قالوا عن المرأة وياليتهم ما قالوا

[المهندس زهدي جمال الدين محمد]

This dissection’ contents of


Introduction

To Cover or Not to Cover: That is the Question Jewish Hair Laws through the Ages

CHAPTER 1
Woman's Veil in the Old Testament
Introduction
1. The Growing Influence of the Ultra-Orthodox in Israel

1.1 Witnessing an 'Extremist Trend'

1.1.1Haredi burqa cultinThe Israel news papers
1. IV.Israel orthodox Jews don face covers
1. V.Teens arrested for gender segregation calls
1. VI. Sum photo’s for ultra-Orthodox Jews
1.1.1. VII Marriage
1.1.1. VIII Hair Coverings for Married Women

CHAPTER II
The Jewish women who are taking the veil
1. Jewish Taliban Girls
1.1 Women wearing Re’ulot
1.1.1 Burqa in Israel


1.1.1. IV Jewish Ultra-Orthodox groups are creating a new Taliban in Jerusalem


1.1.1. V Jewish civil war

1.1.1. V IMIDEAST ISRAEL RACHEL’S TOMB PILGRIMAGE
1.1.1. V II Marriage
1.1.1. VIII Hair Coverings for Married Women
1.1.1. IX. Ultra-Orthodox Rabbis put out fatwa Against Jewish Burka-Wearing women
1.1.1. X Why the Jewish Burka?

1.1.1. XI Jewish Women’s Hair Covering From Veil to Wig
1.1.1. XI Ultra Orthodox Jews riot in Beit Shemesh
1.1.1. XII Jewish Orthodox women in news paper

CHAPTER III
Part 1
Woman's Veil in the Bible
1. THE REASON BEHIND PAINS OF DELIVERY
MENSES IN THE BIBLE
AFTER AN INTERCOURSE
REJOICE WITH THEM!!
WOMAN'S VEIL IN THE BIBLE
WOMAN IS NOT THE GLORY OF GOD
REMAIN SILENCE!
SILENCE IN CHURCHES
WOMAN IS EVIL!
GOD MAKES PEOPLE FALL IN ADULTERY
HIDE WOMAN'S VOICE !
WOMAN FOR THE MAN
HOW TO RESCUE HER HUSBAND
MARRIAGE BY FORCE!!
WHAT IF HE REFUSES?
UPRIGHT WOMEN!
KILL WOMEN, CHILDREN, ANIMALS!!
KILLING, KIDNAPPING, SLAVERY
STEALING WOMEN!!
KILL THEM AND TAKE THEIR PROPERTIES
1.1Veils and Other Coverings
1.1.1. The Old Testament
1.1. IV the Veil and Christianity – niqab
1.1. V the Bible on women and their hair
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Part II
Christian Head covering
Introduction
Some History
Part III
What others say
Part IV
History
CHAPTERIV
Part 1
Muslim headscarves
Part 11
Head coverings (scarves) and face coverings (face veils) [And why do Muslim Men have beards]
Part III
Evidence from the Qur’an and Sunnah
CHAPTER V
From the Book Jilbaab al-Mar’ah al-Muslimah
CHAPTER VI
Tips for Beginning to Wear Hijab
CHAPTER VII
The clothing of Muslim women should not be ostentatious.
Chapter VIII

Niqab is not obligatory by Shaykh Naasiruddeen al-Albaanee


CHAPTER IX
Men in Islam versus Women in the Judaeo-Christian Tradition

[المهندس زهدي جمال الدين محمد]

Introduction

To Cover or Not to Cover: That is the Question
Jewish Hair Laws through the Ages
What does Jewish law say about women and hair covering? The topic deserves attention, particularly in light of the renewed observance of this practice among resurgent Orthodoxy and the BaaleiTeshuva ("reborn" Jews). My interest in studying the historical and religious sources of the practice was evoked both by stimulating halakhic exchanges I came across in various Jewish publications, and by my own experiences within the Jewish community. Modern halakhic studies tend to concentrate on the dynamics of legal issues, but what are some of the social and historical aspects of this particular religious observance?

My endeavor focuses on discovering how the hair covering custom grew, developed, and eventually became institutionalized in Jewish life. In my study of the subject I hope to further elucidate the practice, since hair covering is not necessarily a matter of only halakhic interest, but, as I illustrate, is also subject to strong societal influences. I evaluate relevant biblical and Talmudic sources and their medieval and modern rabbinic interpreters from a historical and social point of view. Finally, I offer some suggestions for reinterpreting this practice in light of societal changes.

Historians and anthropologists show that hair has diverse socio-religious and symbolic value in many civilizations. My interest, however, will be to isolate the meanings hair has held specifically in Jewish civilization at different times in history. Nowhere does the Bible present an explicit command for women to cover their hair. Yet because women in the ancient Near East, as in later Greece and Rome, veiled themselves when they went outside, one can assume that the custom probably also existed in ancient Israel. However, the function and symbolic value of hair in the Bible had little to do with the way Jewish customs developed in later centuries. Early classical rabbinic literature, namely Talmud and Midrash, presents an entirely different approach to the problem of hair covering. At the time of the Talmud hair covering for women became a regular ritual matter. In the Talmud hair covering was not only a fashion or a custom, but was objectified as a rule and regulation for women to follow as a religious obligation. Later rabbinic literature of the Middle Ages further reinforced women's hair covering as an integral part of Jewish religious observance. Only in the modern period was the practice seriously challenged as it faded from general societal convention. In the western world, particularly in America where age-old traditions were frequently bucked, Jewish women questioned the validity of the practice and attempted to influence rabbis to rethink the onerous religious observance.

Woman's Hair in the Bible
The Bible presents hair as an ornament, enhancing the appearance of a woman. The attraction of a woman's hair is poetically expressed in the Song of Songs: 'Your hair is like a flock of goats from Gilead' (Song 6:5). However, hair may have been covered in biblical times, since there is some evidence that the unmarried girl, like her married counterpart, may have covered her hair. The Song of Songs reads: 'Your eyes are like doves behind your veil' (Song 4:1). The verse indicates that the maiden kept a veil over her hair, even though she appears to be unmarried. Similarly, the betrothed Rebecca demurely covers herself upon first sight of her intended husband (Gen 24:65). Because the evidence is sparse, we do not know precisely if, or how this custom of hair covering was observed.

With regards to hair, the Bible seems to indicate that cutting a woman's hair was a way to make a woman unattractive. The sole place in the Bible depicting a woman's hair being cut is in the laws of the captive woman (Deut 21:12). After a period of one month, during which time she was permitted to mourn her family, the captor might then claim her for his wife. The fact that her hair was shaved at the beginning of her captivity, whether as a sign of her subjugation or as a part of her mourning, may also indicate to what extent hair was considered an adornment to women. Some scholars have suggested that cutting her hair made the captive less attractive to her captor, perhaps even with the intent that over the course of the month his ardor would cool and he would eventually let her go.

This practice of cutting a woman's hair, which only pertained to captives during biblical times, later developed into a cultural distinctive for some Jewish women. The practice of shaving a woman's hair upon marriage, while not directly influenced by this biblical account, became prevalent in central Europe and especially Hungary in the early modern period. Under the influence no doubt of the dominant rabbinical scholar and traditionalist, Hatam Sofer (1762-1839), Jewish law required a woman to cut her hair after she wed. This shows that a fringe biblical practice that only pertained to foreign women was eventually converted into a normative religious ritual that pertained to observant Jewish women. What the Bible imposed as a sign of both subjugation and mourning was transformed by history thousands of years later into an expression of female immodesty Although many rabbis inveighed against the practice of cutting one's hair after marriage, this ritual nevertheless took hold in a number of communities.

In post-biblical Judaism, covering of the hair signaled a transition in the female life cycle, symbolizing the departure from maidenhood into womanhood.

Hair Covering: Law or Custom?
The approach taken by post-biblical interpreters has been influenced by how they have categorized the practice, whether as law (halakhah) or custom (minhag). Was hair covering a custom in the Talmudic period, or a halakhically-binding rule? What was the force and authority of custom in Judaism? Religious authorities have disputed the matter through the centuries. The categories have not always been clearly distinguishable, particularly since custom in Judaism often receives the force of law anyway. Jewish law could even be based upon custom. For example, legal rulings sometimes cited custom as a historical, authoritative precedent.

Custom is formulated by the practice of the people, not decreed from on high by authorities. Yet custom in Judaism, unlike law, functions without preconceived intent and anonymously. This means that there is a certain anarchist, populist tendency in the process. Discomfort with the undefined lines of authority inherent in custom led some rabbis to formulate the principle that all custom actually comes from earlier, forgotten law (i.e., rather than just from the people). This represents an effort to lend greater legitimacy to what already constituted usual practice.

Custom has a force and dynamic of its own. It is one of the ways in which religious practice develops and is reinterpreted over time. However, the development of custom is not entirely allowed a free reign. Sometimes a custom was deemed inappropriate, and religious authorities stepped in to fight against it. This seems to be what has happened both in the case of modern women choosing to wear wigs or choosing to uncover their hair, as will be discussed below.

Hair Covering in Classical Rabbinic Sources
In addition to law and custom, Jewish religious practice is subdivided into other categories. In our case, the obscure concept of dat Yehudit plays an important role. Literally, dat Yehudit means 'Jewish Law;' but this explanation does not tell the whole story. The Mishna appears to say that the duty to cover hair is a dat Yehudit rather than a Law of Moses, clearly implying that there is a distinction between a 'Mosaic Law' and a 'Jewish Law' (dat Yehudit). 'Mosaic Law' is apparently considered by the Mishna to be Torah-derived, whereas 'Jewish Law' seems to be Jewish practice stemming from the people, i.e., what we have described as custom. Thus, the Mishna apparently considered hair covering to be a matter of Jewish custom. Nevertheless, the Talmud (or, Gemara) gives biblical foundation for the practice of hair covering and, contrary to the Mishna, declares it to be a Torah-derived law. Furthermore, it is interesting that the term dat Yehudit is used only in connection with women's behavior, leading some scholars to conclude that the term specifically relates to women's modesty.

Modesty laws in rabbinic literature functionally acted to render the woman inaccessible and unavailable to all but her husband. Rousselle, a cultural historian, writes in regard to ancient Rome that the veil or hood worn by an honorable woman 'constituted a warning: it signified that the wearer was a respectable woman and that no man dare approach without risking grave penalties. Although the veil was a symbol of subjection, it was also a badge of honor, of sexual reserve, and hence of mastery of the self' (A History of Women in the West, p.315). Similarly, hair covering was a sign not only of rabbinic modesty but of her belonging to a particular man, and the veil had to be worn whenever she was in mixed company or went out in public (M.Ketubot 7:6). According to the Mishna, a woman going about with uncovered hair represented unacceptable conduct. In fact such behavior is so improper, that it is considered sufficient grounds for a husband to divorce his wife without benefit of compensatory financial support (ketubah). The Mishna states:

These are they that are put away without their ketubah: a wife that transgresses the Law of Moses [dat Moshe] and Jewish custom [dat Yehudit]. What [conduct is such that transgresses] the Law of Moses? If she gives her husband untithed food, or has connection with him in her uncleanness, or does not set apart dough-offering, or utters a vow and does not fulfill it. And what [conduct is such that transgresses] Jewish custom? If she goes out with her hair unbound, or spins in the street, or speaks with any man (B.Ketubot 72a-b).

The Talmud (Gemara) attempts to minimize the distinction made by the earlier rabbis of the Mishna. They question the categorizing of the practice as being merely custom, and argue that it should instead be understood as pentateuchal. The rabbis, in doing this, made the practice of hair covering for women even more stringent, by viewing it as not only rabbinic, but pentateuchal. The Talmud selects the unhappy subject of the suspected adulteress (sotah) to demonstrate its case:

'And what [is deemed to be a wife's transgression against] Jewish practice? Going out with uncovered head.' [Is not the prohibition against going out with] an uncovered head pentateuchal; for it is written, ëAnd he shall parah [?] the woman's [i.e., the suspected adulteress'] head [Num 5:18], and this, it was taught at the school of R. Ishmael, was a warning to the daughters of Israel that they should not go out with uncovered head.

[المهندس زهدي جمال الدين محمد]

The Talmud's claim that hair covering is a biblical injunction, is based upon the command in the book of Numbers that the priest is to parah the hair of the suspected adulteress. The word parah is variously understood. We will present four sources, two from the Talmud, one from the Tosephta, and one from Midrash, to demonstrate that opinions about the word and what exactly the priest was doing to the sotah's hair were not uniform, in contrast to the assumption held by many today that he was uncovering her hair. First, the Talmudic passage just cited explains it to mean, 'uncovered.' Some interpreters claim that this is proof that the women normally had their hair covered, or the priest would not have been able to uncover it. Even if the Talmud is correct, the biblical source cited about the sotah is only evidence that the custom was observed in biblical times; is not proof of the practice being biblically ordained for all time. The second source, an early Midrash known as Sifrei, offers two different, contradictory interpretations of this difficult word parah. The first view states that in order to fulfill the ritual of parah, the priest had to stand behind the accused. A second, anonymous opinion then adds that this biblical rule teaches that daughters of Israel must cover their heads:

"And he shall parah the head of the woman.' The priest turns to stand behind her and performs the act of parah in order to fulfill the biblical commandment of parah, the words of R. Ishmael. It teaches concerning the daughters of Israel that they should cover their heads (M.Sota 1:5).

In other words, the first view was that the word parah means unloosening the sotah's hair, while the second opinion supports the contradictory belief that it refers to uncovering her hair. The medieval commentator Rashi explicitly supports our explanation for the first statement in Sifrei, i.e., that the priest was unraveling, not uncovering, her hair. He cites Sifrei, and explains it by adding that the priest was standing behind the woman so that he could unloosen her braids. Nevertheless, he undermines the importance of this variant interpretation by concluding with the second opinion in Sifrei that from this we learn that daughters of Israel should not uncover their heads. Rashi elsewhere totally ignores the explanation of 'unloosen,' Itating that parah always means 'uncoveringhe hairhair
Our third example comes from the Tosephta. The majority of Tosephta manuscripts do not mention undoing the woman's braided hair. They say only that the priest uncovered her head (Sota 8a). A minority of the manuscripts, however, provide an explanation that encompasses both meanings of the word parah. Adopting a measure for measure sense of retribution, this view states that just as she had spread her sheets for her r, the priest takes the covering from her head and puts it under his feet; just as she had braided her hair for her r, the priest dishevels it. The Talmudic commentary on the mishnaic tractate Sota offers our fourth and final source. The rabbis question (as do we) the source of a surprising mishnaic statement that not only the sotah's hair is affected, but her bosom is to be uncovered as part of her shame. After deliberation, they come to the conclusion that the woman's hair is to be loosened, and her bosom uncovered. Hence they incorporate both meanings of parah, 'to itoover,' and 'to loosen.'

Summary of Views on Parah -- To "Uncover" or "Loosen?"
The evidence presented indicates that there was considerable difference of opinion concerning the translation of the pivotal word parah. Did it mean to uncover or to loosen? We have seen that while the majority of texts support the interpretation of 'uncover,' there is a significant minority view that accepts the meaning of 'loosen.' Mishna Sota, Sifrei and a minority of Tosephta manuscripts all include the idea of 'loosening.' The Talmud on Sota also lends itself to the interpretation of 'to loosen;' whereas the Talmud on Ketubot embraces the opposing view, 'to uncover.'

Although there is uncertainty about the meaning of the word, parah, whether 'uncover,' or 'loosen,' it is Ketubot, with its emphasis that hair covering is pentateuchal and dat Moshe and based on the biblical verse dealing with the sotah, that eventually became widely accepted. This is in spite of the fact that it contradicts the Mishna upon which it is based.

Despite the prevailing view that hair covering is biblically based, the practice is surprisingly not listed among the fundamental biblical commandments, according to the taryag mitzvot (rabbinic enumerations of the 613 commandments of Judaism). In light of the religious emphasis upon hair covering in halakhic Judaism and the claim that it is biblically based, it is rather disheartening that women who do cover their hair apparently do not reap the benefit of performing a biblically ordained mitzvah.

The Seductiveness of Eve as a Cause for Hair Covering
We have just surveyed hair covering in the Mishna and Gemara; now we turn to the Midrash to see what light may be shed on the subject. Instead of the sotah imagery employed so heavily in halakhic sources, aggadic traditions rely on an equivalent typology by employing the figure of Eve. They interpret the custom of hair covering as a sign of woman's shame and feeling of guilt for Eve's sin. The Midrash implicitly understands Eve's attractiveness as having contributed to her temptation and seduction of the man. Consequently, it became her responsibility to modestly cover her hair, considered a sexually alluring feature that men would be powerless to resist.

Blaming women for seducing men finds fuller expression in The Fathers According to Rabbi Nathan (ARN): 'Why does woman cover her head and man not cover his head? A parable. To what may this be compared? To a woman who disgraced herself and because she disgraced herself, she is ashamed in the presence of people. In the same way Eve disgraced herself and caused her daughters to cover their heads' (B.Ber.51a). The Midrash continues in this vein, explaining that women walk before the bier at funeral processions, heads covered, to atone for Eve's having brought death into the world (ARN). Talmudic passages dealing with hair covering do not mention the Eve story, although the notion remains that women's hair is sexually enticing. It is for this reason that one must not recite the Shema prayer in front of a woman with uncovered hair. Women, then, must cover their heads so as to not distract men from their prayers.

Hair covering From the Middle Ages to Modern Times
By the time of the Middle Ages, covering of hair as a religious obligation was firmly entrenched. This is not surprising, since it was still the general societal practice for married womenóboth in the Christian and Muslim worldóto cover their hair (Rambam, Mishneh Torah, Hilkhot Ishut 24:12). In the Jewish world, contemporary religious teachers added impetus to its observance. Rashi repeatedly emphasizes that the law of the sotah teaches that Jewish women were not to uncover their heads, and his teaching certainly held great weight and reinforced the practice. Maimonides, and later the authoritative code of Jewish law known as the Shulhan Arukh, speak of hair covering as the accepted traditional practice for all married Jewish women.

From Veil to Wig
The first serious challenge to traditional hair covering came from the wearing of wigs, which came into vogue among the French in the 16th century. Both French men and women wore wigs, and the fashion eventually took hold among Jewish women. The practice of wearing wigs was at first denounced by rabbinic authorities but was eventually accepted by most rabbis. Still, many pious Jewish women, accustomed to more traditional headgear, found it difficult to accept the new custom. It led to controversy in the Jewish community. Some felt that the wig itself was satisfactory head cover, while others wore a wig and put a covering over it.

Cosmetic use of wigs and hair pieces was already a feature of women's styles in the Talmudic period. However, wigs were never intended in the Talmud to be a substitute for hair covering. Many European rabbis of this period inveighed against what appeared to them a novelty and inappropriate emulation of the ways of the nations (hukat ha-goy).

The rabbis maintained that the traditional prohibition against women displaying their hair was to prevent the special feminine attraction from bringing men to unholy thoughts. The wig, they claimed, could evoke the same feelings as the women's own hair. R. Katzenellenbogen (16th century Padua) encouraged women to accept the teachings of their leaders, even when they sometimes proved unpleasant. He adjured them not to go with uncovered hair, nor to don a wig. To beautify oneself with a wig, he argued, was as if one went uncovered, since to the naked eye there appeared no difference between hair and wig. Other rabbis, as late as the 18th century, mustered an array of halakhic arguments to show that wigs should be prohibited. R. Jacob Emden (1697-1776) was among a number of others who disapproved of the wearing of wigs, even declaring that reading of the Shema in the presence of a woman wearing a wig was prohibited. On the other hand, R. Moshe Isserles (1525?-1572), in his notes to the Shulhan Arukh, declared the wig to be acceptable; and his lenient ruling was eventually accepted by Ashkenzi Jewry.

No doubt great pressure was exerted by women, whose legitimate right to make themselves attractive was recognized. Though the fashion of wigs was discontinued among non-Jews, it continued among Jews as a religious necessity. Once Jewish women experienced the relative freedom of the wig, as compared to the scarf, in giving them beauty and self-respect, they refused to resume the earlier head covering. Despite their lack of halakhic influence, the women made a statement through their continued wearing of the wig in the face of rabbinic opposition. The amount of documentation representing rabbinic discussion of the matter demonstrates the extent to which women were disobeying rabbinic objections. Between the scarf and the wig, women chose the wig and stubbornly fought for the right to wear it.

Eventually, however, there was dissatisfaction with the wig as well, which found expression in the large numbers of women who simply stopped wearing them. By the early 20th century, R. Jehiel Epstein (author of the Arukh ha-Shulhan) deplored the lack of observance of head covering among women, already claiming that the majority of women violated its observance. However, cognizant of this most unhappy reality, he makes it clear that it is permissible to pray in the presence of women whose hair is uncovered. In his Arukh ha-Shulhan he states, ìLet us now decry the tragic circumstances that have befallen us in our generationÖJewish women have become lax and now appear in public with their hair uncoveredÖaccording to the Law, it appears to me that it is now permissible for a man to recite Devarim Shebikedusha in their presence.î Epstein's ruling was societally motivated by an environment in which the practice of head covering was no longer widely observed. Societal mores led some rabbis to take a more lenient stance toward head covering. R. Yehoshua Babad (1754-1838) wrote that the matter depended upon the general local practice. Jewish women should do as other women of their locale did. If the women of a region were not accustomed to going about with head covering, then Jewish women could not be considered immodest if they also did not cover their hair. There were other rabbis who tolerated uncovered hair. R. Joseph Mashash, as well as R. Gershuni, seemed lenient toward the issue of hair covering. Both Mashash and Gershuni specifically rule that modern Jewish women need not cover their hair.

Rabbi J. B. Hurewitz (1868-1935) was particularly energetic in his support of Jewish women who chose to uncover their hair, a position for which he drew considerable criticism (Yad Halevi [Jerusalem, 1933]). Hurewitz defended both innovationsóthe wig (although he considered it ugly) and the bare headóbecause he claimed that societal changes could lead to a change in Jewish custom. Following the same line of reasoning as Babad, he argued that in a place where it is acceptable to cover the hair, a woman going against the accepted custom is regarded as immodest. Men in such a place are unaccustomed to seeing a woman's hair and will become excited at the sight of her. In this instance, there is no difference between a married and an unmarried woman. Concerning unmarried girls, Hurewitz introduces various rabbinic sources attesting that in different locations they do go out with uncovered hair even though the married women cover their hair. The practice of unmarried girls, therefore, also depends on the custom of the place.

In principle Hurewitz was opposed to the use of wigs. He stated that in a place where women covered their hair, a woman going out with a wig was in transgression of pentateuchal law. Nevertheless, Hurewitz continues, the custom had spread in spite of consistent rabbinic opposition to it. Women became accustomed to the wig, and gradually opposition faded. Hurewitz maintains that women eventually became dissatisfied with the wig as well; and, gradually, many stopped wearing it. They disregarded male protests, especially in America, until it became the custom even for modest and observant women to go with uncovered heads. Who, Hurewitz queries, would dare today to say that these women are immodest and sinful? He replies to his own question by stating that the daughters of Israel are respectable and decent.

Although Hurewitz does not condone the actions of the few Jewish women who first broke with convention, he ultimately accepts the societal change that was brought about after the grass-roots movement had become wide-spread and began to represent normal practice. Hurewitz is also unique in suggesting that uncovering their hair allows women to fit into the society in which they live. Blending into the larger society, however, is not usually considered a plus in traditional circles.

Opponents of uncovering the hair, on the other hand, assert even today that hair covering cannot be changed (whether or not it is pentateuchal) because it is based on an underlying Jewish principleómodestyówhich cannot be countervailed. Modesty, they would argue, is not variable, regardless of the mores of the larger society. Consequently, any change in the practice would result in a misguided custom that cannot be countenanced.

[المهندس زهدي جمال الدين محمد]

Conclusions
As has been shown in this essay, the Bible presents little information, only suggesting that some covering might have been worn, as was customary throughout the ancient Near East. In the Rabbinic Period, the practice became obligatory. Classical rabbinic sources illustrate great concern for the practice; however, there is no uniform opinion as to whether hair covering is pentateuchal or a custom. By the Middle Ages, hair covering was uniformly observed by Jewish women, while the modern age saw a grass-roots rebellion among women fomenting use of the wig as an alternative to hair covering. The rabbinic opposition was eventually overcome. Gradually, there was widespread disregard for the practice of hair covering itself. Nevertheless, for Jews who were religiously oriented, the problem of how to avoid hair covering within the realm of halakhah had to be confronted. There were a few rabbis who tolerated the lapse of the custom with the understanding that society had changed and it was no longer considered immodest to keep one's hair uncovered. Most rabbinic decisors, however, were determined to protect the halakhah from incursion and change.

With the resurgence of Orthodoxy in the 1950's, the majority view has become particularly burdensome for many religious women, who chafe against the hair-covering restriction, much as religious women did in earlier periods. It is, therefore, unfortunate that there has been no contemporary effort among Orthodox rabbis to directly confront and resolve this issue (although it is not surprising given the strong move to the right among many, if not most, Orthodox rabbis, and the continued inability of the Orthodox Rabbinate to solve other serious problems involving women).

Many religious women have internalized the value of hair covering and find meaning in it. For them it remains an essential and distinctive expression of their religious belief. And for these women, there is the freedom within our western society to live out their beliefs. Other Jewish women, however, find ritual head covering restrictive and oppressive. These other women feel they can remain true to their faith without donning a wig (shaytlach) or headscarf (tikhlach). Further, they feel that there is sufficient precedent in Jewish law that they can, as Rabbi Hurewitz and others have suggested, be modest, observant women with or without covering their hair. Further, they also might point to other reasons for wanting to go sans head covering, i.e., discomfort, unattractiveness, a wish to express feministic ideals, and a desire to conform to social conventions.

While there have been efforts by halakhists through the ages to alleviate difficult problems, sadly, hair covering has not generally been viewed as deserving of halakhic reconsideration and restructuring. Recently the publication of books dealing with this very issue has stimulated more discussion (see Lynne Schreiber's book, Hide and Seek, which provides numerous Orthodox views on the matter). Perhaps the near future will show another concentrated effort of women to bring about the reinterpretation of this practice of Jewish law that so intimately relates to them.
Comparison by case:
Islam: Women must cover their heads as a sign of "modesty." It also serves as protection for the female.
Christianity: 1 CORINTHIANS 11:3-10 in the christian bible orders women to cover their heads in prayers. These verses further state that the male doesn't have to cover his head because "female was made from male, and the male not from the female." It further states that a woman covering her head is a sign of male "authority."
Conclusion: Islam and Christianity both tell women to cover their heads. The main difference, however, is that women in Islam cover their heads for purposes of "modesty." Christian women cover their heads as a sign of "male authority." It is clear that the bible gives women an inferior status, whereas Islam doesn't.
_____________________

Islam: Adam and Eve (peace be upon them) were EQUALLY responsible for eating from the "forbidden tree." They both repented and were forgiven by the Most-Forgiving and Most-Merciful Allahu ta'ala.
Christianity: Eve ate from the "forbidden tree" BEFORE Adam did. Adam ate from the tree AFTER Eve did. The woman was deceived FIRST. Because of EVE causing Adam to sin by eating from the forbidden tree, the ground is "cursed." God doesn't forgive them, but damns them and humanity -- thanks to Eve (the woman)! ALL females go through "pains of childbearing" as a punishment from God -- because of EVE'S sin. All males have to go through pains of eating from the ground, thanks to EVE. ALL babies are born in SIN, thanks to EVE. All of this can be found in GENESIS 2:4-3:24.
"Adam was not deceived but the woman was" (1 TIMOTHY 2:11-14)
"Woman will be ruled over by the male" (GENESIS 3:16)
In other words, thanks to a FEMALE, we are damned! It is clear that in Christianity, the very first woman is blamed for wrongdoing, but not the very first male.
_____________________________________
Islam: Quran orders us that we should not "bury daughters alive."
Christianity: -"The birth of a daughter is a loss" (ECCLESIASTICUS 22:3, Catholic Bible)
- Ritual impurity of a mother is TWICE as long if a female is born and not a male. (LEVITICUS 12:2-5)
Is it not clear that Islam again gives a higher status to females? What Islam came to radicate -- the bad treatment of females -- still continues in today's Protestant and Catholic scriptures.
____________________________________________

[المهندس زهدي جمال الدين محمد]

ISLAM: Women can talk in the mosque. (place of worship)
CHRISTIANITY: "It is a shame for women to talk in the church." (1 CORINTHIANS 14:34)
If females cannot talk, then how are they supposed to learn? Again, it is obvious that Islam gives the female a higher status than the bible does.
Muslim women are objects of derision and mockery especially in the Western world. Women in Islam are portrayed to be "oppressed" and "inferior" by many Westerners. However, most of the Westerners I've heard this from are usually Christian. It is amazing how many verses the Christian bible has which supports Islamic treatment of women, among other issues. Here is a small list I would like to share with all of you. You will also know that the christian bible degrades the female sex!
At a time when the rest of the world, from Greece and Rome to India and China, considered women as no better than children or even slaves, with no rights whatsoever, Islam acknowledged women's equality with men in a great many respects. The Quran states:
"And among His signs is this: that He created mates for you form yourselves that you may find rest, peace of mind in them, and He ordained between you love and mercy. Lo, herein indeed are signs for people who reflect." [30:21]
Prophet Muhammad said:
"The most perfect in faith amongst believers is he who is best in manners and kindest to his wife." [Abu Dawud]
Muslims believe that Adam and Eve were created from the same soul. Both were equally guilty of their sin and fall from grace, and both were forgiven by Allah. Many women in Islam have had high status; consider the fact that the first person to convert to Islam was Khadijah, the wife of Muhammad, whom he both loved and respected. His favorite wife after Khadijah's death, Aeisha, became renowned as a scholar and one of the greatest sources of Hadith literature. Many of the female Companions accomplished great deeds and achieved fame, and throughout Islamic history there have been famous and influential scholars, jurists and mystics.
With regard to education, both women and men have the same rights and obligations. This is clear in Prophet Muhammad's saying:
"Seeking knowledge is mandatory for every believer." [Ibn Majah]
This implies men and women.
A woman is to be treated as God has endowed her, with rights, such as to be treated as an individual, with the right to own and dispose of her own property and earnings, enter into contracts, even after marriage. She has the right to be educated and to work outside the home if she so chooses. She has the right to inherit from her father, mother, and husband. A very interesting point to note is that in Islam, unlike any other religion, a woman can be an imam, a leader of communal prayer, for a group of women.
A Muslim woman also has obligations. All the laws and regulations pertaining to prayer, fasting, charity, pilgrimage, doing good deeds, etc., apply to women, albeit with minor differences having mainly to do with female physiology.
Before marriage, a woman has the right to choose her husband. Islamic law is very strict regarding the necessity of having the woman's consent for marriage. A marriage dowry (money) is given by the groom to the bride for her own personal use. She keeps her own family name, rather than taking her husband's. As a wife, a woman has the right to be supported by her husband even if she is already rich. She also has the right to seek divorce and custody of young children. She does not return the dowry, except in a few unusual situations.
Despite the fact that in many places and times Muslim communities have not always adhered to all or even many of the foregoing in practice, the ideal has been there for 1400 years, while virtually all other major civilizations did not begin to address these issues or change their negative attitudes until the 19th and 20th centuries, and there are still many contemporary civilizations which have yet to do so.
Women in Islam are like the Diamonds They’re covered and in safe place preserved. Muslim Woman as Defined in the Qur’an and Sunnah
1. She is truthful
2 She does not cheat, deceive or stab in the back
3. She is not envious
4. She is sincere
5. She keeps her promises
6. She has a good attitude towards others and treats them well
7. She is characterized by shyness
8. She is gentle towards people
9. She is compassionate and merciful
10. She is tolerant and forgiving
11. She is easy-going in her business dealings
12. She is of cheerful countenance
13. She has a sense of humor
14. She is patient
15. She avoids cursing and foul language
16. She does not falsely accuse anyone of fisq (transgression) or kufr (blasphemy)
17. She is modest and discreet
18. She dose not interfere in that which does not concern her
19. She refrains from backbiting and slander
20. She avoids giving false statements
21. She avoids suspicion
22. She keeps secrets
23. She does not converse privately with another person when there is a third person presents
24. She is not arrogant or proud
25. She is humble and modest
26. She does not make fun of anyone
27. She respects elders and distinguished people
28. She mixes with people of noble character
29. She strives for people’s benefits and seeks to protect her from harm
30. She strives to reconcile between Muslims
31. She calls people to truth
32. She is wise and eloquent in her da`wah (Islamic Propagation)
34. She is not a hypocrite
35. She does not show off or boast
36. She is straightforward and consistent in her adherence to the truth
37. She visits the sick
39. She repays favors and is grateful for them
40. She mixes with people and puts up with their insults
41. She tries to make people happy
42. She guides others to righteous deeds
43. She is easy on people, not hard
44. She is fair in her judgment of people
45. She does not oppress or mistreat others
46. She loves noble things and always aims high
47. Her speech is not exaggerated or affected
48. She does not rejoice in the misfortunes of others
49. She is generous
50. She does not remind the beneficiaries of her charity
51. She is hospitable
52. She prefers others to herself
53. She helps to alleviate the burden of the debtor
54. She is proud and does not beg
55. She is friendly and likeable
56. She checks her customs and habits against Islamic standards
57. She follows Islamic manners in the way she eats and drinks
58. She spreads the greeting of salam (peace)
59. She does not enter a house other than her own without permission
60. She avoids yawning in a gathering as much as she can
62. She follows the Islamic etiquette when she sneezes
63. She does not look into other people’s houses
64. She does not imitate men
By Leila Leah Bronner
http://www.bibleandjewishstudies.net/articles/haircovering.htm

[المهندس زهدي جمال الدين محمد]

Chapter 1


Woman's Veil in the Old Testament


Introduction
The veil in the Bible – Old Testament
The key Biblical reference is the word “tsaiph” in Genesis 24:65 but we shall first look into the veil (tzammah) in Song of Solomon in Song of Solomon 4:1, 4:3 and Isaiah 47:2 as well as the mufflers in Isaiah 3:9
The veil in Song of Solomon (Song of Songs) 4:1 and 4:3
Song of Solomon is a puzzling piece of poetry which scholars differ as to its interpretation; either literal, typical or allegorical [3]
Of course there is a romanticised feel [4] to the verses [5] in question and thus the veil here could have been for ornamental purposes – part of the finery a bride would wear, but Fausset’s Bible dictionary considers the tzammah to be “a mark of modesty and subjection to her lord” [2]
The veil in Isaiah
Isaiah 3:18-19 indicates the veils were used as finery amongst the women of zion and we also realise, through Isaiah 47:2, Babylonian women wore veils too [6].
There is very little we can glean about the veil from Isaiah and Song of Solomon aside from the fact the veil was something that existed prior to the teachings of Muhammad (p) and women did wear such a covering.
The early portion (ch 1-39, Proto-Isaiah) of the Book of Isaiah is attributed to the Prophet Isaiah (p) and is dated ca 700 BCE. Conservative Christian view dictates Solomon is the author of the Song of Solomon and the date of writing is thought to be circa 900 BCE. However, there is a Biblical reference to the veil which precedes the Song of Solomon.
The veil in Genesis 24:64-65
Conservative Christian view dictates Genesis was authored by Moses (p) and dates the writing circa 1400 BCE.
And Rebekah lifted up her eyes, and when she saw Isaac, she lighted off the camel
For she had said unto the servant, What man is this that walketh in the field to meet us? And the servant had said, It is my master: therefore she took a vail, and covered herself [Genesis 24:64-65 KJV]
Note: vail is an alternative spelling for veil
Here, Rebekah covers herself with the veil in the presence of her future husband, Isaac. The veil did not stop with Rebekah or her contemporaries. We have already seen the veil was still in use during the times of Solomon and Isaiah.
Hebrew women did generally appear in public without veils [7] though wearing the veil was not unheard of and at times some would appear in public with the full face covered except one eye – nevertheless all the women would observe a covering of the hair, that’s to say, they would wear a head scarf [8].
The union between Rebekah and Isaac (p) is thought to be ca 1800 BCE thus women were wearing the veil some twenty four centuries prior to the wives of Prophet Muhammad (p)
From where did the veil originate?
Smith and Easton in their respective Bible dictionaries tell us in no uncertain terms the veil was not part of a general dress code[9] [10]. Smith cites three “exceptional” cases for the use of the veil; concealment of a woman with loose character, ornamental purposes and by betrothed maidens in the presence of their future husbands.
The big question that begs to be asked is from whom did the custom of veiling oneslef originate from? Where did Rebekah learn of such a teaching? Was it through Abraham (p)? Was it via Rebekah’s father (Bethuel) or was it handed down by her forefathers (linking all the way back to Noah, p)?
It is possible the veil was taught by an Old Testament Prophet or figure. Going by the Genesis account we see tacit approval for the veil by Isaac (p) in so far as he did not object to the veil. To glean and speculate further we can note Rebekah was not specifically instructed to wear the veil – she just wore it without any prompting or fuss – thus the practice of wearing the veil (at least in the presence of a future husband) was already established and could have origins preceding Abraham (p).
Regardless of who introduced such a practice we can all appreciate the veil was not frowned upon and was used to further modesty – even for those of loose character.
Judaism, Christianity and Islam are Abrahamic faiths valuing and teaching modesty – thus the veil furthers modesty. No sincere Christian or Jew should be supporting the ban on burqas, hijabs or niqabs.
Typology – is Rebekah’s veil telling us something?
Previously, we saw the Bible was considered to have multiple layers of meaning; Origen certainly subscribed to this view. Could the instance of Rebekah wearing the veil contain a hidden, esoteric meaning for those who scratch well beyond the surface?
In modern times, the veil has become synonymous with Muslim ladies. Muslims subscribe to pure monotheism; a monotheism which Muslims pride as Abrahamic. Is there something to be told here – an indication via the Bible as to which theology is most closely linked to Abraham (p)?
Banning the veil – secularism gone mad
Syria has introduced a ban on the niqab in universities in a move to “protect” its secular identity. Mainland Europe is taking centre stage in its banning of the veil – France and Belgium have already done so.
France even threatens to levy fines [11] on wearers of the niqab – so much for freedom of religion.
Any banning of the niqab is an affront to Western religious freedom and certainly a smack in the face to those who have a regard for the Bible and Biblical characters.
Feedback: ( تم حذف البريد لأن عرضه مخالف لشروط المنتدى )
Footnotes
[1] Hijab refers to the head covering and a modest style of accompanying dress.
1 Corinthians 11:6 (NIV): If a woman does not cover her head, she should have her hair cut off; and if it is a disgrace for a woman to have her hair cut or shaved off, she should cover her head.
[2] The mitpachath (Rth 3:15), tsaiph (Genesis 24:65; Genesis 38:14; Genesis 38:19), and radial (Song of Solomon 5:7; Isaiah 3:23). Moses’ veil was the masveh (Exodus 34:33-35), related to suth (Genesis 49:11). An ample outer robe, drawn over the face when required. Mispachot, the false prophets’ magical veils or “kerchiefs” (Ezekiel 13:18; Ezekiel 13:21) which they put over the heads of those consulting them as if to fit them for receiving a response, that they might be rapt in spiritual trance above the world; placed “upon the head of every stature,” i.e. upon persons of every age and height, young and old.
Re’ aloth, light veils worn by females, called “mufflers” (Isaiah 3:19), from rahal “to tremble,” i.e. tremulous, referring to their rustling motion. Tzammah, translated “locks” (Song of Solomon 4:1; Song of Solomon 4:3), the bride’s veil, a mark of modesty and subjection to her lord. Isaiah 47:2, “take off thy veil,” or “thy locks,” nature’s covering for a woman (1 Corinthians 11:15), a badge of female degradation. Anciently the veil was only exceptionally used for ornament or by women betrothed in meeting their future husbands, and at weddings (Genesis 24:65).
Ordinarily women among the Jews, Egyptians, and Assyrians, appeared in public with faces exposed (Genesis 12:14; Genesis 24:16; Genesis 24:65; Genesis 20:16; Genesis 29:10; 1 Samuel 1:12). Assyrian and Egyptian sculptures similarly represent women without a veil. It was Mahometanism that introduced the present veiling closely and seclusion of women; the veil on them in worship was the sign of subjection to their husbands (1 Corinthians 11:4-15) {Fausset, Andrew Robert M.A., D.D., “Definition for ‘Veil’ Fausset’s Bible Dictionary”. bible-history.com Fausset’s; 1878.}
[3] There are three general trends of interpretation2: 1. Literal – belief that it should be interpreted literally line by line in its historical setting. 2. Allegorical – thinking that King Solomon symbolized Jehovah’s love for Israel or Jesus Christ’s love for the Church, the Bride. These give the book higher spiritual meaning and canonical recognition but fail to accept the historical reality of the events. 3. Typical – thinking that it contains types, e.g. Solomon as the type of Jesus Christ and the Shulamite woman as type of the Church.{Merrill Unger, R. K. Harrison ed. The New Unger’s Bible Dictionary, (Chicago: Moody Press, Chicago, IL 60610), 1988 http://www.biblenews1.com/docs/shulamit.htm}
[4] The king attempts to win the Shulamite’s affection solely by offering flattering words about her anatomy – Michale S Cole’s commentary on Song of Solomon
[5] How beautiful you are, mydarling! Oh, how beautiful! Your eyes behind your veil are doves. Your hair is like a flock of goats descending from Mount Gilead. {NIV Song of Solomon}

Your lips are like a scarlet ribbon; your mouth is lovely. Your temples behind your veil are like the halves of a pomegranate.{NIV Song of Solomon 4:3}
[6] 18In that day the Lord will snatch away their finery: the bangles and headbands and crescent necklaces, 19 the ear-rings and bracelets and veils, { NIV Isaiah 3:18-19 }

2 Take millstones and grind flour; take off your veil. Lift up your skirts, bare your legs, and wade through the streams.{NIV Isaiah 47:2}
[7] Hebrew women generally appeared in public without veils (Gen 12:14; 24:16; 29:10; 1Sa 1:12). – Easton’s Bible Dictionary
[8] According to Rabbi Dr. Menachem M. Brayer (Professor of Biblical Literature at Yeshiva University) in his book, The Jewish woman in Rabbinic literature, it was the custom of Jewish women to go out in public with a head covering which, sometimes, even covered the whole face leaving one eye free. 76 He quotes some famous ancient Rabbis saying,” It is not like the daughters of Israel to walk out with heads uncovered” and “Cursed be the man who lets the hair of his wife be seen….a woman who exposes her hair for self-adornment brings poverty.” Rabbinic law forbids the recitation of blessings or prayers in the presence of a bareheaded married woman since uncovering the woman’s hair is considered “nudity”. 77 Dr. Brayer also explains that veil of the Jewish woman was not always considered a sign of modesty. Sometimes, the veil symbolized a state of distinction and luxury rather than modesty. The veil personified the dignity and superiority of noble women. It also represented a woman’s inaccessibility as a sanctified possession of her husband. 78 – Sherif Abdel Azim, Ph.D.- Queens University, Kingston, Ontario, Canada
{http://www.islamicity.com/mosque/w_islam/veil.htm}
[9] Hebrew women generally appeared in public without veils (Gen 12:14; 24:16; 29:10; 1Sa 1:12). [Easton's Bible Dictionary]
[10] With regard to the use of the veil, it is important to observe that it was by no means so general in ancient as in modern times. Much of the scrupulousness in respect of the use of the veil dates from the promulgation of the Koran, which forbade women appearing unveiled except in the presence of their nearest relatives. In ancient times the veil was adopted only in exceptional cases, either as an article of ornamental dress (Solomon 4:1; 4:3; 6:7) or by betrothed maidens in the presence of their future husbands, especially at the time of the wedding (Genesis 24:65) or lastly, by women of loose character for purposes of concealment (Genesis 38:14). Among the Jews of the New Testament age it appears to have been customary for the women to cover their heads (not necessarily their faces) when engaged in public worship. {Smith’s Bible Dictionary}
[11] Police in the western city of Nantes said the veil – which showed only her eyes – restricted her vision and could have caused an accident { http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/8641070.stm}
http://yahyasnow.wordpress.com/2011/01/18/the-veil-and-christianity-niqab/




1.The Growing Influence of the Ultra-Orthodox in Israel

by Juliane von Mittelstaedt








Spiegel International Online 13th January 2012
Veiled women, radical rabbis and gender segregation: Israel is facing a rise in the influence of ultra-Orthodox Jews. Their efforts to impose a strictly conservative worldview have led to growing tensions with the country's secular society. A resolution to the conflict is vital for Israel's future.
Outside is the Judean Wilderness, the Dead Sea shimmers in the distance. Naomi Machfud is sitting inside the self-built house, dreaming about making the world disappear. She wants to cover up her face with a veil, she says, her mouth, her nose and her eyes. A black veil, without even a vision slit, one that swallows every glance and submerges the world in darkness. The veil is the pinnacle of zniut, or modesty, the closest a person can get to God. But, she says with a sigh, "unfortunately I'm not that far yet."
But Machfud, a 30-year-old woman with six children, has already created an insulating layer of material between herself and the outside world. She is wearing a wool robe, an apron, a blouse, three floor-length corduroy skirts, a black skirt and trousers. She has a piece of black wool material wrapped loosely around her head. Underneath it is a tight, black veil, and underneath that is a pale pink veil. Not a single hair is visible. She is wearing a pair of earrings, but she takes them off when she leaves the house.
Machfud is a Jewish woman married to a Jewish man. They live in a settlement in the West Bank, but she dresses as if she lived in Afghanistan. In Israel, the veiled women are referred to as the "Taliban," while they refer to themselves as women of the shawl. Machfud claims that there are thousands of women like her, but it is more likely that they number in the hundreds. They are usually seen in Jerusalem's ultra-orthodox Me'ah She'arim neighborhood, black, shapeless figures, holding the hands of their daughters, who look like miniature versions of their mothers.
One could call these women crazy. Or one could see them as the product of a religious community that is becoming more and more extremist.
<H3 style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt">Gender Separation in Public

The ultra-religious are gaining power throughout the Middle East, including in Israel, where radical rabbis are expanding their influence. This is especially clear when it comes to women. Ironically, it is in Israel, a country that was already being run by a woman, Golda Meïr, in the 1970s, and where women fly fighter jets, that Jewish fundamentalists are trying to bring about gender separation in public -- in elections, on buses and in the street -- all in the name of a morality that is supposedly agreeable to God. Until now, this trend has been most noticeable in Jerusalem, in Beit Shemesh and in Bnei Brak near Tel Aviv, the country's ultra-orthodox strongholds. But increasingly it is becoming apparent in places where secular Israelis live.
Even a former head of the Mossad, Israel's foreign intelligence agency, is now warning that the ultra-orthodox are a bigger threat to the country than the Iranian nuclear program. US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said recently that the conditions in Jerusalem remind her of Iran.
The odd coexistence of religion and democracy in the Jewish state was long unproblematic. But now the consequences are becoming clear, the signs of fatigue of an overstressed country, a country that is both a democracy and an occupying power, a high-tech nation in which a portion of the population still lives as if it were the 19th century, and a country that accepts immigrants from around the world, provided they are Jews, while at the same time mercilessly deporting refugees. As such, the settlers are, on the one hand, increasingly exhibiting a Messianic nationalism while, on the other hand, the ultra-orthodox pursue a fundamentalism hostile to the state.
Naomi Machfud says that she feels good in her headscarf and multiple skirts. So good, in fact, that she claims she doesn't even sweat during the summer, at 45 degrees Celsius (113 degrees Fahrenheit). She huddles on a worn sofa and tries to explain how it all began, with her and the veil. It is a story consisting of fragments and allusions, and it begins with a Jewish girl from New York who feels empty and spends her time in the streets, until she goes to Israel at 15 to attend an orthodox seminar. She becomes religious and, encouraged by the rabbis, starts wearing more and more clothing.
'Some Men Don't Like It'

Her rabbi was supposed to explain why exactly women are doing this, but he cancelled the meeting at the last minute. At the moment, it is not advisable to openly support the Taliban women, because a few of the ultra-orthodox have just imposed a new rule on them, which they announce in wall newspapers: "You may not cover yourself in abnormal and peculiar clothing, including veils, especially if your husband is against it."
Machfud smiles a Mona Lisa smile. "Some men don't like it," she says. "Suddenly we're more religious than they are." Therefore she is now trying to explain it all herself, and to support her argument she has placed a tattered book on the table. The title is "World of Purity," a bestseller in the ultra-orthodox community. She flips through images of women from past centuries, most of them Jewish, from Yemen, Morocco and Greece, but also of Amish women and Arab women. They all have one thing in common: the large, dark robes they wear, often including a face veil. This is how it was in the past, says Machfud, and it's how it should be again today.
Orthodox Jewish women wear long-sleeved blouses and skirts, and they cover their hair. But this doesn't go far enough for Machfud. She says that she sees too much fashionable clothing, garments that are too tight, too pretty and too indecent. The women, she says, attract looks that should be reserved for the husband. In her view, this leads to sin, and as long as there is sin, the Messiah cannot appear.
"Would you wear a diamond in the market? No, you would hide it at home," adds Revital Shapira, 46, a woman with eight children who is sitting next to Machfud, her body covered in black, floor-length skirts, shawls and headscarves.
Shapira also found religion later than most. She studied literature and only became a Taliban woman after she had given birth to an autistic boy and a girl with heart disease.
'Little House' Crossed with Saudi Arabia

As different as they are -- Machfud soft and pretty, Shapira ideological and contrary -- both women want to live in a world in which women do housework, have children and leave their homes as little as possible. They envision a world without computers and washing machines, with organic food and homemade clothing, a mixture of "Little House on the Prairie" and Saudi Arabia.
"The woman should disappear from public. She should not go out, and she should not speak with strangers on the street," says Shapira. "Unfortunately, the majority of Israelis don't understand this, which is why we are building a parallel system." The two women do not talk to men, and they leave the room when a man comes in. And they are determined to see their daughters follow in their footsteps. "We are building the will in our children to want these things as well," says Machfud.
"For decades, the male leaders of the ultra-orthodox have talked about nothing but modesty," says Hebrew University sociologist Tamar El Or. "No matter what, women are always being lectured on morality, and even the most devout must listen, morning, noon and night, to how they, with their femininity, bring sin to men."
The length of skirts became the gold standard, and each additional layer of material was seen as bringing women a step closer to God. "Some women have started going to excessive lengths. It's like anorexia." According to El Or, this obsession with virtue is also a rebellion against husbands and rabbis, with women now choosing to define their bodies and their faith themselves.
Bruria Keren was a particularly extreme case. In the end she was wearing 27 layers of material. Known in Israel as "Mama Taliban," Keren is one of the leaders of the women of the shawl. Born in a kibbutz and abused by her father, she eventually became religious -- a typical story. As she became more and more obsessed with morality, she beat her children, forced them to pray and cut their hair in punishment, which is why she is now serving a four-year prison sentence.
1.1 Witnessing an 'Extremist Trend'






"It started with a coat, and then there were three. Then she added trousers and a skirt on top. In the end there were 10 skirts, 10 coats and gloves," says her son, who chooses not to reveal his name. "Eight years ago, she covered her face with a veil, first outside and then at home, and finally she was even wearing it in the shower. I haven't seen her face since then. She set up a tent in the bathroom, so that even the walls couldn't see her naked." Keren also stopped speaking, only communicating with gestures or writing.
While his mother became more and more chaste, the son was having sex with his sister in the next room. He was 15 and she was 12.
It was a broken life, says the son, who is now 30 and still hardly dares to go out in public. He works as a laborer during the day and, at night, runs to efface his past. He has become one of the fastest runners in Israel.
"If my mother hadn't been religious, she would have been committed to an institution right away," he says. Instead, the ultra-orthodox community protected her and no one intervened. The ultra-orthodox prefer to solve their problems on their own, without the government. "And my mother's followers told me that she was a saint."
Yair Nehorai, the attorney who represented the son in court when he was charged with sexual abuse, has published a book based on his client's story (*). Nehorai is not religious, but one of his ancestors was a prominent rabbi, which gives him credibility. He represents almost all of the ultra-orthodox who have problems with the authority of the state. One of his clients was an ultra-orthodox man who recently allegedly berated a female soldier who was sitting with the men in the front of the bus, calling her a "whore." And then there were the Yeshiva students from Beit Shemesh, who made headlines when they spat at female students from a religious girls' school, because their skirts only extended to just below the knee. Nehorai also represented the Sikrikim, self-proclaimed moral police who threw fecal matter at a bookstore until it bowed to their moral dictates.
<Few Dare to Publicly Oppose ThemNehorai has never been as busy as he is today. "There is an extremist trend in the ultra-orthodox community," he says. "These radicals were a very small group in the past, but they are becoming more important." Many orthodox Jews are opposed to the moral terror of the zealots, says Nehorai, but very few dare to publicly oppose them.
Synagogues and religious schools have long been single-sex. But then gender segregation began on buses a few years ago. At first only one bus line was "kosher," but soon the men were sitting in the front and the women in the back on more than 60 routes. The government did nothing, until a women's organization took its case to the Supreme Court. It ruled more than a year ago that the segregated seating arrangement is only permissible if it is voluntary. It is a ruling that reveals the court's unwillingness to take a clear position in the conflict between religious and secular segments of society.
Increasingly, supermarket checkout lines, hospital waiting rooms and wedding celebrations are segregated in orthodox neighborhoods. This is voluntary, and yet it is also the norm. But gender segregation is beginning to spread beyond the neighborhoods where the Haredim, or god-fearing ones, live.
Women have disappeared from advertising posters in Jerusalem. Swimming pools at the university have separate hours for men and women. Burial societies forbid women from giving eulogies. In an award ceremony at the Ministry of Health, the female researchers who were being honored were not permitted to walk onto the stage. The deputy health minister is ultra-orthodox.
There are now campaigns against the so-called Haredization of public life. Women are singing in the streets and refusing to sit at the back of the bus. Several thousand people attended one demonstration against the radicals of Beit Shemesh. Nevertheless, it is unlikely that all of this will reverse the trend.
<H3 style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt">Festering Since the Country's Establishment</H3>At issue is a culture war that has been festering since the country's establishment, because it is still unclear today what exactly Israel is supposed to be: a theocracy for Jews? Or a democratic sovereign state? The orthodox appear to be on the road to winning this fundamental battle of principles.
Although they are a minority, with only 10 percent of the population, their birth rate is almost three times as high as that of secular Jews. If this remains the case, the Haredim will make up a third of the population in less than 50 years. A quarter of Jewish first-graders are already ultra-orthodox. Forty percent of the members of parliament in the coalition government, as well as 40 percent of new army officers and soldiers in combat units are orthodox. This gives them a disproportionately large amount of influence, which they utilize.
Even in the army, women are now being assigned to units with ultra-orthodox soldiers with decreasing frequency. A few months ago, religious officer candidates left a party where women were singing, saying that this could lead to impure thoughts. An influential rabbi said afterwards that he would rather stand before a firing squad than listen to a woman singing.
Since then, members of parliament, generals and rabbis have addressed the issue of women singing. Israel's chief rabbi has released an eight-page religious opinion, in which he argues that the army should prohibit women from singing when religious students are listening. A lawmaker from the "Party of Sephardic Torah Guardians," or Shas, proposed that religious soldiers be provided with earplugs in the future.
Shas is led by 91-year-old Rabbi Ovadia Josef, who is known for underscoring his comments with slaps in the face. His son, also a rabbi, seriously believes that women should not be allowed to drive. Far from being an outsider, Josef is one of the most powerful men in Israel, and his party has been part of almost every government in the last two decades, including the current government. Prime ministers bow to him when they ask for his approval of decisions involving war and peace.

[المهندس زهدي جمال الدين محمد]

Independent of the Government

In many ways, Israel already resembles Iran more than Europe. It is a country where there is no civil marriage, and where rabbis rule on weddings and divorces. It is also a country where ultra-orthodox schoolchildren learn neither mathematics nor English, where every kindergarten and every military battalion has a rabbi, and where an infrastructure minister wants to place power plants under the supervision of rabbis so that even electricity will be in compliance with religious purity laws.
All of these things have been around for decades, but now orthodox radicals are increasingly occupying key positions, thereby imposing their stamp on the secular majority.
For a long time, the politicians did nothing. They were constantly giving their religious coalition partners more money and housing for their ultra-orthodox clientele. Otherwise, they left the orthodox to their own devices -- and to the extremists.
That's why men like Joelisch Kraus, 38, are now setting the tone. Kraus is one of the Israel haters of Neturei Karta, the ultra-orthodox, anti-Zionist group. He lives in Me'ah She'arim, in the middle of Jerusalem -- and yet he is part of a parallel society from the 19th century. He has never watched television, has no identification card and speaks Yiddish. He only takes buses that are not operated by the government-owned transportation company, Egged. Garbage disposal presented a problem to Kraus, but he has solved it by tossing his garbage into his neighbor's garbage can. All of this makes him independent of the government and the government independent of him. He is slowly undermining the government from within by refusing to participate in society. He believes that this is the way it should be, because, as he says, Jews should not rule the Holy Land until God sends the Messiah.
It is early evening, and Kraus has just returned from Torah lessons. His son jumps into his lap and pulls on his sidelocks. His wife is sweeping the two-room apartment with an enormous broom. They have 13 children. Seven of them sleep in their parents' bed, two on the window seat and the rest on the floor.
Stoning the Buses

What are a woman's duties? He looks puzzled. "Well, she should be at home and do all the things that have to be done, like having children, raising them and doing the laundry. That's their role," Kraus explains with the gentle amiability of a person who commits crimes out of conviction. "That's all."
To keep it this way, Kraus is leading a crusade against the modern age, so that women will not want education and jobs one day and thus throw the world of the ultra-orthodox out of balance. It is no accident that the culture war is being waged now, as more and more religious Jews participate in the military and working life, despite all the rabbis' bans.
Me'ah She'arim today resembles the Gallic village that is defending itself against the Romans, and Joelisch Kraus is Asterix. The Romans are the representatives of the state and the seculars. Kraus and his fellow ultra-orthodox Jews divide up the streets during religious festivals, with one side for women and the other side for men. If they had their way, the same separation would also apply to everyday life. They threw stones at the non-segregated buses passing through Me'ah She'arim until Egged shut down its service in the neighborhood for more than a year. Now the buses are back in operation, but with police escorts.
"The non-religious Jews have long since lost Jerusalem. They may have a secular mayor, but they just imagine that they are in charge." Kraus laughs. He is familiar with the birth statistics and he knows that time is on his side. "We run Jerusalem," he says.
* Yair Nehorai; "Thou Shall Be My Mother, My Grave"; Steimatzky/Chamama Sifrutit; in Hebrew.

Translated from the German from Christopher Sultan
Source: Spiegel International Online

1.1.1Haredi burqa cultinThe Israel news papers

Court to rule on legality of Israeli ultra-Orthodox 'Taliban sect'

Decision follows what appears to be the conclusion of an international family drama involving two sisters from Beit Shemesh who belong to the Taliban sect.

By Oz Rosenberg| Oct.05, 2011 | 12:21 AM | 72

The 'Taliban sisters' arriving at Ben-Gurion International Airport earlier this week. Photo by Nir Keidar

In a precedent-setting move, an Israeli court is expected to decide next week whether it is legal to belong to the extreme ultra-Orthodox group Lev Tahor, known as "the Taliban sect." A decision reached this week by a family court in Rishon Letzion indicates that a ruling on Lev Tahor's legality is imminent.
The decision follows what appears to be the conclusion of an international family drama involving two sisters from Beit Shemesh who belong to the Taliban sect. The two were forcibly returned to Israel on Sunday under an order issued by the court. The sisters, 13 and 15, were en route to a Lev Tahor village located on the outskirts of Montreal, Canada.
The brother of the sister's grandmother petitioned for the writ; the great-uncle was concerned that the girls might be harmed living in the Canadian community.
The Lev Tahor community is a cult, he contended; should the girls enter it, they would be stripped of all their property, he wrote, and they would be compelled to wed male members of the cult, which is an accepted practice among all young women in the group.
The Israeli court upheld the petition, finding that "there is some defect in the parents' perception of ways of life."
Judge Rivka Makayes ruled that the writ will remain in effect until next week, at which time a family court in Jerusalem will hold a hearing to decide whether the pious lifestyle upheld by the parents is marred by such a defect.
The Jerusalem court's ruling will have implications for all members of the Taliban sect in Israel. Should the court find that it is illegal to belong to the community, social welfare agencies will be able to take immediate steps to remove children from the control of parents who are affiliated with Lev Tahor.
Bringing the Beit Shemesh sisters back to Israel was an international operation, involving the foreign ministry and Interpol. The goal of the operation was to stop the pair from entering the ultra-Orthodox community in Canada.
The community was established about a decade ago, and today has about 45 families, some of them newly Orthodox Israeli families. Women are clothed from head to foot in black garb.
The leader of the Lev Tahor community calls himself Shlomo Elbarnes. From Jerusalem's Kiryat Yovel neighborhood, this charismatic figure began forming extremist Orthodox groups in the United States some 20 years ago. His followers are said to heed his authority entirely.
Elbarnes brought his followers to Canada after U.S. authorities expelled him due to charges that he coercively asserted control over a 13-year-old minor. Elbarnes settled with his group outside of Montreal, where they are said to be fervently religious, holding prayer services that last nearly the entire day.
Rituals of the Lev Tahor community reportedly involve lashing anyone considered a "sinner," and sending 14-year-old girls to the wedding canopy.
At dawn last Wednesday, the parents of the Beit Shemesh girls put their daughters on a flight to Montreal, intending for them to join the Lev Tahor group after the Rosh Hashanah holiday.
"We checked the place thoroughly, and it seemed suitable,' said L., the mother of the girls, who spoke on Monday at Ben-Gurion International Airport.
But when the girls reached the airport in Canada, two Canadian officials detained them and said they would not be able to enter the country.
"We reached the airport in Canada," the older of the two young women said. "We saw people from Lev Tahor waiting to take us to their community, but suddenly policemen came and took us aside."
"We tried to resist. We screamed and cried," the girls said Monday after they were brought back to Israel. Due to the Rosh Hashanah holiday, they were not immediately flown back to Israel. They were temporarily placed under the care of a family in a Canadian orphanage. Sunday morning, they were put on a return flight to Israel, where they remained under the watchful eyes of Canadian police representatives.
When they reached Ben-Gurion International Airport, the two were taken by authorities to meet with a social worker from Beit Shemesh. The social worker phoned their parents, who had no knowledge of their daughters' return to Israel. The social worker informed the parents that the girls were being held at the airport.
According to the parents, the social workers stated that their daughters would only be permitted to return to them if the parents signed a form attesting that they would not try again to send the pair to the Lev Tahor community in Canada.
The girls were released after the parents' attorney reached the airport.
The lawyer, Yair Nehorai, stated that "the behavior of the various authorities in this affair seems problematic."
The Beit Shemesh municipality responded that "concerns about the welfare and security of these girls is what motivated decisions reached in this matter. All the decisions were reached in full coordination with the Social Affairs Ministry and in accordance with obligatory procedures."

http://www.haaretz.com/print-edition/news/court-to-rule-on-legality-of-israeli-ultra-orthodox-taliban-sect-1.388187

1.IV.Israel orthodox Jews don face covers

Ultra-orthodox Jews cover faces to avoid looking at women

By Bethlehem

WEST BANK (Maan)

Thousands of ultra-orthodox Jews in Israel have started covering their faces with black veils to avoid looking at "indecently" clad women, according to news reports.

In the past couple of days, thousands of fundamentalist Jews launched a campaign under the title “Protecting the Eyes” in a synagogue at the city of Bnei Brak, east of Tel Aviv, the Israeli daily Haaretz reported Tuesday.

This by far exceeds the fundamentalism of the Taliban in Afghanistan

Haaretz newspaper

“This by far exceeds the fundamentalism of the Taliban in Afghanistan,” wrote the paper.

Campaign organizers distributed flyers calling upon Jews to cover their faces in order to keep their eyes chaste and avoid committing sins by looking at women.

“This is an amazing experience,” read the flyer. “You have to cover your eyes voluntarily.”

The idea of covering the face started as part of preparations for the pilgrimage to the grave of nineteenth century rabbi Nachman of Breslov in the Ukrainian city of Uman and which is annually visited by 15,000-20,000 Jews.

However, the campaign was extended to all Jews and face covers are now promoted as the best way to avoid looking at indecent women who wear clothes that do not abide by the teachings of Orthodox Judaism.

Around 9,000 Jews left Monday from Tel Aviv airport heading towards Ukraine. More than 50 planes were full to the brim with passengers covering their faces. The total number of Israeli pilgrims this year is expected to reach 18,000.

Before his death, rabbi Nachman of Breslov, who founded the Breslov Hasidic dynasty and is credited for the revival of the Hasidic movement, told his followers that they have to be with him on Rosh Hashanah, commonly known as the Jewish New Year.

Since the rabbi’s death in 1810, the annual pilgrimage called the Rosh Hashana kibbutz has been attracting thousands of Hasidim from all over the world.

http://english.alarabiya.net/articles/2010/09/08/118815.html

[المهندس زهدي جمال الدين محمد]

1. V.Teens arrested for gender segregation calls
Police suspect two youths were hired by ultra-Orthodox Jews
By Hillary Zaken April 9, 2012, 12:03 pm 0




Orthodox women enter a gender-segregated bus through the back door (photo credit: Uri Lenz/*****90)
Police arrested two non-religious Jewish teens near the Dung Gate in the Old City of Jerusalem, on Monday morning, after they reportedly called for gender segregation on buses departing the Western Wall. The youths were apprehended sporting bullhorns.
The police, who took the two young men, 16 and 17, into custody for questioning, suspect they were hired by ultra-Orthodox Jews. Israel Radio reported that the teens were paid 25 shekels an hour for the job.
Gender segregation on public buses has been a contentious issue in Israel in recent years. Ultra-Orthodox Jews have traditionally forbidden the mixing of the genders in their own communities to preserve modesty, but in the past decade they have pushed to practice gender segregation in the public sphere as well. Buses, sidewalks, supermarkets, and advertisement billboards are among the recent targets of the ultra-Orthodox campaigns to enforce gender separation and modesty on the general public.



In 2007, a group of women and the Israel Religious Action Center petitioned to end harassment
of women on public bus lines. In January 2011, the High Court ruled that gender segregation on buses was illegal, making
it an offense to pressure women into back-of-the-bus seating. The law does enable people to observe the practice voluntarily.


1. VI. Sum photos for ultra-Orthodox Jews

[المهندس زهدي جمال الدين محمد]

Chapter II

The Jewish women who are taking the veil

1. Jewish Taliban Girls

These photos published in a haredi forum show the junction Mea Shearim Street / Shivtei Israel. However, I don't think that the two children in the photo belong to Chassidut Toldot Aharon owning the property right next to where the kids walk. I rather assume that the covered Taliban looking girl and her brother belong to the Ba'alei Teshuva movement from Breslov. Those people mainly live in one of the streets across where they also have their own school.

I have seen you a few girls whose Breslov Ba'al Teshuva mother is raising them by wearing thick scarfs and a bundle of Taliban clothes. There are two young sister in the Nachlaot neighbourhood wearing the same kind of clothing.

http://shearim.blogspot.com/2011/07/jewish-taliban-girls.html

To this end, we recommend the book called Hide and Seek published by Urim Publications. It is a collection of essays, primarily by women, on hair covering, with a halachic summary in the introduction.

For an English-language discussion of the relevant sources, we recommend the first chapter of Understanding Tzniut, by our rabbinic supervisor Rav Yehuda Henkin (published by Urim). Also of interest by Rav Henkin is Responsa on Contemporary Jewish Women's Issues (published by Ktav), chapters 16-17.

1.1 Women wearing Re’ulot

I found an interesting teaching in the Talmud Tractate Shabbat 65a which immediately reminded me of the "Taliban Mother".

The Mishna says that Jewish women may go out on Shabbat wearing "Re'ulot".

What does this mean ?

Rashi explains that it refers to women whose entire head is totally covered except for one eye. However, this way of dressing is considered provocative, as it entices men wanting to see more of the face.

Honestly, I have never thought about that !:-)

This is why it is called "Re'ulot - Poisons". Further, Rashi says that "Re'ulot" are thick coats a woman wraps around herself. On the other hand, the Rambam considered "Re'ulot" to be bells hanging from the woman's clothes.

The thought that men who see a today's Jewish Burka woman may feel the desire to see more ... Maybe this was true in ancient times but not today. The Breslover Burka women running around in Beit Shemesh, Jerusalem or elsewhere probably cause the opposite, as there is nothing female around them. Not even anything human but just a walking Schmattes.

Photo: Chadrei HaCharedim

In Beit Shemesh

And here is a picture of orthodox jewish women covering their bodies from head to toe with burqas in Jerusalem..even the little girls!

Interesting. If you didn't say they were Jewish I would have immediately assumed those were Muslims.

Newly-religious women walking around covered head-to-toe in black clothes are growing in numbers. Even six-year-old girls are made to hide their faces. Haredi rabbis finally condemn growing trend

They arrive there every morning, girls aged six to 10 covered head to toe, their faces hidden behind a veil similar to a hijab. They enter an apartment at the center of Jerusalem, which serves as their school.

Hundreds of people see them walk by, including Education Ministry employees who work nearby. Somehow, though, they never seem to do anything about it.

So far, one has only heard of "Taliban mothers," haredi women covered head to toe, including a headscarf, much like Afghani women living under Taliban rule. But now one finds little girls too, the daughters of these "Taliban mothers," walking around outdoors in full body coverage.

Since no haredi school is willing to let these girls in, they go to improvised schools in Beit Shemesh and Jerusalem founded especially for them by their mothers. Needless to say these schools and the curriculum are not supervised by the Education Ministry.

This phenomenon has raised many eyebrows within the haredi community. "Taliban women" and their daughters are outcasts on haredi streets. They encounter looks of disgust, bullying and constant humiliation.

M., a member of the anti-Zionist Hasidic movement Toldos Aharon, lives in Jerusalem. He said he has seen young men come up to these women trying to pull off their head covers.

"There are guys who will approach a woman and say things like: 'You look like a suicide bomber' or 'I guess your face is ugly if you keep it hidden.' There are also those who spit on them and curse at them, or just badger them with cameras so they'll run away."

'Back to sacred custom'

The fact that most of the "Taliban women" are newly-religious does not help either. "It's unacceptable that that the newly-religious will tell us that our women aren't modest and good enough," a senior haredi businessman explained.

It does make sense however that these women are newly-religious. Extremism is very common amongst people who change their lifestyle in a radical manner, from a secular life to a religious one and vise-versa.

"Similar to those who search for meaning in their lives or feel lost and seek help, these girls are inspired by a dominant figure," said a father of a newly-religious girl who now belongs to a cult. "I personally feel that in both cases it's a matter of exploiting weaknesses, but ultimately my daughter is happy and pleased with the life she has chosen, so I have to accept it."

His daughter, however, sees nothing wrong with her unusual appearance. "I think that seculars, who are used to seeing girls dressed in minimal clothing, are the weird ones," she said. "As far as I'm concerned, I'm following the rules of modesty which

ones," she said. "As far as I'm concerned, I'm following the rules of modesty which are also meant to save men from themselves. A man who sees a woman's body parts is sexually aroused, and this might cause him to commit sin. Even if he doesn't actually sin physically, his impure thoughts are sin in themselves."

But what about little girls? Why do 6-year-olds need to walk around covered head-to-toe? "There are enough men who look at them as sexual objects. Such values must be taught at an early age," she explained.

Husbands of the "Taliban women" usually accept the way their wives dress. "Some of them do it out of weakness and lack of choice, others claim they put up with it because of a higher calling and purity. I think they are simply weak. If we're being honest, haredi men are not involved with what goes on at home. They spend most of their days in their yeshivot."

Read more at YNet.

Even though it is quite clear that the Haredi community condemns this trend, the usual frothing anti-religious shriekers at YNet are blaming the entire Haredi community for "forcing" this unusual custom upon their helpless women. Therefore take the comments with a grain of salt

Ultra-Orthodox Jewish Women

Naomi Mahfud (RNaomi Mahfud (R) and Revital (last name was not given) Ultra Orthodox Jewish women, belonging to a small group of women who cover their


entire bodies with a long cape-like garment from head to toe that conceals their figures, as an extreme act of modesty ,known as the “Jewish Taliban women” or the “veil cult”.
Photo by: Einat Keinan & Juliane von Mittelstaedt

Ultra-Orthodox Jews In Jerusalem

An Ultra-Orthodox Jewish woman that belongs to an extreme sect that is nicknamed "the Jewish Taliban" walks with her face and body completely covered on the Jewish holiday of Purim in the Mea Shearim neighborhood in Jerusalem, March 9, 2012. The festival of Purim commemorates the rescue of Jews from genocide in ancient Persia as told in the book of Esther. UPI/Debbie

A young ultra orthodox Jewish boy dressed in a costume walks by an ultra orthodox jewish woman covered from head to toe, known as "Taliban woman" during the Jewish holiday of Purim. It is customary to dress up during Purim. March 09, 2012. (Credit: *****90)






http://www.viciousbabushka.com/2011/02/jewish-women-wearing-burqa-a-disturbing-trend.html

[المهندس زهدي جمال الدين محمد]

1.1.1Burqa in Israel




There is a growing ultra-orthodox Jewish group called the Haredis in Israel. They form about 10% of the Israeli population but are growing fast in their influence.

These ultra-orthodox Jews are the remnants of the people who caused much of the problems in the Middle East a long time ago. They died out among the Jews after they dispersed in the Jewish Diaspora throughout Europe and the world. But since the Jews now have their own country Israel and have some wealth at their disposal, some of their old habits are surfacing again.

The ultra orthodox Haredi Jews say that women must not appear in public, that women must be covered - if possible from head to toe - Taliban style. Lately they have been in the news again in Israel for aggressive bullying and even assaulting Israeli women who "do not dress modestly".

Here is a news story:

"JERUSALEM (Reuters) - Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu stepped up pledges to curb Jewish zealotry in Israel on Sunday after an 8-year-old girl complained of being menaced by ultra-Orthodox men who deemed her dress immodest.

.. to crack down on "whoever spits, whoever lifts a hand (in violence), whoever harasses" and to remove street signs segregating men from women in some ultra-Orthodox districts.

Naama Margolese, 8, was terrified of walking to her .. school because of passersby who want her "to dress like a Haredi" - the Hebrew term for the ascetic, black-coated Jews who are in "awe" of God.

Margolese's mother Hadassa, who wore a headscarf and skirt in deference to religious Jewish tradition, said the sidewalk abuse could include spitting, curses like "whores" and "bastards" and calls to "clear out of here."

police said they had arrested a Beit Shemesh man for spitting at a woman..

Channel Two showed a Beit Shemesh street sign instructing women to keep to one side, away from a synagogue.

Israeli media have debated the impact of religious gender segregation on public transport

The ultra-Orthodox make up only about 10 percent of Israel's population of 7.7 million. But their high birthrates and bloc voting patterns have helped them secure . wider influence. ..biggest partners in the coalition government, Shas, is a party run by rabbis."


Here are some pictures of these ultra orthodox Jews. Again women are forbidden. Men Only. Sounds familiar?



The picture below shows an advertising poster with the face of a woman that has been defaced. The sign at the top right indicates 'No women' in Hebrew. One State in Malaysia has done the same thing. They dont allow women's faces on public







In the next picture a married Haredi woman is wearing ankle length skirt, long sleeved dress and a head cover. That is the Wailing Wall in Jerusalem in the background.





Here is an old picture of orthodox Jews at the Wailing Wall in Jerusalem. Look familiar?

And here is a picture of an ultra orthodox Haredi Jewish woman in the Israeli town of Beit Shemesh, wearing the Taliban type burka. This is a recent picture.



This picture of the Israeli woman wearing the burka was taken from this article : The whole of a woman is genitalia (or, Jewish women in burkas). Here is an excerpt :

"The latest news, as I have read in Israel’s Ha’Aretz, tells of a strange, Jewish women’s cult that has popped up in rural Israel. This cult is led by a Rabanit (=A female Rabi. In Hebrew the term means a wife of a Rabi, and doesn’t indicate the woman is a Rabi or schooler, herself), Bruria Keren, and abides by an extremely strict dress code of chastity, reminiscent of Muslim women. A religious woman must dress chastely, with shirt sleeves covering her elbows and a skirt down to her ankles. An extremely religious woman may sport a wig over her real hair, as her hair is “an instrument of seduction”. Keren’s women must cover their faces completely, with a shawl. “The whole of a woman is genitalia. It is forbidden for a man, other than your husband to see you.” Says one of Keren’s earnest students and assistant."
Some ultra orthodox Jews say the woman is deemed as "genitalia" - hence they must cover up. So this is what is going on among the ultra-orthodox Jews in Israel. Sudah dapat tanah, sudah jadi kaya sekarang mahu jadi bodoh sekali lagi.
The Salafis in Egypt have said the same thing. Please read this short article Egyptian Sheikh: A woman's face is like a vagina. Here is an excerpt :
“What is a veil? A veil is what covers the woman’s face. Therefore the woman’s face is like her vagina,” Sheik Abou Ishak al-Houwayni was quoted on the Elaph news website as saying."

Here is another article reference on the same subject : Jewish Ultra-Orthodox groups are creating a new Taliban in Jerusalem. An excerpt :
"Jerusalem: Jewish Ultra-Orthodox groups are creating a new Taliban in Jerusalem, who have issued a religious edict calling upon women to cover their bodies and hair in order to be cleared of their sins. Posters promoting the new dress code were spotted in the areas of Jerusalem pre-dominantly inhabited by the Haredim community, the Israeli daily Maariv reported.

Women, the posters said, have to wear clothes that are neither tight nor transparent. The clothes have to be black in order to preserve women's modesty and allow them to be cleared of sins. The hair has to be covered as well. Violating those orders, the posters warned, is bound to have grave consequences since this means disobeying the teachings of the Torah."
.
.
Nowhere does the Quran say that a woman is like genitalia. As I have said before, it is the Jews who started all this Jewish nonsense. All these strange and funny ideas came from them. They are also the ones who began this 'This is what God commanded us to do' rubbish. What does the Quran say about the Jews and the Ahli Kitab ?