Egypt court sides with woman against unequal inheritance law

CAIRO – An Egyptian woman says she’s scored an important legal victory against her country’s inheritance laws, which grant female heirs half of what they grant men.

Huda Nasrallah, a Christian human rights lawyer, says a Cairo court ruled she may inherit the same share as her brothers.

That decision follows a yearlong legal battle she launched after her father’s death. Two previous judges had ruled against her, based on Islamic inheritance laws that favour male heirs.

Nasrallah told The Associated Press on Tuesday she’s “thrilled” by the verdict and hopes it will encourage other women.

Nasrallah, who belongs to Egypt’s Coptic Christian minority, built her case around a Christian doctrine prescribing equality in inheritance.

Egypt is a predominantly Muslim society where Islamic law is the main source of legislation.