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Connecting equality concerns with religion is a very sensitive issue. However, it is what
actually happens. In fact, there is discrimination against women who do not wear a purdah.
Women wearing a purdah also encounter discrimination in workplaces in some cases. However
the ground rule should be that we have to practice our religion willingly but not forcefully.

➔ Group 4 : Mohammad story
Mohammadûs story was presented by Justice Campbell as an extra case in order to compare
the level and scope of inequality to the previous cases.

Mohammad is a judge at the Bangladesh Supreme Court. He is married and has 3 daughters.
He is 57 years old. He comes from a very good background. He complains that the Chief
Justice in the Court travels in executive class while he is going with economy class.
He believes that this is inequality. Do we think that it is inequality?

➤ Discussions

After presenting the cases, interactive discussion ensued on what they have learned
through the exercises. Ms. Naina Kapur facilitated the discussion with the support of
Justice Campbell.

The following were the main points of the discussion.

■ Thinking about judging as a social phenomenon, assumptions that
misguide us, new knowledge that are needed to overcome biases, and
obstacles of peopleûs access to justice, the participants agreed that in order
to promote gender equality, the list of obstacles should be removed. In doing so,
judgesû roles are very important. Judges should be aware of those
disadvantages that block access to the courtroom and try to remove them.

■ Judges must know who are the people appearing in their court rooms.
That is how judges will know about the disadvantages that they have.
Learning about these peopleûs stories is a part of the processes of judging.
■ Knowing and hearing their stories does not harm the impartiality of judges.
Impartiality is not excluding the information of these people but including
their reality to recognize that they came from disadvantaged situations.
■ If the procedural laws result in injustice, we have to reconsider and challenge

these rules and patterns since the result is not the intention of the rules.