Fatima Abdullah Al-Mal (Arabic: فَاطِمَة عبد الله المال) is a Qatari judge on the Supreme Judiciary Council. She was one of the first female judges in Qatar, the first Qatari woman to serve as a criminal judge and is one of a small number of women to work as a criminal judge in the Arab League.[1]
Al-Mal holds both a Bachelor and Master of Laws from Qatar University in Doha.[2] Her father was a public prosecutor and encouraged her interest in law from a young age, while her mother, a teacher, encouraged her to pursue a university education. She completed her three-year judicial training in 2015 and was sworn in as the first female Qatari criminal judge in 2015.[3] Since her appointment, an additional six women have been appointed as judges in Qatar.[4]