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AFGHANISTAN was once ruled by the
Taliban, a group used by Pakistan’s government in the transport
and trade of merchandise between the two countries. Because of their
popularity with Afghan locals, the Taliban easily obtained political
control over the isolated state. Very soon, they started imposing
extremist religious views on the populace. They buried women and
young girls in the ground with only protruding heads visible for
them to be stoned to death as a supreme penalty for such extremely
heinous crimes as exposing feet, face, hair, or for failing to use a
burqa, as these acts presumably comprised sexual seduction; or even
being escorted by a male, even if just a boy, unrelated to the woman
because this presumably constituted adultery; or even publicly
reading books because female literacy presumably comprised sedition
or treason intended to subvert the ruling government and
sociocultural traditions. Women were not even supposed to study
because it was their sole duty to attend to their husbands and
household chores, thus they were not allowed to leave their homes
alone without their husbands or sons. When America invaded
Afghanistan, many people rejoiced at the eradication of Talibanism.
But orthodox religious fanaticism continues to exist in many parts
of the world, including Israel.
The Associated
Press reports that in Jerusalem, there is a similar hard-line Hebrew
orthodoxy. Haredi rabbis, who come from Jewish sects originating
from Eastern European ghettoes, replicate the Taliban imams. The
Haredi follows the stringent orthodox practices of individual Hebrew
rabbis, who were often regarded as messianic-like figures by
ultra-devout, fundamentalist followers. Haredi men lead lives of
piety and prayer in the Pharisaical tradition of the Jewish
Sanhedrin. Recently, Haredi men established “modesty patrols,”
which splatter bleach on women they consider dressed immodestly.
Midriffs and spaghetti-strapped tank tops are condemned as a sign of
society’s spiraling permissiveness, public lasciviousness and
creeping eroticism, which are contrary to Haredi aspiration for
husbands, sons and brothers to focus on the family and the Torah,
and “not on barely dressed women entering the bus.” Leading
Haredi rabbis even set ablaze piles of sheer stockings in a public
bonfire, because “women must show no exposed leg.”
But the Haredis
are not limiting themselves to dictating people’s attire. A
leading rabbi declared that Haredi women could no longer attain
academic degrees past high school even as secular Jewish communities
encourage women in military and police careers, and to seek work in
supporting their families because Jewish men remain in secluded
seminaries studying Jewish scriptures while earning a pittance.
Haredi youths even staged nightly riots against a planned Jerusalem
parade of gay rights activists. In addition, the ultra-orthodox
Haredis boycotted and paralyzed Israel’s El Al national airline
because the carrier flew on the Sabbath forced by a one-day transit
strike. They also threatened boycotting Egged Bus Cooperative if
passenger segregation would not be enforced, thus the bus company
has been enforcing gender apartheid in Israel’s public transport
for 10 years now.
However, sometime
in 2004, Orthodox Jewish hardliners bullied a New York born Jewish
woman, named Ragen, as front seats are reserved exclusively for men
while relegating women to back seats. Ragen defied the Haredis:
“Excuse me! If you can show me in the code of Jewish law where
it’s written that I can’t sit in this seat, I will move. But
until you do that, get out of my face . . . This has nothing to do
with the Jewish religion. This is about the control of women.”
During that entire ride, she was harassed, humiliated and physically
threatened. Today, Ragen is at the forefront of a lawsuit against
the Transport Ministry and Egged Bus Cooperative to terminate
Israel’s thirty sex-segregated bus lines.
Haredi lawmakers
are becoming more influential as Israel’s parliamentary system
fosters coalition governments. Creeping religious extremism
certainly makes it necessary for secular governance to prevent
fanatics from governing civil society. The persecution of women,
abuse of children, and violence against innocent civilians share no
relevance to the worship of God. The Talibanisation of Israel, or of
any nation for that matter, must stop.
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