I think Sholto is right on two fronts: that the first female mufti could be the thin end of a wedge towards equality for women in Islam. Secondly that any change to the status of women in Islamic practice needs to come from within Islam, rather than imposed from without, or by removing or replacing Islam.

Sad to see the comment from Ayesha:

Overall I’d rather be a woman in a conservative Catholic country than a woman in almost any Muslim country.