Amal Chaudry is the first practising female Muslim lawyer to work for the Crown attorney's office in Windsor. She said she believes her faith will give her 'added perspective' in her job.
Photograph by: Tyler Brownbridge, The Windsor Star , The Windsor Star
Muslim lawyer wants to carve her own niche
Crown attorney a Windsor native
http://www.windsorstar.com/life/Muslim+lawyer+wants+carve+niche/7197673/story.html
Perhaps it's no surprise that Amal Chaudry has become Windsor's first practising female Muslim Crown attorney.
Even as a Holy Names high school student, she decided she would not follow a cookiecutter path through life.
"A lot of it was when I was in high school - I guess you could call it a rebel with a cause - but I just wanted to carve my own niche," Chaudry said this week. "The initial spark wasn't so much, 'Oh, world justice!' I wanted to do my own thing in my own way on my own terms."
The 26-year-old assistant Crown attorney, who may be the first Windsor-based lawyer to regularly wear a hijab - and who describes herself as a "huge" football and hockey fan - has already made strides toward her goal.
"I'm very proud to be a Muslim. It's a big part of who I am," said Chaudry, fashionably dressed in an intense-blue jacket over black head scarf and pants. "Now in the world, Muslims and Islam have become something where people think you're Muslim, and that's all you are. You can't be anything else.
"That's really weird to me, because the Muslim part of it is just how you go about life. But you can pretty much be whatever you want."
The Windsor native holds a bachelor's degree in criminology and political science and a law degree from the University of Windsor. She was called to the bar in June, the same month she got married and moved to Toronto, and has since been hired on a per diem basis with the Crown's office for the western region, meaning she works in Windsor, Chatham, Sarnia, London, Kitchener and Hamilton.
She was born the middle child of five sisters to parents who came from Pakistan. She says she has not faced many challenges because of her faith, if for no other reason than she maintains a positive attitude.
She manages to pray five times a day, as prescribed by the Qur'an, and believes her Muslim identity can help enrich the Crown's office.
"It is a different perspective," she said. "You see a lot of minorities in the criminal system, whether it's the victim or the accused. The problems minorities, in general, have are well-documented.
"I don't know if it (her upbringing) will be helpful, but I like to think it will be. I think it gives me added perspective."
Chaudry said Islam helps her see the humanity in people.
"The religious aspect of being Muslim is personal," she said. "It grounds me and humbles me. And it reminds me all the time of the human element that everyone has."
She considers working as a Crown attorney a great fit for her. But first comes how she conducts herself in life.
"My career is huge to me," she said, noting that criminal law exposes some dark parts of society.
"And I'm at the starting stages where you make a lot of sacrifices for it. But you still have to be a human being separate from a lawyer. It's really important that it doesn't consume you."
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