Religious authorities have finally given the green light for Egyptian women to join boards of major mosques in Egypt for the first time ever, according to Gulf News.

An official at the Ministry of Religious Endowment announced that there will be 2 women on the board of every mosque, hoping that this will increase awareness to issues related to women, children, and the family.

Sheikh Gaber Tayea, Head of the Ministry's Religious Affairs Commitee, believes that this is a step forward, stating that "greater attention will be given to family issues that were not strongly represented at mosques before."

The women on the board will assist imams in their job, following up on activities and donations in in the mosque, but will not be allowed to talk about religious issues or release fatwas.

In order for women to be picked, they must have previously shown interest in the mosque and public service - they will be picked from within the mosque itself. Before joining, each woman will be investigated thoroughly; women with religious affiliations to extremist groups will not be allowed to join the board.

Main image of the first female only mosque in Los Angeles, courtesy of Reuters.