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The uprisings in Muslim countries do have an effect on Israel.
As a result of the uprisings in the various countries, specifically the uprisings in Egypt that are increasing in intensity, MK Marina Solodkin (Kadima) is proposing a new law that will be discussed in the Knesset.
The law Solodkin is proposing is to ban the wearing, in public, of burqas, raalas and anything else that covers the face and hides a person's identity.
The law, if it passes, would punish a person who covers his/her face, even partially, in public, willingly, in a way that does not allow others to identify him/her, with jail time of a month or a 500 NIS fine. If one coerces someone else to do so, the punishment would be 6 months in jail or a 10,000 NIS fine.
Solodkin says she is trying to prevent the increasing level of extremism in both Muslims and Haredim, and ban the wearing of raalas over the face in public. Solodkin says she understands the uprisings, and is satisfied that they are being driven by motives of a citizens revolution and not of a religious revolution because, as she says, she sees in the crowds in the street female protesters.
Solodkin said, "We should have done this a long time ago, but in Israel everyone is afraid of their "behinds". This is a universal law that establishes that a person, and it does not matter what race, ethnicity, nationality, gender, sexual persuasion the person is from, cannot cover the face. It is the same for a man and a woman, for Arabs and for "the Taliban mother". I even heard that there are haredi men who cover their faces now. To see that in Syria there is a definitive law against wearing a raala in the university while here in Israel it is allowed - to me that is absurd." (source: Walla News)
And in Syria if you speak out against the government you get tortured but in Israel you don't.
ReplyDeleteIf MK Solodkin believes that Israel is a democracy then just like a woman is entitled to go out in public, scantly dressed, even though it may offend, so should a woman be entitled to wear a burqa even though it upsets some people.
I am of the mind that the woman should choose what to wear...
ReplyDeletebut I still do not know where the Rabbinate is in all this - Are we as Jews not supposed to emulate the goyim? There is modesty and then there is covering your face... As far as I know there is NOTHING that says you need to do that.
As far as security goes the proposal does make sense in a modern society.