersey chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR), a Muslim civil rights organization where Kahf now serves as chairwoman.
