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Bahraini Woman Takes Over UN General Assembly
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http://enews.voanews.com/t?r=279&ctl=13EC6B4:A6F02AD83191E16009F63CA0E6C5E0129574F7DCC14957C0 Sheika Haya Rashed
Al-Khalifa is first Muslim woman to be in UN president's chair





Sheika Haya Rashed Al-Khalifa (file photo)The U.N. General Assembly
has opened its 61st session and for the first time a Muslim woman is
in the president's chair. From U.N. headquarters, VOA's Peter Heinlein
has more on Haya Rashed Al-Khalifa of Bahrain.

With a sharp rap of the gavel, Haya Rashed Al-Khalifa brought the
General Assembly to order Tuesday. "I declare open the 61st session of
the General Assembly."

The first order of business was a moment of silence for the ruler of
the Pacific island nation of Tonga.The 88-year old King Taufa'ahau
Tupou IV died this week.

Al-Khalifa comes to the United Nations after achieving prominence as
one of Bahrain's first female lawyers, and as an advocate for women's
rights under Sharia law. She has also served as Bahrain's ambassador
to France, and as a delegate to the U.N. Education and Scientific
Organization, UNESCO.

She is the first woman to serve as General Assembly president since
1969, when Angie Brooks of Liberia completed her term.

At a meeting with reporters after the opening session, the Assembly
president was asked if she, as a Muslim woman, had any special
perspective on the challenges facing the world body. "It does not
matter if I am a Muslim or a Christian or Jewish, we are human beings
and we have same worries and the same problems, and I think as a
woman, I have also to face this fact of life, that the woman's
position all over the world is not as expected [is not as it should
be], and in many countries and civilizations, they consider woman a
lesser human being. Maybe I can do something to improve the situation
of women, I will do it, I will be very happy to do it," she said.

Moments later, Al-Khalifa reacted with surprise when a European
journalist asked her if, as a Muslim, she thought there was any cause
that would justify the killing of civilians. "We are all human beings,
and nobody can accept that killing of somebody else is acceptable. It
is not my opinion, it is the legal system all over the world, and
anybody [who] says something different, it is not correct," she said.

The annual General Assembly debate is set to begin next Tuesday,
featuring a number of heads of state and government from around the
world. The first day's list of scheduled speakers includes President
Bush, along with Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf, French
President Jacques Chirac, South African President Thabo Mbeki, and
Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmedinejad.