Singapore's Syariah Court (the country's Islamic family law tribunal) has for the first time appointed women to its Hakam panel, which facilitates divorce proceedings by helping couples either reconcile or separate amicably. Two female Islamic religious teachers were sworn in on 17 April as part of a newly expanded 22-member panel, breaking the body's traditionally all-male composition. Officials say the move broadens the range of arbitrators available to couples in distress and reflects a broader push toward more inclusive and therapeutically minded family justice within the Muslim community.